Seed Library
After a successful first year in 2024, the Hartland Public Library’s Seed Library is back for 2025! A seed library is just what it sounds like—seeds that are available for Library patrons to take home and cultivate. You are encouraged (but not required) to bring back seeds the following year, to increase our locally-grown seed population. Seed libraries promote agricultural education and are a low-cost way for you to try something new!
Our starter seeds come from a generous donation from Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company. The availability of seeds on any given day will vary, so stop by often to see what we have to offer! Seeds will be available in April and May 2025, as supplies last.
We would love to accept donated seeds from patrons, but we can only accept open pollinators or heirloom seeds, not hybrids. Any donations (store-bought or self-harvested) must be labeled with the type of seed, source, and year of harvest and packaging.
The Hartland Public Library extends our sincerest gratitude to Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Extension Master Gardener Program, and the Wild Ones Menomonee River Area Chapter for their help with our seed library!
Further reading on seed libraries:
“Seed Libraries at Public Libraries are Growing”
“Seed libraries: Grow a relationship with your community and help save the world”
“Seed Libraries: Sowing the Seeds for Community and Public Library Resilience”
Resources for the growing gardener:
- Starter Vegetable Gardens: 24 No-Fail Plans for Small Organic Gardens by Barbara Pleasant
- Seed sowing and saving: step-by-step techniques for collecting and growing more than 100 vegetables, flowers, and herbs by Carole B. Turner
- Garden Wisdom by Jerold W. Apps
- Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening, Including 50 Recipes, Plus Harvesting and Storage Tips by Willi Galloway
- The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Gardener: How to Grow Food in Harmony with Nature by Tammi Hartung
- The Manual of Seed Saving: Harvesting, Storing, and Sowing Techniques for Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits by Andrea Heistinger
- Small-Space Vegetable Gardens: Growing Great Edibles in Containers, Raised Beds, and Small Plots by Andrea Bellamy
- The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Midwest by Michael VanderBrug
- Heirloom Plants: A Complete Compendium of Heritage Vegetables, Fruits, Herbs, & Flowers by Lorraine Harrison
- The Suburban Micro-Farm: Modern Solutions for Busy People by Amy Stross
- Growing Vegetables: All the Know-How and Encouragement You Need to Grow and Fall in Love with Your Brand-New Food Garden by Jessica Sowards