Starting Monday, October 17, 2022, the Kill Devil Hills Library, Manteo Library and Hatteras Library will launch a new addition to their offerings that benefit the Dare County community: a Seed Library.
Created as a means to share seeds in communities with food security issues, the Seed Library will provide a variety of vegetable, herb, flower and plant seeds that can be “checked out” from the library with the intention of growing them locally. To start, there will be a mix of commercially and locally harvested seeds. Growing instruction cards will also be available to assist with every type of seed, and a live inventory can be found in the online Seed Library guide.
After the plant has matured, growers are encouraged to harvest and donate some of their seeds back, thus making the Seed Library truly local and sustainable. The long-term goal of the Seed Library is to give locals access to plant varieties that grow and thrive on the Outer Banks while also providing the knowledge needed to maintain kitchen gardens and reduce household overhead.
The Dare County Library extends its appreciation to several community partners that have played an essential role in bringing the Seed Library to fruition, including Kellogg’s Supply Co., whose generous donation of seeds helped get the project off the ground, and Front Porch Cafe in Kill Devil Hills and Manteo, who have kindly offered to let locals take coffee grounds for fertilizing their plants.
The North Carolina Extension Dare County Master Gardeners have also generously provided guidance, information, time and support in addition to developing a video to assist first-time seed growers and making educational resources available for Seed Library users.
For additional information, resources and answers to several frequently asked questions about the Dare County Library’s Seed Library program, please visit www.DareNC.com/Enrichment or click the button below to access the Seed Library guide.