The Launch of our new Seed Library!

On Saturday the 9th of April we launched our long awaited, free-to-use, community Seed Library at the Kirriemuir Library, with a special Seed Gathering event run by Emily our Growing Leader and Rose Benoy, the author of the Get Set Grow course, to kick-start it’s journey. Thank you to all of our enthusiastic attendees!

“What is a Seed Library?”, we hear you ask…

Humans have been saving and sharing seeds for over 12,000 years. However, much of that knowledge has been lost over the last 100 years, along with significant biodiversity. When you grow and save your own seeds, you:

• Develop seed stock that is well suited and adapted to our local climate.
• Save money.
• Mitigate our dependence on imported seeds (most seed stock is grown abroad).
• A culture of sharing and abundance will grow.

How does it work?!

The seeds you borrow from Sustainable Kirriemuir’s Seed Library are lent to you at no financial cost, and they are priceless.

At harvest time, please take some extra steps to save some seeds for others. We ask that a portion of the seeds you save be returned to the library to keep it self-sustaining. The more seeds in the library, the more members of our community can experience the pleasures of growing their own food.

You can also donate spare seeds from packets. You might have bought some seed but only needed 3 or 4; you can hand in the remainder of your seed packet to the Seed Library too!

Simply follow these 3 steps…

1. Sign up to our mailing list and/or become a member of Sustainable Kirriemuir!

Head to our Get Involved page and sign up to our newsletter to hear first about our events and activities. Or, you can sign up as a member. Joining Sustainable Kirriemuir is free, but if you are inclined, then a suggested donation of £10 would be gratefully received. Find out more by clicking here.

2. Head to the Kirriemuir Library (click here for opening times). Choose your seeds & get growing.

The Seed Library can be found on the left hand side as you enter the Library, beside the windows. It is always open when the Kirrie Library is open!

Use the labels on the jars to find what you want; tomatoes, beans, brassicas, salad… All the stamped packets have a code.

• GREEN = Super easy to save seed if you are just starting out. Examples include tomatoes and peas.
• BLUE = Easy, but you may need to review growing guidance.
• RED = Advanced, but a fun challenge! May include hand pollination or isolation. Examples include pumpkin and courgette.

Use the reference books (Sue Stickland’s Back Garden Seed Saving) and pamphlets in the drawer to get the information you need for growing, cultivation, collecting seed and drying seed. There is one copy of this book which always stays in the Seed Library. We encourage you to take photos of it. Or, there is a second copy that you can borrow from the library and take home to learn more.

Please make a note in the seed borrowing book of what you have taken away – you will also find this in the drawer!

3. Returning Seed…

Thank you! Your donation ensures the library can continue and other people can grow Kirriemuir acclimatised veg. Please pop your seeds in an envelope and put them in the donations box, found in the Seed Library drawer. Make a note of your name, the growing area, history of the seed, organic/non-organic and any special information you would like to share in the seed donations book, also found in the drawer.

Please note, it is not essential to return seeds but we really do encourage it! If you have a particular interest, and would like to volunteer to help keep the Seed Library running, please pop us email at info@sustainablekirriemuir.co.uk. All help offered is so very appreciated!