Save, swap and share seeds with…
Kirriemuir Seed Library
What is a Seed Library?
A seed library is a depository of seeds, grown and shared by a community. You can borrow seeds, grow them, and let the plants ‘go to seed’ at the end of the growing season. From those plants, you collect the seeds and return the same variety that you borrowed at the beginning of the growing season. Importantly, the library only hosts seeds that have been grown without the use of pesticides or artificial fertilisers.
Anyone is welcome to come to the library, browse and borrow seeds to grow. It’s not a requirement to deposit seeds, but the more seeds we can save, the more sustainable the library will be. As seed is a living thing, it must be renewed each year or unique varieties can become extinct. Even growing one variety and returning one seed to the library is a valuable contribution.
By running Kirriemuir Seed Library we aim to:
- Grow a library of diverse seeds adapted and resilient to the local climate.
- Develop seed saving and related skills, knowledge and resources locally.
- Cultivate seed stewardship to build climate, food and community resilience.
When we grow and save local seeds we:
- 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).
- Grow a culture of sharing.
Borrowing Seed
You can find our seeds to the left hand side as you enter Kirriemuir Library. Feel free to browse, borrow and deposit seeds when visiting. Please record the seeds you’ve borrowed or returned, using the log book; you’ll find it in the drawer!
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’s a second copy that you can borrow from the library and take home to learn more.
Kirriemuir Seed Library is a free resource for anyone – we only ask that growers aim to return some seed at the end of the season for others in the community to grow the following year.
Donating Seed
It’s not essential to donate seeds, but we really do encourage it! Just add your seeds to 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. If you need some guidance on how to collect your saved seed, read or download our Seeds for Angus guide.
If you have a particular interest in seed saving, 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 very much appreciated!
Get in Touch
Together we can make good choices and live better, join Sustainable Kirriemuir!
If you would like to know more about what we are doing please get in touch. We are always looking for new members to join our organisation. If you have particular knowledge around climate change issues, or growing, making and mending skills you’d like to share, or just want to know more, we want to hear from you. Everyone is welcome, together we can make a difference.