Turon Community Library is proud to offer our patrons a seed library!

Did you know Turon is in a desert? A food desert that is. Simply put, we are greater than ten miles from a grocery store providing fresh produce, and we are a low income community making fresh produce even more inaccessible.

Why does it matter? People who live in food deserts are at a higher risk of chronic diseases. These include everything from heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and cancer, to name a few. This results in lower mortality rates for those living in food deserts.

A seed library can help alleviate the burden of living in a food desert by providing the community free access to fresh produce.

Why do seed libraries belong in the public library? Just a public library enriches a community through the sharing of information and ideas, seed libraries enrich the gardening community through the sharing of seeds. They provide resources (seeds) may not be otherwise available to patrons and community members.

Seed libraries also provide a way to efficiently deploy community resources. They encourage experimentation, allowing gardeners (or aspiring gardeners) to try something new with little risk. They offer a chance for local gardeners to share knowledge and increase our community’s botanical literacy. (yes, I said botanical literacy.)

Checkout Procedure

We want to keep this low key. The idea behind a seed library is we initially provide heirloom seeds for you to take and grow, and you bring us seeds that you have saved from your harvest back to the library to be distributed next year. However, we recognize this may be beyond your expertise and that is okay, we are here to learn.

1. Your first time borrowing seeds, you will need to fill out a membership form. (think of it as your library card for the seed library.)
2. Choose your seeds. You may take any seeds you like, but we ask that you only take what fits in your garden. Also, for big seeds, take only two or three per plant, for small seeds, take only a pinch.
3. Record your choices on your Membership Record form (it’s basically checking them out)
4. Grow your plants! We are always here to help if you need it.
5. Harvest your seeds. Be sure to dry them thoroughly and store them in a cool, dry, dark place until you bring them back to the library.
6. Return your seeds to the library in a sealed paper envelope with your name and the plant name, variety, and year of harvest written on it. Also record this information in your Member’s Seed Record.