Huntsville Public Library’s collection is growing, but not in the way you might think.
HPL started a seed library, Seeds @ HPL, in 2014. It’s a collection of heirloom seeds from vegetable, herbs, ornamental and native plants that library patrons can “check out” in the spring and summer with the condition that they will return new seeds collected from those plants in the fall.
To help sustain the seed library, staff have planted a small community garden for the purpose of harvesting seeds at the end of this year’s growing season.
“We have a few vegetables planted there and we hope to harvest seeds to keep our seed library going,” says Cortney LeGros, HPL’s Coordinator: Outreach, Programs & Partnerships. “Vegetables are hands down the most popular seeds and they are the ones we always get donated back.” The library’s garden includes tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower and kale.
LeGros says the program also aims to encourage people to get out in their gardens – no matter how small – and enjoy being outside.
Volunteers are needed to help maintain the garden until the end of the season, and again beginning in the spring. It’s a small time commitment to help water and weed the small plot now, or to help plant in the spring. Contact Cortney LeGros or Deb Duce at the library at 705-79-5232 if you can help.
Coming soon at the library:
August 17 – Historical tour of former library sites (12 p.m.)
August 17 – TD Summer Reading Club winners reveal, live on Facebook (2 p.m.)
August 23 – Bear With Us Sanctuary talk on coexisting with black bears
August 25 – ROM’s Bird Man, Mark Peck (11 a.m., $3 per person)
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