Advice for the Home Gardener From the Contra Costa Master Gardeners' Help Desk
Client's Question:
I've heard that I can get free seeds and advice about seeds from Seed Libraries. What and where are Seed Libraries?
CCMG Help Desk Response:
Seed Libraries are a great source for free seeds and seed advice. Mainly for vegetables, but many also have ornamental and native seeds as well. Seed Libraries are also a great complement to the efforts of Contra Costa Master Gardeners (CCMG), especially as CCMG expands its School and Community Garden efforts. Most Seed Libraries are found inside your local library, usually supported by library volunteers, some of which are also MGs.
One of the most active Seed Libraries in CCC is the “Richmond Grows Seed Library”.
What exactly is a Seed Library you ask? The description from Richmond's web site is informative:
“Come to the Richmond Public Library, Richmond, Calif. and “borrow” seeds for free! You may be asking, “How can you ‘borrow' seeds?” The basic is idea is that you plant the seeds, let some go to seed, then return some of these next generation seeds for others to borrow. (Don't worry. We don't have fines if you don't return seeds.) ...
Richmond Grows is a non-profit seed lending library located in the public library. We're open whenever the public library is open. You do not need to have Richmond Public Library card to use the seed library, but we do ask people to watch our on-line orientation. We provide free classes on organic gardening and seed saving, and of course, you can also borrow books from the public library on these topics.”
Don't live in Richmond and you want to know where a Seed Library might be located near you? Then see Richmond's web page on Sister Seed Libraries (http://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org/sister-libraries.html).
Sounds great doesn't it? However, there's currently a bump in the road for Seed Libraries. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) is implementing regulations that would greatly hamper and possibly eliminate Seed Libraries' long-time operations (e.g., for more on this, see “seed libraries pennsylvania”). More than a dozen other states are now considering similar restrictive regulations. While according to Richmond Grows and other local sources, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has not yet commented on these actions, Seed Libraries are concerned about possible crippling Seed Library activities in California. If that issue concerns or interests you, you should look at the Sustainable Economies Law Center's web page (http://www.theselc.org/save_seed_sharing) for even more background information and consider signing their petition supporting Seed Libraries.
Have you checked out your local Seed Library for garden seeds and information? They also are worthy of your support (e.g., $, seed, and volunteer time).
Contra Costa Master Gardeners Help Desk
Note: The Contra Costa Master Gardener Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/