Gardening Etcetera: Growing a Seed Lending Library for Flagstaff
When I walked into the small, public library in Brandon, VT, it
only took me a moment to notice the quaint, 15-drawer card catalog with a
hand-painted sign over it, “Seed Lending Library”. I fell in love with the idea
as soon as I opened a drawer. A place for the community to borrow flower and
vegetable seeds, grow them, and then return the seeds from that year’s harvest?
Sold. In a town of 1,500 people, I knew if Brandon could support a seed
library, so could Flagstaff and Coconino County. Today there are over 400 seed
lending libraries cropping up all over the United States. These libraries offer
seeds not only encapsulating the potential for families to feed themselves, but
locally-proven seeds with a history of success—some as ancient as the first
people to inhabit the area. This summer a seed library will open to the public
at the University of Arizona Coconino County Cooperative Extension Office
located on 2304 North 3rd Street. Dubbed Grow Flagstaff! Seed Lending Library,
seeds will include flower and vegetable varieties adapted to grow in our
climate conditions, as well as native seeds attractive to local gardeners.
What is a seed library and how does it work? A seed library is a
storehouse of open-pollinated or heirloom seeds available to the community as a
free - though priceless - service much like a book lending library. It is based
on an easy membership form and relies on the return of next generation seeds
from its patrons as well as donations from local gardeners and seed companies.
By collecting and providing a pure source of seeds optimal for our local
conditions and the knowledge on how to grow them, a seed library promises that
people will have a better chance of becoming successful gardeners each year.
A seed library fosters a self-sufficient philosophy where seeds
will be provided in order of difficulty level for growing and saving (easy,
medium, and hard). Information about how to grow, harvest, and return the next
generation of seeds to the seed library will be provided in pamphlets, through
Coconino Master Gardener Association (CMGA) presentations, and a display next
to the seed library. As we construct the library, anyone can offer help, but we
are fortunate as a community to have a ready source of volunteers through the
CMGA, the Flagstaff chapter of The Arizona Native Plant Society, the City of
Flagstaff Sustainability Program, and Flagstaff Foodlink. To increase public
outreach, we also intend to host a kick-off party for the community where
anyone can learn about the seed library. Watch for this event towards the end
of the summer.
It is our hope that this program will enhance community interest
in gardening, healthy produce, and seed saving. Our excitement over this
opportunity for our community hasn’t lessened since the first glimpse of a seed
library in Brandon, VT. It’s something valuable not just to us, but for many
generations to come. We know the gift encapsulated in a pure, tiny seed and
can’t wait to share it with others.
For more information regarding the seed library, please contact
Jackee Alston, Master Gardener (jackeealston@yahoo.com; (928) 814-2280) or
Hattie Braun, Master Gardener Program Coordinator (hbraun@cals.arizona.edu;
(928) 774-1868x170)
No comments:
Post a Comment