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Seed Saving
If you usually spend the winter months dreaming of your summer garden and perusing seed catalogues, consider using some of that time to learn about New Jersey’s seed libraries.
The concept of saving and sharing seeds is nothing new. Historically, seeds were shared between neighbors, farmers, and within communities for generations, but the practice fell out of fashion with the rise in mail/online ordering and mega-suppliers. Unfortunately, as people stopped saving and sharing local seeds, the diversity of local produce varieties began to disappear.
Enter community seed libraries, a movement that has gained momentum over the past decade. Working in tandem with local public libraries and other community venues, seed libraries collect, save, and “lend” open-pollinated and heirloom seeds. People are welcome to use the seeds for free and requested to bring seeds back to the library after growing.
Artist and heirloom seed activist Jeff Quattrone brought the concept of seed libraries to South Jersey in 2014 when he launched the Library Seed Bank project. The initiative now includes a network of more than a dozen local community seed libraries where growers can access a variety of seed for growing native varieties.
Quattrone, who hails from Gloucester County, serves as co-coordinator of Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste Committee, a group dedicated to preserving local food biodiversity. In February, he’ll present a panel at the organization’s 2021 Seed Summit, where he’ll discuss efforts to save one classic heirloom food from extinction: NJ’s Garden State tomato. He’s also working with the Burlington County Seed Library to bring back Stowell’s Evergreen Corn, which was first bred in the county by Nathan Stowell in the 1850s.
LIBRARY SEED BANK has helped establish the following seed libraries in New Jersey:
Cherry Hill Public Library
1100 Kings Highway North
Cherry Hill
Garretson Forge & Farm
PO Box 1155, 4-02 River Rd.
Fair Lawn
Slow Food USA Ark of Taste Seed Library
Stockton University, 101 Vera King Farris Dr.
Galloway
Gloucester County Library System
Gloucester County
Burlington County Seed Library
Burlington County Lyceum of History and Natural Sciences
307 High St.
Mount Holly
The Seed Library at McCowan
McCowan Memorial Library, 15 Pitman Ave.
Pitman
Westville Public Library
1035 Broadway
Westville
Monroe Township Free Public Library
713 Marsha Ave.
Williamstown
NOTE: Call ahead to check hours of operation.
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