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Seed Library

Available March 1 to Late Summer, while supplies last.

About the Seed Library

The Seed Library launched in 2021 with financial assistance from an American Library Association Libraries Transforming Communities grant.

The goal of this project is to make home-gardening accessible to gardeners of any level through library resources and programming and to preserve varieties of heirloom and native plants. By saving seeds as a community, we create local stocks that are acclimated to our climate, with the possibility of reducing food insecurity.

Each year, the Seed Library’s offerings are meant to expand in variety and quantity.

How It Works

  1. APL Seed Library accepts seed donations–commercially packaged or home-harvested.
  2. Visitors “check-out” seeds to plant at home.
  3. Gardeners are welcome to attend our garden-related programming and to use our gardening books and resources.
  4. All gardeners are encouraged to donate a portion of their end-of-season harvested seeds back to the Seed Library for use by all next season.

Available seeds will vary year to year. We welcome your seed suggestions at the desk, via a message on social media, or by email–aramlibrary@aramlibrary.org.

Donation Guidelines

Donations to the seed library ensure this program continues into the future. We’re interested in all seed types, especially heirloom and open-pollinated.

  • No pesticide use please.
  • If home-harvested seed, please use our form to provide the following information: variety, harvest year, location, and growing notes

Themed Garden Ideas

Salsa Garden

Cilantro

Cilantro, also known as Coriander, is an annual herb in the family Apiaceae. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. Wikipedia

Salsa Garden

Tomatoes

The tomato is the edible berry of the plant Solanum lycopersicum, commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Nahuatl word tomatl gave rise to the Spanish word tomate, from which the English word tomato derives. Wikipedia

Salsa Garden

Sweet Peppers

The bell pepper is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species Capsicum annuum. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, white, chocolate, candy cane striped, and purple. Wikipedia

Salsa Garden

Onion

An onion, also known as the bulb onion or common onion, is a vegetable that is the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium. The shallot is a botanical variety of the onion which was classified as a separate species until 2011. Its close relatives include garlic, scallion, leek, and chive. Wikipedia

Salsa Garden

Hot Peppers

Chili peppers, also spelled chile or chilli, are varieties of the berry-fruit of plants from the genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade family Solanaceae, cultivated for their pungency. Chili peppers are widely used in many cuisines as a spice to add “heat” to dishes. Wikipedia

Pollinator Garden

Hollyhocks

Alcea is a genus of over 80 species of flowering plants in the mallow family Malvaceae, commonly known as the hollyhocks. They are native to Asia and Europe. The single species of hollyhock from the Americas, the streambank wild hollyhock, belongs to a different genus. Wikipedia

Pollinator Garden

Sunflowers

Helianthus is a genus comprising about 70 species of annual and perennial flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae commonly known as sunflowers. Except for three South American species, the species of Helianthus are native to North America and Central America. The best-known species is the common sunflower. Wikipedia

Pollinator Garden

Milkweed

Asclepias is a genus of herbaceous, perennial, flowering plants known as milkweeds, named for their latex, a milky substance containing cardiac glycosides termed cardenolides, exuded where cells are damaged. Most species are toxic to humans and many other species, primarily due to the presence of cardenolides. Wikipedia

Pollinator Garden

Echinacea

Echinacea is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants in the daisy family. It has ten species, which are commonly called coneflowers. They are found only in eastern and central North America, where they grow in moist to dry prairies and open wooded areas. Wikipedia

Pollinator Garden

Bee Balm

Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus is endemic to North America. Common names include bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, the first being inspired by the fragrance of the leaves, which is reminiscent of bergamot orange. Wikipedia

An illustrated wreath of green foliage, red berries, and yellow bees encircle the words, "Seed Library. Aram Public Library & Darien Public Library."

Grow Too Much?

Contact local food pantries to donate your fresh food:

  • United Methodist Church: 262-728-3644
  • Delavan Food Pantry: 262-728-3503

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