Seeding a love for gardening

Kathrine Alderman
ECB Publishing, Inc.

Have you ever wanted a garden, but didn't know where to start? You could simply go to the store, buy a random pack of seeds and hope for the best, but what if the seeds you chose are actually really hard to grow. Or maybe you've already got a garden and are trying to plant something new, but can't decide what to plant. Well, the Jefferson County R.J. Bailar Public Library will soon have a solution to these predicaments with their new seed library.
This year will be the first time the library is doing this program, and it is in partnership with the Jefferson County IFAS Extension Office, Herbalists Without Borders and Wilderness Coast Libraries. A seed library is about what it sounds like. The library will be have four to five varieties of seeds available for the public to check out. The seeds available on site—that were originally donated by Herbalists Without Boarders—will be mostly easy to grow starter seed, but they will have rarer varieties and heirloom seeds for those interested—they'll just have to order them for you.
The way it will work is, you'll be able to check out a certain amount of seeds at a time as long as you have a library card. You'll receive the packet of seeds and then the same amount of “seed saving envelopes.” The seed saving envelopes are for you to use when the seeds you have planted go to seed. You're highly encouraged to collect the seeds, place them in the envelops and return them to the library. It isn't a requirement when you check the seeds out, but it would be helpful to the seed library program. Especially since the main purpose of the program is to help encourage people to grow their own food and teach them about seed saving.
If you'd like to help the program grow, they'll also be accepting seeds that people would like to donate, but you have to be able to tell them exactly what kind of seeds they are.
The program is scheduled to begin on March 10, 2021. The same day, they will also have a series of zoom presentations about gardening and seed saving given by the IFAS Extension Office and Herbalists Without Boarders. If you have even the slightest interest in gardening, be sure to check out this fantastic new program as soon as it starts, and don't miss out on the helpful presentations on March 10!