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How would you like to save money, learn about gardening, grow your own food, and meet new members of your community? If you can dig it, check out the Black Mountain Seed Library currently offering a robust selection of free seeds along with resources to grow your garden and community connections.
“We don’t want anyone to be intimidated by checking out seeds,” says Black Mountain Librarian Melisa Pressley. The ultimate goal is to continue to strengthen the seed pool by encouraging participants to return seeds that exhibit disease resistance and yield quality crops. “While we’d like to have seeds returned at the end of the season, we don’t expect it to be self-sustaining right away. We encourage participants to grow what they’re interested in and have fun. We’re all learning and growing together.”
And learning is an intentional part of the Seed Library experience. The Black Mountain Library has a cornucopia of books about gardening. There are also free gardening courses to help nurture your budding or mature knowledge of growing food. Those workshops are facilitated by the volunteer group the Sowing Circle under the direction of Master Gardener Lyndall Noyes-Brownell. The Seed Library also has a gardening helpline you can reach at (828) 255-5522 along with other resources to help you harvest the most out of your experience.
The Seed Library boasts an impressive roster of ornamental and edible plants. Here’s what you need to start know to get your seeds in a row:
- Have a current library card.
- Complete a Seed Library membership form.
- Select your seeds and place them in the provided envelopes.
- Take up to 10 plant varieties.
- Complete your check out form and get to gardening.
Library staff and volunteers are available to help walk you through the process. You can view a list of available seeds via the PDF document below. The seeds are available until they’re gone and if you need additional information you can contact the Seed Library at blackmountainblooms@gmail.com.
Pressley would also like to note that the Seed Library is made possible by a donation honoring Elaine Hamil. “The Seed Library wouldn’t have been able to start again without the generosity of the Hamil family. Harry and his late wife Elaine were innovators in the local food community in Black Mountain; they founded a movement that has deep roots.”
For more information about Buncombe County Libraries and its variety of programs visit our website.