During the icy chill of late winter, we long for the tentative warmth of early spring and the opening of the 2022 HEPL Seed Library on March 1! In 2021, HEPL lent out more than 55,000 seed packets. That’s more than double what was handed out in 2020! It also means many thousands more flowers are blooming in our communities and thousands more vegetables and herbs are on our tables.
We’ve enjoyed supporting your gardening adventure with seeds, educational programs, Gardening with Kathy help videos, and more. Gardening is also a great family activity! One of our users told us, “Thank you for continuing this program. It is truly enriching and has been a great way to get my kids interested in growing from seed.”
What will 2022 bring? You’ll see 30+ new varieties, including the fairytale-like heirloom Musquee de Provence pumpkin, cumin, Rosa Bianca eggplant, Chaubaud carnations, Red Kuri squash, Windsor fava beans, New Zealand spinach, and five sunflower varieties. Never fear: we’ll bring back many of your old favorites too: sweet Thai basil, zinnias, Bright Lights Swiss chard, Kentucky Wonder beans, nigella, yellow pear tomatoes, and many more.
We also encourage everyone to try native plants! Our local Seed Library users have told us how important this is to our communities. These plants may take a little longer to become established, but just one or two varieties in your yard can make a difference in supporting birds, butterflies, and beneficial insects. You’ll now find great blue lobelia, and Joe Pye weed in the Seed Library as well as returning varieties like black-eyed Susans, bee balm, plains coreopsis, and three kinds of milkweed.
Watch for more information in HEPL’s Bright Ideas email newsletter, visit the Seed Library webpage, check HEPL’s social media, or email us for more information at [email protected].