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New Project Offers Springfield-Greene County Library Patrons Access to Seeds

Keith Cooper
/
Flickr

You can already check out books and DVDs at Springfield-Greene County Library District’s branches.  You can even apply for a passport.  Now, the district is offering something else:  a way to gain access to fresh vegetables.  KSMU’s Michele Skalicky has more.

An Heirloom Seed Library recently opened at two Springfield-Greene County Library District branches.

Patrons at the Library Station and the Midtown Carnegie Branch Library can check out open pollinated heirloom seeds.

"So, they've been pollinated by natural means, and they have not been manipulated to become hybrid varieties, so they're rife for saving, and they've been bred over time for their desirable characteristics," she said.

Miranda Stringer is a reference librarian and was on the committee that was behind the project.  She said there are lots of seeds in the collection:  several types of beans, tomatoes, herbs and flowers.

Patrons can check out up to four packets.  But how can you return seeds?  Stringer explains.

"The idea behind it is for you to take home your seeds, grow your own food, enjoy your harvest and then eventually harvest the seeds from your matured plants and bring back some of those to the library," she said.

She hopes the seed library will eventually have its own heirloom seed lines.

Education is a big component of the project.  Classes on gardening start Saturday (3/7) with “Introduction to Growing Herbs Outdoors” at 10 am at the Republic Branch Library.

For general information about the Heirloom Seed Library click here.

For tips on planting and saving the seeds, clickhere.

Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.