| 2025 Seeds in the Collection | Planting Instructions |
| Return & Donate Seeds | More Information |
Borrowing seeds from Oregon Public Library is free and easy! All you need is your library card.
- Check out seeds.
- Grow your plants and enjoy the harvest.
- Collect and return some seeds if you are able. There is no penalty for not returning seeds.
By participating in the seed library you are helping to create a culture of sharing and community. Saving seeds leads to a sustainable future for your community and your garden.
2025 Seeds in the Collection
This year we will have our old card catalog full of seeds and we will also have more seeds on top of the catalog. The seeds on top of the card catalog are varieties that we did not have enough to fill up a whole drawer but still wanted to provide the seeds to the public. All seeds need to be checked out.
Herbs
Chives
Dill
Parsley
Sage*
Flowers
Marigold
Poppy
Cinderella Swamp Milkweed
Vegetables
Beans
Carrot*
Lettuce*
Sweet Pepper*
Tomato*
*Seeds were donated by A.P. Whaley
Native Plants
Anise Hyssop
Blue Smooth Aster
Butterfly Weed
Coneflower
Culver’s Root
Golden Alexander
Bottle Brush Grass
Little Bluestem Grass
Hoary Vervain
Native Garden Mix
Nodding Onion
Rattlesnake Master
Wild Bergamot
Native Plant seeds were collected and donated by the Oregon Nature Alliance and Dane County Parks.
Learn More About Native Plants
Theresa Nelson from the Oregon Nature Alliance gave a talk about the importance of Native Plants. Watch the recording on YouTube.
Planting Instructions
We will have information and planting instructions on all of our seeds. Download the instructions for all our seeds or pick up half sheets on the seeds you get when you come in.
Return Seeds
When returning seeds that came from our seed library, return the harvested seeds in the provided envelope.
If you lost the envelope, please return the seeds as if they are a donation.
Donate Seeds
We gladly accept donated seeds. Seeds that are not added to the library will be available for free to the public.
Put seeds in a paper envelope to prevent mold and return with the Seed Donation Form (PDF).
This is a perfect use for envelopes that you get in junk mail. Just be sure to label the sealed envelope with what's inside.
Seeds must be:
- open pollinated variety
- for a non-invasive plant
Seeds donated that do not fit the criteria, will be available for free to the public.
More Information
- Gardening & Seed Saving Information page on Seed Savers Exchange website https://www.seedsavers.org/learn#seed-saving
- UW Extension https://dane.uwex.edu/horticulture/
- Ripple Effects Native Plants Winter Sowing Growing Guide https://www.ripple-effects.com/grow
For even more information, contact Kara Ripley at kripley [at] oregonlibrary.org (kripley[at]oregonlibrary[dot]org)