Welcome to BDL's Seed Library
Did you know we now have a Seed Library! More than 100 varieties of flower, garden vegetable, herb, and native plant seeds are available for you to take home and plant in your garden. At the end of the season, harvest some seeds and bring them back to the library to help sustain our collection year after year!
Using the Seed Library is easy! Sign up at the Front Desk. A library card is not required to use the Seed Library. Please mark down the seeds you take (no more than 5 packets per visit) in the binder on top of the Seed Library cabinet to help us track the usage of this collection and keep it stocked.
Updated September 14, 2023: The Seed Library is "closed" for inventory and restocking during the winter months. Seed donations are gratefully accepted during this time. If you have questions about donating seeds, please email Wendy Chapman at w.chapman@buchananlibrary.org.
Click on the categories below for information about the plants available in our Seed Library!
Seed Saving Resources
Check out the following webpages to learn more about saving seeds:
Saving Seeds: Where to Start Whether you’re new to seed saving or want to brush up on the practice, these seed saving basics are a smart place to start.
How to Save Seeds Follow these three simple steps for learning how to save your own seeds.
Home Germination Test At one point or another, every gardener has stumbled upon a forgotten packet of seed on a high shelf or in the back of a dark cupboard. The seed may bring a season of bounty or disappointment. Before wasting hours of labor and precious garden space on seed that won’t return the flavor, you may want to test the germination rate.
Seed Saving Guide This handy guide will help you get started planning your garden for seed saving.
SEED SAVING 101 WITH BEVIN COHEN
Saturday, September 9, 2:00-3:30pm
At Fernwood's Clark Art Gallery and Bauer Terrace
Have you ever wanted to save your garden seeds for the next season but didn’t know where to start? This fun and informative presentation from author, Bevin Cohen, highlights the importance of saving and sharing our garden seeds and how to successfully do it at home! Learn why planting, saving, and sharing seeds is essential to the cultivation of sustainable neighborhoods and healthy communities. Bevin will share practical tips and advice through a blend of demonstration and lecture. Plus, you’ll have the chance to get your own hands dirty with seed saving technique stations. Books will be available for purchase after the presentation.
About the instructor: Bevin Cohen (Ben) is an award-winning author, herbalist, owner of Small House Farm, and host of the popular Seeds & Weeds podcast. He lives and works at Small House Farm with his wife, Heather, and two sons, Elijah and Anakin, on their family homestead in Sanford, Michigan. Bevin offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food. He is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms Magazine, and The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company Catalog. He is the author of four books, including Saving Our Seeds – The Practice and Philosophy. The Cohen family grows seed crops, herbs, and flowers and also keeps a small flock of laying hens. Bevin is also the founder of the Michigan Seed Library Network, a community seed sharing initiative that has worked closely with a number of communities to help establish seed library programs across his home state and beyond. Learn more about Bevin's work at www.smallhousefarm.com.
Suggested Audience: Teens and Adults
Location: Fernwood’s Clark Art Gallery and Bauer Terrace
Cost: Free with Fernwood admission, Fernwood membership card, or Buchanan District Library card
*Walk-ins are welcome, but please let us know you plan to join us by signing up here.