The Cherry Hill library has launched an annual seed library in time for spring that will continue through summer.
The seed program was created at the library in 2017 as an extension of Jeff Quattrone’s Library Seed Bank, which provides seeds that area residents use to build their own home gardens.
“So we sat down with him (Quattrone),” said Tierney Miller, head of reference at the library, “and he kind of gave us broad strokes for how to get started. And then we got started, and it’s been growing ever since.”
Seeds can be requested through the library’s website by any card holder, each of whom can request up to 10 types of vegetable seeds and five varieties of flowers.
“So if you have like, four card holders in your house, you can each do a separate request for each of them,” Miller explained.
Though the seed library only recently reopened for the year, it saw nearly 300 requests on its opening day.
“We had a lot of requests and questions for when the seed library would open prior to when it did,” Miller recalled. “And then in the week leading up to it, lots of questions like, ‘What does it mean when it opens?’ and ‘When can I place requests beforehand?’ That kind of thing.”
The library’s available seeds include broccoli, carrots, peppers, spinach, tomatoes and a variety of flowers. Of the choices, flowers have been the most frequent requests so far this season.
“Everything’s free, but I would say they sell out first,” Miller noted. “And then after that, probably our most popular things, like carrots and tomatoes and some of the more popular foods that people like to grow.”
The seed program aims to make gardening and home growing of native and local plants and produce as accessible as possible, especially for those without prior experience.
“I’m not an expert gardener, but I think Cherry Hill has pretty rich soil and solid soil to grow things in,” Miller observed. “So like, don’t be afraid to get started. There’s literally nothing to lose. You pick up your seeds, you plant them, you see what happens.”
As the growing season winds down in late summer and into fall, the library will request more seeds for next year.
