Seed Library

Salem Seed Library – 2026 Information 

🌱Getting Started with the Seed Library

Seed Library
  • Borrow – Pick up free seed packets at the library display
  • Grow – Plant, care for, and enjoy your herbs, flowers, and veggies
  • Return – Harvest, dry, and bring back seeds from healthy plants
  • Share – Add notes, stories, or tips to help the next gardener succeed
  • Repeat – Keep the cycle going and watch our community garden grow!

🫘When Seeds Will Be Available

  • February 16, 2026
    • Veggie & herb seeds to start indoors: Cabbage, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Melon, Sweet Peppers, and Tomatoes
    • Herb seeds to start indoors: Marjoram, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Sage, Summer Savory, Tarragon, and Thyme
    • Flower seeds to start outdoors before March: Black-eyed Susan
  • March 9, 2026
    • Veggie seeds to direct sow in early spring: Beets, Kale, Lettuce, Peas, Radish, and Spinach
  • April 20, 2026
  1. Veggie seeds to direct sow after danger of frost: Beans, Carrots, Collards, Corn, Cucumber, Summer Squash, and Watermelon
  2. Herb seeds to direct sow after danger of frost: Basil, Chives, Cilantro/Coriander, Dill, and Fennel
  3. Flower seeds to direct sow after danger of frost: Bird & Butterfly Wildflower Seed Mix, Cosmos, Creeping Thyme, Deer Resistant All Perennial Wildflower Seed Mix, Deer Resistant Wildflower Seed Mix, Fall Blooming Wildflower Seed Mix, Partial Shade Wildflower Seed Mix, Southeast Wildflower Seed Mix, Sunflower Seed Mix, Virginia Wildflower Seed Mix, and Zinnia.

🌻 Plant Wildflowers, Protect Pollinators 
Flower seed mixes were chosen for this year’s Seed Library to support pollinators. By planting wildflowers, you help provide essential food and habitat for bees, butterflies, and other pollinators that are struggling to survive. These mixes:

  • Offer a diverse range of blooms throughout the growing season, ensuring pollinators have nectar and pollen when they need it most
  • Create welcoming habitats that sustain local ecosystems and biodiversity
  • Strengthen the connection between gardeners and the natural cycles that keep our food supply thriving
  • Encourage community members to take part in protecting pollinators—one garden at a time

Planting wildflowers isn’t just beautiful—it’s a simple, powerful way to make a difference for pollinators and for the health of our environment. 🌼🐝🦋

👉 To make sure there are enough seeds for everyone, please borrow only what you’ll plant this season.
👉 This is a walk-in service only—seed packets cannot be mailed or reserved.
👉 At the end of the season, please return only heirloom seeds.

🌼 A Little History
The Salem Public Library launched the Seed Library on May 13, 2017, with support from the Friends of Salem Library and the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Our first seeds were generously donated by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., the Seed Exchange, and Northwest Hardware in Roanoke.

🌱 What is a Seed Library?
The Seed Library is a collection of seeds, free for patrons to grow at home. It’s about health, learning, and exploration—helping backyard gardeners grow and enjoy varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers while building a community of gardeners who share and sustain the cycle together.

🌻 Why Have a Seed Library?

  • Celebrate the importance of heirloom seeds
  • Encourage neighbors to connect through gardening
  • Promote independence from commercially-produced seeds
  • Support pollinators with diverse, pollinator-friendly plants
  • Boost health, reduce stress, and inspire fresh eating
  • Foster a spirit of sharing and sustainability

🌿 How It Works

Borrow

  • Choose herb, flower, or vegetable seeds from the display near the Circulation Desk
  • Pick up handouts with growing tips and guides

Grow

  • Plan and prepare your garden space
  • Care for your plants through the season
  • Harvest viable seeds to return to the Seed Library

Return

  • Harvest & dry heirloom seeds (instructions available at the Seed Library)
  • Pick up empty seed packets to label with seed type, year, and growing notes
  • Please be sure seeds are:
    • From healthy, disease-free plants
    • Not from hybrids (they won’t grow true to type)
    • Organically grown—or clearly marked if not
  • Fill packets with enough seeds for at least three plants
  • Add notes about growing conditions, days to maturity, or special stories about the plant
  • Return sealed, labeled packets to the Circulation Desk
  • Donations of new seeds are always welcome!

📞 For more information, call the Salem Public Library at 540‑375‑3089. Our staff will be happy to help!