How It Works

Using the Concord Seed Lending Library is simple and perfect for your home garden.

Borrowing Seeds

• Borrow a few seeds from the Library by visiting us at the Fowler Branch Library.
• Please fill out our borrowing sheet by the Seed Lending Library cabinet with your name, email, and what you borrowed. 
• There is a limit of five seed packets per patron.

Growing Seeds

• Start your seeds indoors if required for the plant to grow, as some seeds should be planted indoors in containers or flats and transplanted outside later when the weather gets warmer. For more information on what seeds to start indoors, visit this link or visit the Library and borrow something from our collection to learn more.
• Directly sow your seeds outdoors if the seeds you are planting grow later in the season when the weather gets warmer. For more information on what seeds to start outdoors, visit this link or visit the Library and borrow something from our collection to learn more.

Saving Seeds

Once you have grown your seeds and enjoyed their bounty, plan to use 1-2 of your best plants for seed harvesting by letting the plants go to seed. To learn how to save seeds from various vegetables, herbs and flowers, explore our Seed Saving webpage.

We plan on including a seed saving kit as part of our Library of Things soon - stay tuned!

Returning Seeds

Place the seeds you collected in an envelope (we have some at the Library for this purpose) and write down the following information:

• Seed name and variety (e.g., bean, cranberry bush)
• Where the seed came from (e.g., my garden, my friends' garden)
• Date the seed was harvested (e.g., harvest date: Sept. 30, 2018)

Finally, bring your envelope to the Circulation Desk at the Fowler Branch Library.

We also maintain a list of patrons who are interested in swapping seeds with one another at the Fowler Branch Library. If you are interested in swapping seeds, we would be happy to connect you.