Seed library
A seed library is a place that shares or lends seeds to the public free of charge. They help maintain genetic diversity and develop varieties acclimated to local growing conditions. Despite the similar names, seed libraries are unrelated to seed banks.
Patrons check out seeds to plant and return excess seeds harvested at the end of the growing season. They can be found inside some traditional libraries, co-ops, community centers, churches, schools, and other public places. Some gardeners create their own publicly accessible seed libraries on their properties, akin to Little Free Libraries.
Patrons select seeds from the varieties available and only take the amount of seed needed for their own plantings. Once the seeds grow into plants, and the plants go to seed, the patron harvests the next generation of seeds. The seeds they need for their next plantings are retained and excess seeds are returned to the library. For plants that are typically harvested before they seed, the gardener only harvests a portion of their crop to allow some of the plants to fully mature and seed.
Seed libraries are a way of sharing heirloom varieties and commercially available seeds as well as creating a stock of seeds that grow well in the library's community.
Make a seed library
Make your own seed library for your community if there aren't any nearby. While some libraries can be intricate and fancy, it just needs to provide a safe and organized place to store seeds that the public can access. Consider creating a victory box and placing it at the edge of your property for an inexpensive weatherproof library.
Legal status
Some jurisdictions inside the United States have laws that prevent sharing seeds.
Seed library locations
An interactive map generated from the table below can be viewed at https://www.honeytrust.org/
| Name | Latitude | Longitude | Street Address | City | State | ZIP | Country | Mailing Address | City | State | ZIP | Country | URL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ABQ-BERNCO Seed Library | 35.0726996 | -106.6460792 | 1025 Broadway Blvd Se | Albuquerque | NM | 87102-4403 | US | 1025 Broadway Blvd Se | Albuquerque | NM | 87102-4403 | US | https://www.abqlibrary.org/seeds | |
| Alameda Free Library | 37.766793 | -122.242416 | 1550 Oak St | Alameda | CA | 94501 | US | 1550 Oak St | Alameda | CA | 94501 | US | https://alamedaca.gov/library/green-thumbs-green-minds-seed-library | |
| Ashland Seed Library | 46.5864511 | -90.8947314 | 700 Main St W | Ashland | WI | 54806 | US | 700 Main St W | Ashland | WI | 54806 | US | ||
| Big Pine Paiute Tribe of the Owens Valley | 37.157710 | -118.289848 | 825 S Main St | Big Pine | CA | 93513 | US | PO BOX 700 | Big Pine | CA | 93513 | US | http://www.bigpinepaiute.org/environmental.html | |
| Billingsley Memorial Library | 35.604802 | -91.282289 | 213 Walnut St | Newport | AR | 72112 | US | 213 Walnut St | Newport | AR | 72112 | US | https://jacksoncolib.wordpress.com/seed-library/ | |
| Cable Community Seed Library | 46.2158 | -91.286244 | 13765 Perry Lake Road | Cable | WI | 54821 | US | 13765 Perry Lake Rd | Cable | WI | 54821 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | Located in the Cable Community Farm House |
| Clark County Seed Library | 37.988486 | -84.18833 | 370 S Burns Ave | Winchester | KY | 40391 | US | 370 S Burns Ave | Winchester | KY | 40391 | US | http://www.clarkbooks.org/seeds | |
| César Chávez Library | 37.775816 | -122.224783 | 3301 E 12th St Ste 271 | Oakland | CA | 94601 | US | 3301 E 12th St Ste 271 | Oakland | CA | 94601 | US | http://www.theseedfolks.org/ | |
| Demeter Seed Saving Project | 36.977586 | -122.054308 | 1156 High St | Santa Cruz | CA | 95064 | US | 1156 High St | Santa Cruz | CA | 95064 | US | https://casfs.ucsc.edu/farm-to-college/demeter-seed.html | It's a seed project run by students at UC Santa Cruz. The students are always looking for seed donations. |
| Dillingham Public Library | 59.040799 | -158.464381 | 306 D St | Dillingham | AK | 99576 | US | 306 D St | Dillingham | AK | 99576 | US | https://www.dillinghamak.us/index.asp?Type=B_BASIC&SEC=%7B40426B50-B1E7-4D4B-8F56-611FDD70A0E8%7D | |
| Faulkner County Library | 35.103163 | -92.450200 | 1900 Tyler St | Conway | AR | 72032 | US | 1900 Tyler St | Conway | AR | 72032 | US | https://www.facebook.com/FaulknerCoutnySeedLibrary/ | |
| Garland County Library | 34.498365 | -93.038095 | 1427 Malvern Ave | Hot Springs | AR | 70909 | US | 1427 Malvern Ave | Hot Springs | AR | 70909 | US | http://gclibrary.com/services.html | |
| Hawaii State Public Library Community Seed Library | 19.637844 | -155.991081 | 75-138 Huallalai Rd | Kailua-Kona | HI | 96740 | US | 75-138 Huallalai Rd | Kailua-Kona | HI | 96740 | US | https://www.librarieshawaii.org/event/community-seed-library-membership-meeting/ | |
| Hayward Seed Library | 46.0247917 | -91.4838223 | 10788 WI-77 | Hayward | WI | 54843 | US | 10788 WI-77 | Hayward | WI | 54843 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | Located in the Sherman & Ruth Weiss Community Library |
| Henderson County Library | 32.20349626710526 | -95.85475802421571 | 121 S Prairieville St | Athens | TX | 75751-2513 | US | 121 S Prairieville St | Athens | TX | 75751-2513 | US | https://www.hendersoncountylibrary.com/ | |
| John Trigg Ester Library | 64.846287 | -148.015308 | 3629 Main St | Fairbanks | AK | 99709 | US | PO Box 468 | Ester | AK | 99725 | US | https://www.esterlibrary.org/programs-events/growing-esters-biodiversity/seeds-in-alaska/ | |
| La Crosse Public Library | 43.811293 | -91.244826 | 800 Main St | La Crosse | WI | 54601 | US | 800 Main St | La Crosse | WI | 54601 | US | https://www.lacrosselibrary.org/services/seed-library | Located on the second floor. |
| Lebanon Public Library | 38.603771 | -89.810939 | 314 W St Louis St | Lebanon | IL | 62254 | US | 314 W St Louis St | Lebanon | IL | 62254 | US | http://lebanonpubliclibrary.org/seed-library/ | |
| Madeline Island Seed Savers Project | 46.7829209 | -90.7887839 | 868 Whitefish St | La Pointe | WI | 54850 | US | 868 Whitefish St | WI | 54850 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | ||
| Magnolia Springs Seed Library | 30.405291 | -87.771364 | 12440 Magnolia Ave | Magnolia Springs | AL | 36555 | US | 12440 Magnolia Ave | Magnolia Springs | AL | 36555 | US | http://www.magnoliaspringslibrary.org/ | |
| Mercer Seed Library | 46.16796711364575 | -90.06274867031608 | 2648 W Margaret St | Mercer | WI | 54547 | US | 2648 W Margaret St | Mercer | WI | 54547 | US | ||
| Mesa Public Library | 33.418209 | -111.829599 | 64 E 1st St | Mesa | AZ | 85201 | US | Po Box 1466 | Mesa | AZ | 85211 | US | http://www.mesalibrary.org/find/stuffbrary/seed-library | |
| Native Seed/SEARCH seed library | 32.262674 | -110.944142 | 3061 N Campbell Ave | Tucson | AZ | 85719 | US | 3061 N Campbell Ave | Tucson | AZ | 85719 | US | https://www.nativeseeds.org | |
| Olson Memorial Seed Lending Library | 45.91777875 | -89.2502891649675 | 203 N Main St | Eagle River | WI | 54521 | US | WI | 54521 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | Located in the Walter E. Olson Memorial Library | ||
| Patagonia Public Library | 31.538824 | -110.753873 | 346 Duquesne Ave | Patagonia | AZ | 85624 | US | Po Box 415 | Patagonia | AZ | 85624 | US | http://www.patagoniapubliclibrary.org/seed-library/ | |
| Phinney Neighborhood Center | 47.6771284 | -122.353989580999 | 6532 Phinney Ave N | Seattle | WA | 98103-5234 | US | 6532 Phinney Ave N | Seattle | WA | 98103-5234 | US | https://kingcoseed.org/locations/ | |
| Pima County Public Library | 32.223504 | -110.971980 | 101 N Stone Ave | Tucson | AZ | 85701 | US | 101 N Stone Ave | Tucson | AZ | 85701 | US | https://www.library.pima.gov/seed-library/ | |
| Red Cliff Seed Library | 46.8601874987656 | -90.8100317531277 | 36745 Aiken Rd | Bayfield | WI | 54814 | US | 36745 Aiken Rd | Bayfield | WI | 54814 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | |
| San Francisco Public Library, Potrero Branch | 37.760136 | -122.397658 | 1616 20th St | San Francisco | CA | 94107-2811 | US | 1616 20th St | San Francisco | CA | 94107-2811 | US | https://sfpl.org/?pg=2000858001 | |
| Toronto Botanical Garden | 43.73417748473127 | -79.35808016067315 | 777 Lawrence Ave E | Toronto | ON | M3C 1P2 | CA | 777 Lawrence Ave E | Toronto | ON | M3C 1P2 | CA | https://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/learn/weston-family-library/seed-library/ | |
| Van Buren Grows Seed Lending Library | 35.437096 | -94.343577 | 1409 Main St | Van Buren | AR | 72956 | US | 1409 Main St | Van Buren | AR | 72956 | US | http://www2.youseemore.com/crawfordcls/location.asp?SchoolType=0&sID=16 | |
| Verde Valley Seed Library | 34.737572 | -112.023189 | 100 6th St | Cottonwood | AZ | 86326 | US | 100 6th St | Cottonwood | AZ | 86326 | US | http://gardensforhumanity.org | The seed library is open on the first Saturday of each month. |
| Washburn Seed Library | 46.6727608 | -90.8952610765478 | 307 Washington Ave | Washburn | WI | 54891 | US | 307 Washington Ave | WI | 54891 | US | http://www.seedsaversalliance.org/seed-library-locations.html | ||
| West Community Seed Exchange | 38.396905 | -122.832297 | 500 Robinson Rd | Sebastopol | CA | 95472 | US | 500 Robinson Rd | Sebastopol | CA | 95472 | US | https://westcountyseedbank.blogspot.com | Located inside the Saint Stephen's Church. |
Links
- Honey Trust Seed Library Map - A map of seed libraries, dynamically built from the listings in this article. The site also has a form that allows non-Permawiki users to add more seed libraries to the table above using Marian.
- https://www.theselc.org/seed_law_resources
- http://seedlibraries.weebly.com/