We're Open...Come in and Borrow Some Seeds!
The Concord Seed Lending Library officially opened on Earth Day, April 22nd, at the Fowler Branch Library when Enid Boasberg and Kitty Smith, co-coordinators of the seed library, cut the ceremonial garden twine. Come and borrow some of the library’s seed, plant it in your garden, enjoy the harvest, then let your best plants go to seed. Save the seeds and return some to the library for others to enjoy. By planting and growing open pollinated and heirloom we encourage plant biodiversity. Another benefit is adaptation as seeds planted in our area will, over time, adapt to our area’s growing conditions.
The Concord Seed Lending Library is open whenever the Fowler Branch Library (www.concordlibrary.org) is open. The seed cabinet is located on the lower level and is self-serve.
The Concord Seed Lending Library is open whenever the Fowler Branch Library (www.concordlibrary.org) is open. The seed cabinet is located on the lower level and is self-serve.
Grand Opening, Monday April 22nd!
 Courtesy http://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org
Please join us as we open our seed lending library at the Fowler Branch Library at 9:30 am!
Come and learn how to "borrow" seeds to grow at home and learn the process of how to let a few of your best plants go to seed. At the end of the growing season, enjoy some of the fruits of your labor for yourself, then collect and return some seed of the other plants to the library to keep the seed lending library going! Our First Seed Packaging Get Together
Here is one half of the two tables put together of our helping hands crew on Sunday, April 7th for our Seedy Sunday event. Thank you to all who came and helped us package seed. We appreciate your help! We look forward to more get togethers and volunteers to help us maintain the seed cabinet. Stay tuned for more dates coming up...
Come to our Seedy Sunday event!
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Want to help?
Please fill out our form below if you'd like to volunteer or receive our newsletter. Thanks!
We had a packed house at the Thoreau Farm on March 14th! Lots of enthusiastic seed savers came and we all learned so much. We are looking forward to having Bryan come back to teach us more about saving seeds at a future date. Stay tuned.
Thank you to ConcordCAN!, Gardening for Life, and Thoreau Farm for sponsoring this informative free program. |
Another great event sponsored by the Museum of Science - Thank you from the Concord Seed Lending Library for inviting us to be a part of it!
One Seed at a Time, March 13th, 7-10pm
With Cary Fowler, PhD, special advisor, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and The Fruit Hunters creative team.
Tucked away beneath the snow of the Arctic Circle is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Sometimes called "the doomsday vault," it's nothing less than a backup of the planet's horticultural biodiversity. Inside the vault, Dr. Cary Fowler and his team work with seeds from hundreds of crops that have nurtured humanity since our ancestors began tilling the soil. Their goal: to ensure that the world's food supply can survive the dangers of disease, famine, climate change, and identical GMOs. Nearer the equator, documentary filmmaker Yung Chang shows us how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat in The Fruit Hunters. Guided by devoted exotic fruit lovers, he takes us on a cinematic odyssey through nature and commerce, changing not only the way we look at what we eat, but how we view our relationship to the natural world.
Following the program, taste a selection of exotic fruits and enjoy a cash bar, featuring tropical Bellinis. Learn how to extract and save seeds, where to trade, exchange or swap, and make seed "bombs" for random acts of gardening--just throw and grow!
Funding provided by the Reno Family Foundation Fund
With Cary Fowler, PhD, special advisor, executive director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust and The Fruit Hunters creative team.
Tucked away beneath the snow of the Arctic Circle is the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Sometimes called "the doomsday vault," it's nothing less than a backup of the planet's horticultural biodiversity. Inside the vault, Dr. Cary Fowler and his team work with seeds from hundreds of crops that have nurtured humanity since our ancestors began tilling the soil. Their goal: to ensure that the world's food supply can survive the dangers of disease, famine, climate change, and identical GMOs. Nearer the equator, documentary filmmaker Yung Chang shows us how intertwined we are with the fruits we eat in The Fruit Hunters. Guided by devoted exotic fruit lovers, he takes us on a cinematic odyssey through nature and commerce, changing not only the way we look at what we eat, but how we view our relationship to the natural world.
Following the program, taste a selection of exotic fruits and enjoy a cash bar, featuring tropical Bellinis. Learn how to extract and save seeds, where to trade, exchange or swap, and make seed "bombs" for random acts of gardening--just throw and grow!
Funding provided by the Reno Family Foundation Fund
Announcing Our New Logo!
Here it is, at long last. The judges found it difficult to decide as there were many great entries, but they have selected this one submitted by Robert Hannan of Concord, MA.
Congratulations, Robert, and thank you for a lovely logo!
Thanks to all who submitted entries for our contest, they were all terrific and appreciated.
Congratulations, Robert, and thank you for a lovely logo!
Thanks to all who submitted entries for our contest, they were all terrific and appreciated.
Thank you Baker Creek Seed Co. and High Mowing Organic Seed Co.
We are so thankful to our current donors of seeds from these companies! We could not do it without you!
Stay tuned for more news and a date for a call to volunteers for a seed packaging day, so we may stock our seed cabinet with these beautiful new seed donations!
Stay tuned for more news and a date for a call to volunteers for a seed packaging day, so we may stock our seed cabinet with these beautiful new seed donations!
What is a Seed Lending Library? How Can You "Borrow" Seeds?
Courtesy of W. Custer County Library,
Westcliffe, CO
The Concord Free Public Library is growing the first seed lending library in Massachusetts. We hope the idea will go viral and every library in Massachusetts will have a seed library.
You borrow seeds from the seed library, take them home
and plant them, and then return some of the next generation seeds from your
best plants for others to borrow.
Why Save Seeds?
The time honored tradition of seed saving promotes biodiversity and nurtures locally adapted plants varieties. Saving seed increases our community’s capacity to feed itself wholesome
food by encouraging gardening and the cultivation of open pollinated and heirloom seeds.
How Do You Save Seeds?
We will have three categories of seeds; Super Easy, Easy, and Difficult. We will teach you how to save seed for each group
and we also hope to offer organic gardening lessons as well.
Where Are You Located?
The Concord Seed Lending Library is located in the Fowler Branch Public Library in Concord, Massachusetts. This is a new initiative supported by the Concord Free Public Library.
When May I Start Borrowing Seeds?
We’ll be open for business at the Concord Fowler Branch Public Library in the spring of 2013. You don’t need a library card to borrow seeds but we do ask that you complete the seed saving orientation first. See you then!
This site is still under construction and we invite you to provide feedback and suggestions so we may further expand the content for this site. See this page to submit a suggestion. Thank you!
Why Save Seeds?
The time honored tradition of seed saving promotes biodiversity and nurtures locally adapted plants varieties. Saving seed increases our community’s capacity to feed itself wholesome
food by encouraging gardening and the cultivation of open pollinated and heirloom seeds.
How Do You Save Seeds?
We will have three categories of seeds; Super Easy, Easy, and Difficult. We will teach you how to save seed for each group
and we also hope to offer organic gardening lessons as well.
Where Are You Located?
The Concord Seed Lending Library is located in the Fowler Branch Public Library in Concord, Massachusetts. This is a new initiative supported by the Concord Free Public Library.
When May I Start Borrowing Seeds?
We’ll be open for business at the Concord Fowler Branch Public Library in the spring of 2013. You don’t need a library card to borrow seeds but we do ask that you complete the seed saving orientation first. See you then!
This site is still under construction and we invite you to provide feedback and suggestions so we may further expand the content for this site. See this page to submit a suggestion. Thank you!
Favorite Links |
Events
Please come to our Seedy Sunday, April 7th from 1-3pm at the Fowler Branch Library.
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Farming around Concord
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Concord Seed Library | 1322 Main St. | Concord, MA 01742