Gardening season is here! The Rock Island Public Library Seed Library collection is officially open as of Tuesday, March 17 at all three library locations.
New this year, the library offers small seed catalogs at its Rock Island Southwest and Watts-Midtown Branches, in addition to the full seed collection located at the Downtown Library. The collections of vegetable, herb, flower, and native plant varieties are available for browsing during regular library hours.
There is no charge to take seeds for a personal garden, and no library card or residency is required. Participants may select up to five free packets of seeds per household per month. Please choose a variety of seeds. If more seeds are needed, gardeners may return for five more packets the following month.
Even more plants and flowers native to Illinois are available in this year’s collection. Look for the leaf on the packet to find these varieties, known for being low-maintenance, drought hardy, and helpful for supporting pollinators and biodiversity.
Gardeners can easily find growing instructions for each seed in the Illinois Growing Guide, which is available in a binder near Seed Library collections and online via the Seed Library page at the library website.
Packaging seeds and keeping up the inventory are daunting processes, but well worth it, said coordinator Anna Campbell, Rock Island Library Reference Librarian.
“Libraries are the ideal place to explore new hobbies and skills, and our free Seed Library makes gardening achievable for anyone. Whether it’s growing food, trying new varieties, adding some color to your life with flowers, or supporting pollinator-friendly habitats, our Seed Library can help,” she said.
The Rock Island Library first introduced the free Seed Library collection to the Quad Cities in April 2018, and distributed more than 3,700 packets last year. The practice has since been adopted by more local libraries. Seeds can be saved at harvest and brought back to the library, but it’s not mandatory. To donate seeds, contact the Reference and Adult Services Department at 309-732-7341.
For more information about library services and upcoming events for a wide range of ages, visit the library website, call 309-732-READ, or follow the Rock Island Library Facebook and Instagram social media sites.