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The Kent County Public Library opened a community seed library earlier this month.
“A seed library is a place where you can come into the library, select up to three packets of seeds of a variety of types. You could have vegetables or flowers or herbs or maybe something else. Then you take it home and you plant it,” said Hilary Welliver, who’s leading this project.
Welliver says the seed library takes advantage of resources in the Kent County Library’s own back yard.
“Kent County is an agricultural community. We have farms and people growing things all around us and everybody enjoys gardening. Even if it’s just a hobby, it doesn’t have to be a business, it can be for fun.”
And she notes she and her staff had plenty of help to get it up and running.
“We met with master gardeners, we met with ag-extension groups, 4H clubs, seed providers. And then my staff and I sat down, organized, and we’ve been stuffing seed packets ever since.”
And that led to the seed library having many options for gardeners, from gardeners.
“So we have sugar snap peas, and sweet peppers, and micro greens… these were all community donated.”
If you want to check out some seeds for yourself, stop by the Kent County Public Library with your library card.. Welliver hopes the seed library will last through this planting season.
“We expect that it’ll probably stay open until late April, beginning of May, because that’s when the spring planting season is here in Kent County.”
Welliver also encourages residents to suggest more projects like this one for the library.
“We are always looking for projects like this in the future, so if you have a good idea then please share it with us. We will have an open mind for that,” said Welliver.