In a time of economic uncertainty, it can feel as though many things are out of control, however; the Ash Flat Library is offering some solutions to patrons through the launch of the new Seed Library.
According to Anita Hawkins, the idea for the library began not long ago when she began gardening after retirement.
“I started gardening again last year and I have been gardening all of my life, but never knew there was a difference between a hybrid seed and an heirloom seed. My sisters also garden, and we realized we needed to change to heirlooms so we could save seeds,” Hawkins said.
With her newfound revelation, Hawkins began researching and joined some groups on Facebook to learn what others were doing.
“I started reading about seed libraries and in December, I talked to the board here at the Ash Flat Library to see what they thought about the seed library. There was no hesitation,” Hawkins said.
With a green light, Hawkins began reaching out to area businesses, writing letters to seed companies and much to her delight, seeds began rolling in.
“I went to Tractor Supply first and asked if they had seeds. They did and it was last year’s seeds so they couldn’t sell them. They gave me a large container with over 800 packages of seeds, and I thought, Holy Cow! We can do this,” Hawkins said.
It wasn’t long before Hawkins had collected a large volume of seeds both for food and for flowers and was able to launch the Seed Library.
“We have quite a few seeds in there and have already had people check them out and people are interested. I’m excited because sometimes you might walk into Walmart, and you might find a cucumber pack of seeds but you can’t find other things. I can’t control that, but what I can do is I can control putting a seed in the dirt, grow the plant, and then take that heirloom seed and keep it for next year.”
When asked how it works, Hawkins said it is a simple process and the checkout process is similar to that of traditional libraries.
“They have to have a library card and can check out three vegetables and three flowers. They can have three each per family, we write it down and then after they’ve grown their plants or flowers and harvested their produce or the flowers have gone to seed, they just bring the seeds back and then someone else can check out those seeds,” Hawkins said.
In addition to offering seeds, Hawkins said the library will be partnering with area organizations to offer education to help those who check out seeds have the best chance for a successful harvest.
“We have a class set up for March 4 at 10 at the library regarding soil. Cody Stroud with the Sharp County Extension Office is going to do an information piece and they’ve got sample kits that are free, he’ll look at it and tell people what to do with their soil to make their plants happy,” Hawkins said. “We’re also working on plans with the master gardeners for gardening classes and more.”
Hawkins said she would like to thank all of the business and organizations who have donated seeds to make the Seed Library possible.
“Our Seed Library is made possible by the contributions from the following businesses and individuals: David and Anita Hawkins, Everwide Farms, Grass Pad, Hudson Valley Seed Company, J&W Nursery, Jim and Kim Gross, MI Gardener, Tractor Supply and Tri County Farm. I also wanted to thank Terry Hill for building the shelves.”
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