Seed Library

The East Hampton Public Library Seed Library is a free community resource that makes gardening more accessible while promoting sustainability, food security, biodiversity, and community sharing.

A Seed Library extends the Library’s tradition of sharing resources by giving community members the opportunity to grow food and flowers, support pollinators, learn about gardening, and share seeds with others. Saving and sharing seeds also helps preserve plant diversity and build a collection shaped by the people and gardens in our community.

The Seed Library is a work in progress, and its selection changes throughout the growing season. Most of our seeds have been donated by seed companies, while others have been saved and donated by home gardeners. You never know exactly what you will find — welcome the unexpected!

 

How to Use the Seed Library

The Seed Library can be found in the Library Rotunda. Stop by during regular Library hours to browse the Seed Cabinet and Seed Binder and see what is available.

1. Choose your seeds.
   Look through the Seed Cabinet and/or the Seed Binder and choose the seeds you would like to grow.
2. Take what you need.
   Seeds are pre-divided into labeled packets. You may take one packet of each type of seed you plan to grow, with a limit of 5 packets per week. Please do not take more than one packet of each kind so that as many people as possible can participate.
3. Check out your seeds.
   Fill out the Seed Library Checkout Log in the Seed Binder. This helps us learn which types of seeds are most popular and better understand how our community uses the Seed Library.
4. Plant and grow!
   Take your seeds home and get growing. Growing instructions for most seeds can be found in the Seed Binder.
5. Save some seeds.
   If you are able, allow some of your healthiest plants to reach full maturity and save their seeds. Saving seeds from multiple healthy plants helps maintain genetic diversity and can contribute to stronger plants over time.
6. Share what you grow.
   Bring seeds from your healthy plants back to the Library so we can maintain and grow the Seed Library for future gardeners.

Donate Seeds

The Seed Library depends on donations to keep the collection growing. We welcome both unopened commercial seed packets and seeds saved from your own garden.

If you are donating seeds you have saved yourself:

• Save seeds from healthy, vigorous plants.
• Allow seeds to mature fully before harvesting.
• Remove as much pulp, chaff, and other plant material as possible.
• Make sure seeds are completely clean and dry before donating.
• Label your seeds with as much information as possible, including the plant name or variety and the date harvested.
• Bring your seeds to the Library’s Main Circulation Desk. Please do not place seed donations directly in the Seed Cabinet. Staff will review, sort, label, and store donated seeds before adding them to the Seed Library.

 

A Note About Our Seeds

We do our best to ensure the quality of the seeds in our collection through proper care, inventory, and labeling. However, our seeds come from a variety of sources, and people who save seeds have varying levels of experience.

We cannot guarantee the purity or germination rate of any seeds in the Seed Library. This is a volunteer-run community project, and we will do our best with the time and resources available to us.

Share Your Experience

Part of the fun of a Seed Library is seeing what happens when seeds make their way into our community’s gardens. If you try something new, discover a favorite variety, successfully save seeds, or have a gardening surprise, we’d love to hear about it!