It’s officially spring! No matter what weather is in store for the next few weeks, nothing can dampen the excitement that this season brings. When trees start to bud and plants poke up from the soil, our thoughts turn to outside pleasures, where gardening tops the list for many Burlingtonians. This year, Burlington Public Library’s (BPL) Seed Library is fully back in action, just in time for this year’s growing season.

BPL temporarily adjusted its Seed Library due to COVID limitations for the past few years, but is excited to reintroduce its seed borrowing program — that’s right, borrowing!

“As a library, we really want to encourage people to try their hand at collecting seeds from their crops and ‘returning’ them to the collection,” says Brynley Eckhart, BPL’s Digital Resources & Collections Librarian. “This circular system is what makes a seed library special and helps us grow our collection of hearty local varieties.”

The idea behind the Seed Library is for residents to have a total growing cycle experience — from sowing and growing to harvesting and seed saving. Seed Library provides “try-it” sample packages of plant seeds specifically selected with easy seed harvesting in mind. And while returning seeds is not a requirement for borrowing, receiving seeds back from participants’ successful crops brings the process full circle. With their help, the library hopes to establish its “homegrown” collection and create seed stocks best suited for the local climate. That’s great news for gardeners!

Head to the Burlington Public Library for some seeds and books on how to grow them. Photos courtesy of Burlington Public Library.


Throughout the growing season, the library will offer booklists and programs with practical tips to help support growing efforts. The first of these programs is Seed Starting for Beginners on Sunday, April 2. This practical program will help people learn how to start seeds indoors and out for a successful garden.

Seed packages will be available at all BPL branches except Kilbride as of March 20 (while supplies last). Customers can check out up to three seed packages per family. Check out the complete Seed Library collection for 2023. 

Get growing!