Seed Library
What is Fort Bragg Seed Library?
The Fort Bragg Seed Library is a depository of seeds held in trust for the members of the Mendocino County Library. Members come to the library and borrow seed for their gardens. They grow the plants in their home gardens and at the end of the season, they let a few of the plants go to seed. From those plants, they collect seeds and return the same amount of seed (more or less) as they borrowed at the beginning of the growing season.
Why is a seed library important?
More and more large corporations are buying up the small seed companies then develop and sell hybrid seeds that can’t be saved forcing consumers to purchase seed over and over again every year. The seed library provides both commercial and locally adapted seed that can be saved and replanted from year to year, making the seed stock more diverse and resilient to local climate and soil.
Fort Bragg Seed Library provides seeds through our Seed Request Program. Through the Seed Request Program 20 seed packets can be obtained (per individual cardholder) via request for both the Fall/Winter growing season and the Spring/Summer growing season. The Fall/Winter season runs from September thru February and the Spring/Summer season is March thru August. That’s a total of 40 seed packets per year per individual.
Seeds are free to members.
Important Links:
Reading list:
The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food – Janisse Ray
The Organic Seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production – John Navazio
Organic Seed Production and Saving: The Wisdom of Plant Heritage – Bryan Connolly
Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners – Suzanne Ashworth
For more information:
UC Master Gardener Program – Sonoma County -Saving Seeds
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens