It could be safely said that the simple act of saving seeds has propelled us through the centuries. Some of us may remember our parents or grandparents harvesting and saving seeds from their gardens and fields to be planted in subsequent years, while also sharing the seeds with their friends and neighbors.
Even though seed saving has been a valued tradition, seed libraries, often located in public libraries, are a relatively recent phenomenon, beginning in the year 2000. Lucky for us, as Madera County residents, we benefit from three seed libraries in our midst!
Madera County Master Gardener Shannon McCumber manages one of these seed libraries through the Oakhurst Library. If you frequent the North Fork or Madera Ranchos Libraries, you can utilize their seed collections as well.
Intrigued after a chance encounter with the Oakhurst librarian and feeling a need to serve the mountain community in a volunteer capacity, Shannon’s interest in seed libraries began in 2024. Building on a local girl scout troop’s project of accumulating a cache of seeds to be held at the Oakhurst Library, she launched the Oakhurst Seed Library in March of that year. Her goal and the goal of all seed libraries is to educate the public about the importance of saving seeds, to build community, to provide seeds to anyone who needs them, and to simply spread the joy that gardening brings.
The Oakhurst Seed Library embodies all the attributes of a well run seed library:
• Access to and use of it is as simple as checking out a book.
• All seed packets are free, whether saved by those in the community or professionally produced packets donated by local businesses.
• Participants are encouraged to save seeds from their gardens and donate those saved seeds back.
• Varieties of seeds are divided into categories such as “Herb, Flower, Vegetable, Native and Tree.”
Shannon says the Oakhurst Seed Library has been successful because its placement at the library allows for easy visibility whenever the library is open and is often frequented by families and local gardeners. She loves that children are particularly drawn to it. Since its creation, more than 3,500 seed packets have passed through, making up 426 distinct varieties of plants. Currently about 250 packets are available to the public.
In a world increasingly driven by dizzying complexity, seed libraries underscore the satisfyingly simple value of gardening and community. Take the time to visit one today!
For more information about seed libraries and seed saving, visit: https://ucanr.edu/blog/uc-master-gardener-program-statewide-blog/article/seed-libraries-building-communities-one-seed, https://ucanr.edu/blog/ucce-master-gardeners-san-bernardino-county-blogs/article/coordinators-corner-seed-saving.
FREE WORKSHOP on Composting, Saturday, November 14, 10 a.m.-noon at Madera Community College, 30277 Ave. 12, Madera.
¡Felices jardineros!