Seed Lending Library restocked, ready for Spring

By Tina Covington
Posted 2/19/21

BAY MINETTE — Spring is just around the corner and the Seed Lending Library has been restocked to assist with filling your spring garden. The budding collection – housed in an old card catalogue …

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Seed Lending Library restocked, ready for Spring

Posted

BAY MINETTE — Spring is just around the corner and the Seed Lending Library has been restocked to assist with filling your spring garden. The budding collection – housed in an old card catalogue at the Bay Minette Public Library – features an assortment of donated seeds for herbs, ornamentals and vegetables.

Joanna Bailey, library director, said the Seed Lending Library has been a “wonderful addition to the many services we offer the community. Especially now, during the time of COVID, people need safe outlets and working with your hands in the dirt planting herbs, fruits, vegetables and flowers is a fabulous alternative. What a great opportunity to get outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine.”

The process is simple. Seeds are organized by herbs, ornamentals, and vegetables. Patrons can come in, sign out seeds, then go home and plant them, Bailey explained. Once their crop comes in, the gardener harvests the seeds and may return them to the library where they are packaged and added back into the Seed Lending Library.

Since starting the project in 2017, Bailey said it has really blossomed into a wonderful service. “The Seed Lending Library has really taken off and people are very excited about it,” she said. “I have a notebook for people to ‘check-out’ seeds, and people leave nice notes in it. We also have people bringing in seeds to replenish the collection.”

Bailey said this year’s additions include “different herbs such as basil and rosemary. We have a variety of vegetables from beans and squash to spinach and cabbage. We have lots of flowers as well and many that aid the bee and butterfly populations like milkweed and coneflowers.”

One added benefit of the library is that the seeds have weathered the regional conditions and are more apt to thrive. The library also has prepared information on seed saving, planting timetables, frost timetables and has added some books on the topic to its collections.

For more information about the Seed Lending Library call 251-580-1648 or stop by and peruse the wide assortment of seeds available.