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Cranbrook Public Library now accepting harvested seeds for seed library

The seed library works very similarly to a normal library
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Pictured is a dried out sunflower head. Once dry, the sunflower seeds can easily be harvested to grow the following year (or roast and eat, if so desired). (Corey Bullock/Cranbrook Townsman)

It’s almost harvest time, and the Cranbrook Public Library is now accepting garden seeds for their seed library.

The seed library helps people to cultivate locally raised seeds, with the aim of growing nourishing food and thriving habitat to improve health, steward the region’s biodiversity, and help everyone live in a healthy relationship to the land, said the Library in a post.

Members of the Cranbrook Public Library can ‘borrow’ seeds from the library in the spring, during planting time. Members are allowed to borrow three packages of seeds at a time.

“At the end of the growing season, you save seeds from the plants and return a portion of the seeds to the library,” said the Cranbrook Public Library. “Members can borrow vegetable, herb and flower seeds from our collection, with the promise to return dried seeds from their successful crops to the Seed Library’s store for the next growing season.”

According to the Farmer’s Almanac, there are varying ways to save seeds from different plants.

Commonly saved vegetable seeds include tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squashes and pumpkins, peas and beans, melons and greens.

Seeds need to be dried out before they can be stored in an air-tight container, such as a Mason jar, or a zipper seal bag.

Flowers are much the same, except in some cases the entire flower should be dried out before harvesting seeds. Sunflowers are among the easiest seeds to save.

For more information visit the Cranbrook Public Library in person, or visit their Facebook page.



corey.bullock@cranbrooktownsman.com

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Corey Bullock

About the Author: Corey Bullock

Corey Bullock is a multimedia journalist and writer who grew up in Burlington, Ontario.
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