Borrow your seeds from the public library

We assume since our members are avid cooks that many of you are also avid gardeners – the two often go hand-in-hand. And, at least up here in the cold environs, it’s now the perfect time to plan a garden. So here’s an idea that NPR recently reported about that struck us as a win-win idea.

According to How To Save a Public Library, Make It a Seed Bank,  many libraries are suffering under the digital revolution. After all – you don’t need to borrow a physical book if it’s downloaded on your mobile device. So what else can libraries do? Well, they can lend seeds. As the article tells it:

“Here’s how it works: A library card gets you a packet of seeds. You then grow the fruits and vegetables, harvest the new seeds from the biggest and best, and return those seeds so the library can lend them out to others.”

They go on to say, “…while a library may seem like an odd location for a project like this, seeds and plants should be open to everyone. That makes a public library the perfect home for a seed collection. The American Library Association says there are at least a dozen similar programs throughout the country.”

And those seeds are likely to be suitable for the local conditions. Overall, we think this sounds like an idea that should spread…