Blog article by Brenda Altman
One overlooked feature of John F Kennedy Library in Vallejo is the free garden seed station. It is located on the wall just before the restrooms. Anyone can take seeds for their own use. Seeds are donated by library patrons and the Seed Barn. The seeds are separated by flowers and non-flowers. The seed library was created around 3 years ago by two library staff members Angelina Gomez and Sarah Dougla-Hoyt. They get some help from teens who volunteer to separate the seeds into small individual packets of 5-8 seeds.
The staff has gotten positive feedback from happy gardeners with pictures and comments such as “I created my whole garden with seeds from the library>” This is a great place to clean out your extra seed packets and even heirloom seeds from previous seasons. I tend to forget what seeds I already have at home or overbuy and have more seeds than places to plant them. Whne I get home I find, that I have four packets of lettuce and three pumpkin packets. I just can’t throw them away so why not donate them. If you live in Vallejo, drop those extra seeds at the library or check out the library and see if they have your seeds.
When choosing seeds, make sure they are firm. Most of the donated seeds should be viable for a couple of years. To ensure a successful planting, plant two or more seeds and then thin them out if nothing grows.
Starting a garden? Looking for seeds? Do you buy extra seeds? Check out the free seed giveaway program at JFK library in Vallejp.
Remember to thank Angelina and Sarah for setting up this free seed program.