Seeds Available at South Branch Library!
03/05/24
Seed Libraries Belong in Public Libraries!
Just as traditional libraries enrich a community by providing a way to share books, seed libraries enrich the gardening community by allowing gardeners to share seeds. There are many parallels.
- Seed libraries offer a more efficient way to deploy community resources. They encourage experimentation, affording gardeners (or aspiring gardeners) a low-risk way to try something new.
- Seed libraries support botanical literacy, teaching people what different plants look like and how they grow.
- Seed libraries also support information sharing and preservation. Gardening is a localized knowledge, built through experience. While written guidelines can be helpful, person-to-person information sharing is how gardeners can learn how to be successful in their own unique environments. As our climate changes, it will be even more important to preserve and share this understanding of how to garden in a range of conditions.
The Seed Library is Available for Everyone!
Are you a life time gardener? Do you have a black-thumb? All are welcome to use the Seed Library available at the South Branch Library in Breckenridge, even if you do not have a Summit County Library card.
A traditional seed library takes in “saved seeds” that are harvested from a grown plant to be used for the next season. This allows for the next year’s crop to become highly acclimated to the environment they are trying to grow in. That being said, seed saving is incredibly difficult to do properly because of cross-contamination. The goal of this program is to provide resources for those interested in starting or growing a garden, become a place of gathering for educational programs and workshops, to provide seeds to patrons at no cost, and to honor the tradition of seed saving and sharing.
Donating to the Seed Library
The idea of a seed library only works if those that are borrowing seeds are also donating seeds back at the end of the season. This seed library accepts saved seeds (from plants grown during the season) as well as commercially packaged seeds.
If you are donating seeds that come in their original packaging, you can just drop those off at the seed library in the donation bin. If you are donating saved seeds or seeds without their original packaging, we ask that you please fill out a donation form and attach it to the seed package so the next grower knows what to expect.
Borrowing Seeds from the Seed Library
All the seeds in this seed library are sorted by their plant families. There is sign available to use if you do not know what family a certain plant belongs to. If you find any seeds that you are interested in, feel free to take them home! Please just record on our sign out form so we can keep track of our checkouts. While we do not have a maximum number of seed packets per person, please take in moderation so all can enjoy these seeds.
Why take the time to save seeds?
Humans have been saving seeds for over 12,000 years. However, in our culture much of that knowledge has been lost over the last hundred years, along with significant biodiversity. When you grow and save your own seeds, you….
- develop seed stock that is well suited to our climate
- save money
- mitigate our dependence on agro-business
- When you participate in the seed library, you create a culture of sharing and abundance!
Worthwhile Resources:
o High Country Conservation Center
o CSA (Community Supported Agriculture Program): The farmers agree to provide high-quality produce for members, who in turn agree to support the farmer by purchasing a farm share for the entire growing season.
o Grow to Share Program: Grow your own local produce and donate it to qualified families in Summit County while they will also receive nutritional education and hands-on growing experiences.
o Community Gardens: No room to grow at your residence? You can apply for a garden plot at one of the community garden locations.
o Growing Tips: Growing food at 9,000’ is not easy! HC3 farmers have put together a great resource of information to help others grow successfully.
o Colorado State University Extension
Questions?
Email Meg Quirk or call 970-453-3543
Want to learn more?
How to Save Seeds (A small overview)
Depending on the type of plant and how it grows and pollinates, some seeds are easier to save than others. We have split these seeds into different categories of difficultness.
Easiest-to-Save Seeds
The plants in these families are mostly self-pollinating. The flowers have male and female parts, so pollination occurs within the individual plant, not as a cross between plants. Seeds are reliably the same as the parent plant.
- Asteraceae or Compositae Aster, Daisy, or Sunflower Family: artichoke, cardoon, endive, Jerusalem artichoke, lettuce, salsify, shungiku, sunflower.For Jerusalem artichokes, the tuber is planted. For others in this family, allow the plants to flower, collect dry seeds.
- Fabaceae or Leguminosae Pea, Bean, Legume or Pulse Family: bean, lentil, pea, peanut, soybean.
Allow beans and peas to dry in their pods on plants before collecting and storing.
- Solanaceae Nightshade Family: cape gooseberry, eggplant, ground cherry, pepper, potato, tomatillo, tomato.
Allow fruits to fully ripen. Seed must be separated from flesh. Letting tomato pulp ferment in water for a few days is helpful. Seed should be rinsed and dried thoroughly before being stored. Potatoes are grown from tubers, not seeds.
Difficult-to-Save Seeds
These plants are self-sterile, cross-pollinating, or outbreeding. They will cross with other plants of their species. To save seeds from these plants you must:
- allow only one variety in each species to flower at a time
- let multiple plants of one variety flower to ensure pollination
In urban environments, some crossing can occur with our neighbors’ plants, but these plants will not cross over great distances. Many are rarely allowed to flower anyway.
- Amaryllidaceae or Alliaceae Lily or Onion Family: chives, garlic, leeks, onions.
They are biennial, which means they won’t flower until the second year, after winter. Let the seeds dry on the plant. Collect. With bulbing varieties, replant bulb when it sprouts.
- Chenopodiaceae or Amaranthaceae Goosefoot or Amaranth Family: amaranth, beet, chard, lamb’s quarters, orach, quinoa, spinach.
Beet and Chard are the same species, so only let one variety flower at the same time. Spinach is dioecious meaning each plant is either male or female, so let many plants flower at once for pollination. Let the seeds dry on the plant. Collect.
- Umbelliferae or Apiaceae Parsley Family: carrot, celery, caraway, chervil, cilantro (coriander), dill, fennel, parsley, parsnip.
Carrot unfortunately will cross with Queen Anne’s Lace, so don’t save carrot seeds if Queen Anne’s Lace grows nearby. Many of this family are biennials, so flowering may not occur until the second year. Let the seeds dry on the plant. Collect.
Advanced Seeds
Most of these vegetables are outbreeding and pollinated by wind or insects. They are commonly found flowering in local neighborhoods, making isolation very difficult. Seeds that require hand pollination, tenting, and other methods to ensure varietal purity are labeled “advanced.” These families will readily cross with unseen nearby plants and may create odd and possibly inedible varieties in one generation.
- Brassicaceae Mustard Family: Asian greens, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, mustard, turnip.
Exceptions that are easy: Arugula, rutabaga
- Cucurbitaceae Gourd Family: cucumbers, gourds, luffa, melons, pumpkin, summer squash (ex. zucchini), winter squash (ex. acorn)
Exceptions that are easy: Plant uncommon cucurbits like gourds, mixta squash, luffa. Hand pollinate to ensure purity with this family.
- Poaceae Grass Family: barley, corn, kamut, millet, oats, sorghum, wheat.
Corn readily crosses with different, unseen varieties. It is unlikely that saved seeds will be like their parents.
Exceptions that are easy: Sorghum is easy to save because it does not cross. All other crops in this family are so uncommon in backyards that they are easy to save.
