By Jordan Green
TROY — The Troy-Miami County Public Library has opened a Seed Library accessible to all library card holders. A Seed Library is a collection of vegetable, herb, and flower seeds offered free to the public. The seeds can then be taken and grown at home, and the resulting produce can help alleviate rising vegetable costs and encourage healthy eating habits.
The program, started by Reference Librarian Pam Ade, utilizes volunteers to help sort and package the seeds, which are then placed in a re-purposed card catalog to the right of the main entrance. They offer a wide selection ranging from lettuce, radishes, and tomatoes to various flowers and herbs. The selection will be expanded as the weather warms to include plants that grow later in the season.
Many of the seeds have been generously donated by companies such as Sow Right Seeds, Fedco Seeds, Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, and more.
This is not the first time Ade has run a program like this, but the support here in Troy has been abundant.
“People are coming in like crazy,” said Ade. Over 600 packages of seeds were checked out in the first week of the program.
In response to the public enthusiasm, the library is offering classes taught by Miami County Master Gardeners. You can register online at tmcpl.org for a class on how to grow your seeds taking place on Tuesday, March 1 at 6 p.m. More classes will follow in April and May covering other gardening topics. Be sure to register quickly as demand is high.
For those who can’t make it to the classes, Ade offers the following gardening tips:
• Cool season plants, which are available now, can be planted outside as soon as March;
• Plants with a longer growing season, such as tomatoes or peppers, must be started indoors with ample light; and,
• Additionally, smaller seeds should be set on top of the soil and gently pressed down as they usually need light to germinate or begin to grow.
For more information on the Seed Library, you can contact Ade by calling the Troy-Miami County Library at 937-339-0502 extension 115. Those who want to get started gardening can go pick up their seeds from the library today at 419 W. Main Street in Troy, all you need is a library card.
