By Julia W., Community Engagement Coordinator
We hope you’ve had the opportunity to explore HEPL’s Seed Library this year! The Seed Library contains more than 140 different varieties of flowers, herbs, and vegetables and is open to all residents of Hamilton County with a library card. Last year, more than 55,000 seed packets were “checked out” by our community, and it’s been fun to hear about your gardens and see how having access to seeds has positively impacted your lives.
The Seed Library doesn’t just stay at the library though. We sometimes bring selections of seeds when we are out and about in the community, such as when we visit farmers markets, parks, and school events. It’s a great way to hear more about the Seed Library and snag some extra packets!
In addition to providing seeds, HEPL also looks at gardening as another type of literacy. You never stop learning when you become a gardener, and some of the joy comes from that lifelong learning and finding a community that shares an interest in gardening. There’s a myriad of resources online, social media content creators (check out HEPL’s own Gardening with Kathy on YouTube), books, TV shows, and more ways to develop that skill. HEPL also sponsors programs, such as Backyard Composting coming up on June 4, that can help develop your skills at your local library.
The HEPL Seed Library team has worked with several schools, sharing short lessons and activities with plants and seeds. One school learned about native plants and grew the seeds using the winter sowing method before planting them in a native plant bed. The kindergarteners at another school learned about seeds and plants before participating in a storytime about seeds. We’ve also worked with a garden club, taught students about soil at a school science night, and shared seeds with classrooms.
In the community, HEPL has worked with some HOAs and a historic neighborhood in Noblesville to share seeds with their residents and assisted a Girl Scout team with their Silver Award project to teach people about gardening and sustainability. We’re always happy to find ways to partner with groups in our community.
We also enjoy hearing from you! Please tell us more about your gardening journey and share pictures of your gardens by tagging us or using the hashtags #heplgrowers and #heplseedlibrary.
Here’s some local gardening resources for you to continue your gardening journey: