by Alissa Dornink

I’ve been checking out our new gardening books in preparation for the growing season ahead, but the best thing I have been taking home are the seeds from the Seed Library. The Ames Seed Library is a collaborative effort between the Ames Public Library, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Story County, Ames Repair Café, and Mustard Seed Community Farm. This partnership underscores the shared commitment to fostering self-sufficiency, environmental stewardship, and a stronger, more connected Ames community, one seed at a time.

The seed library is located on the second floor, right next to the Adult Services desk in bright red cabinets. An online catalog offers a rough guide as to what seeds are available if you prefer to browse at home. The checkout process, done on an iPad right next to the Seed Library, encourages you to try new varieties while helping us track popular seeds. There is a wide selection of flowers, herbs, and vegetables to choose from. 

Beyond the seeds themselves, we encourage further learning by taking home one of our many gardening books. We continue to grow our selection of gardening books and there is something for every level of gardener and their interests, from conventional to fairy gardening, flowers to food sources. These are some of the most recent additions to the collection: https://bit.ly/aplgardening. I appreciate the “Beginner’s Guide to Garden Planning and Design” by Helen Yoest, “All New Square Foot Gardening,” and “Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening” by the American Horticultural Society for my limited space, resources, and amateur abilities. 

There are planned educational events and a new book club, called Deep Roots Book Group, to help bridge the gap between novice and seasoned gardeners. We want to help create a supportive environment for learning and build a strong community around the principles of seed saving, sharing, and sustainable gardening.

Are you an experienced gardener? We encourage you to share your success at the end of the season by donating some of your harvested seeds back to the library. This act of reciprocity not only helps restock the collection but also embodies the spirit of community and ensures the availability of locally adapted seeds for future growing seasons.