by Megan Klein-Hewett

It’s 9 degrees out with a Winter Weather Advisory just behind us as I write this, but I’m already thinking about spring. As an avid gardener I begin dreaming about my garden early. Every January I inevitably I find myself daydreaming about what I want to grow. What seeds do I have left over from last year? What seeds do I want to acquire? When do I need to get them sown indoors to have a productive harvest? At Ames Public Library we’re fortunate to have the Ames Seed Library, a community-driven catalog of free seeds!

To kick off the 2026 growing season, APL will be celebrating National Seed Swap Day with a Seed Giveaway on January 31 from 3 to 5 pm in the Library lobby. APL has partnered with Nine Square Feet who has donated three hundred packets of seed for this event. In addition to the Ames Seed Library, community organizations focused on sustainability and gardening will also be on site to share information, resources, and even more seeds. Organizations in attendance will include the City of Ames Sustainability, ISU Extension, Story County Conservation, Good Neighbor Iowa, Prairie Rivers of Iowa, and more! 

If you’re interested in contributing to the Ames Seed Library there are a number of ways to participate. Community members are welcome to donate seed anytime by bringing commercially packaged or home-harvested and cleaned seed along with a donation form to the Adult Services Desk at the library. The Seed Library will also accept donations at events like Saturday’s Seed Giveaway. So far, the Seed Library has been fortunate enough to run completely off of donations from the community, along with support from our partners at Iowa State University Extension & Outreach and Story County Conservation. 

There are also volunteer opportunities! Volunteers are key to helping process seed to get it repackaged for distribution. Monthly seed packaging meetups are held on the third Tuesday of the month from 10 am – 12 pm, but if that time doesn’t work for you, individual volunteer opportunities can be arranged by contacting volunteer@amespubliclibrary.org. There are also occasional opportunities for volunteers to represent the Seed Library at community events. 

I hope you can join us on January 31 to think spring and get started on your 2026 gardening journey!