Ready to get started on your garden? Before you hit up a garden center for seeds and plants, take a look around your neighborhood. Around Northern Virginia, there are several free seed libraries, just like free little libraries for books or other goodies. These libraries are stocked with donated seeds, often right from the gardens of community members. Here are five locations where you can borrow or donate free seeds.
Central Rappahannock Regional Library
At the Central Rappahannock Regional Library in Fredericksburg, you can grab up to five seed packets at a time. To donate, label your heirloom, non-hybrid seeds with the plant species, variety, and year harvested and bring them to the third floor. 1201 Caroline St., Fredericksburg
Chinn Park
In Lake Ridge, you’ll find a little seed library by the Story Trail in Chinn Park. It’s part of a collaboration between Prince William Public Library and the Garden Club of Lake Ridge. 13025 Chinn Park Dr., Woodbridge
Fairfax County Public Libraries
FCPL currently has seed libraries at nine of its libraries: Burke Centre, Centreville Regional, George Mason Regional, Great Falls, John Marshall, Martha Washington, Pohick Regional, Reston Regional, and Richard Byrd. There are free, donated seeds available, some packaged and some from patrons’ own gardens. Multiple area locations
Glencarlyn Library Community Garden Seed Library
At the Glencarlyn Library, there’s a locker full of seeds under the portico near the entrance. Users can share seeds collected from their own gardens as long as they’re identified with botanical name, common name, and cultivar. 5712 3rd St. S., Arlington
Jim Scott Community Center
A library of native seeds is available at the Jim Scott Community Center in Fairfax. The seed library was added to the community center last spring as a project by a local Girl Scout Isabel Buescher. 3001 Vaden Dr., Fairfax
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
