[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” link_text_color=”#5B8500″ hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n
A collaborative project of the West Tisbury Library, Island Grown Schools, Whippoorwill Farm, and local home gardeners, the Martha\u2019s Vineyard Community Seed Library brings the knowledge of how to save seeds back to our island community while creating a central space where seeds can be freely shared. Over time we aim to create a locally adapted collection of seeds, and a community of growers engaged in the ancient practice of seed saving. By saving and sharing seeds, we can increase local food security, strengthen our sense of self reliance, and safeguard genetic diversity while honoring the age old tradition of passing down seeds from generation to generation.<\/p>\n
To stay up-to-date on\u00a0seed library events and workshops, visit the\u00a0<\/span>MV Community Seed Library\u2019s Facebook page, <\/a>Instagram<\/a>, and subscribe to our newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Upcoming Seed Library Events:<\/strong><\/p>\n Seed Sorting & Tea<\/strong><\/a><\/span> Annual Seedling Swap<\/strong> [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/westtisburylibrary.org\/publiclibrary\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/11-15-25_Seed-Sorting-and-Tea.jpg” title_text=”11-15-25_Seed Sorting and Tea” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” width=”63%” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_toggle title=”How to Donate or %22Return%22 Seeds” _builder_version=”4.23″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n Please help us grow and develop locally adapted varieties for our seed cabinet and share in the joy of producing locally grown food!<\/p>\n Please be sure to label your seeds and secure them in an envelope, bag, small container, etc.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Come to our monthly Seed Sorting & Tea<\/a><\/strong><\/span> gatherings! All are welcome. Meets Nov. 15, Dec. 20, Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21, from 12-2pm.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Seed Libraries, A Short History” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n In the\u00a0spring of 2014, Ken Greene, the founder of the country\u2019s first community seed library,\u00a0came to the Vineyard to help lead a seed saving workshop. Ken explained the\u00a0concept of a seed library to us: create a central space where people can donate seeds\u00a0to share, and \u201ccheck out\u201d seeds to plant in their own gardens, with the hopes they\u00a0would again save seeds from those plants to return to the library at the end of the\u00a0growing season. Seed libraries are a way to bring the ancient practice of seed saving\u00a0back to a community, while, over time, developing a collection of seeds that are\u00a0adapted to the local environment. There are now more than 300 seed libraries\u00a0across the US.<\/p>\n Seed libraries are a vibrant part of the grassroots movement to rebuild local food\u00a0systems and revitalize crop diversity. With the decline in locally based seed saving,\u00a0sharing and selling and the\u00a0rise of industrial agriculture, we lost 75% of global crop\u00a0diversity in the 20th Century, and the stories, culinary traditions, and local\u00a0adaptations each of those varieties represented.\u00a0But since the mid-1980s, there has been a hopeful trend in the opposite\u00a0direction\u2014people bringing back rare varieties of fruits, vegetables, grains, and\u00a0livestock primarily through what Gary Nabhan calls \u201calternative food networks\u201d in\u00a0his beautiful and compelling piece Conservation You Can Taste. Nabhan estimates\u00a015,000 varieties have returned to American growers and eaters over the last 25\u00a0years, thanks to the dedication of countless farmers, gardeners, chefs, and\u00a0consumers.<\/p>\n Seed libraries are a vibrant part of these \u201calternative food networks,\u201d and we were so inspired by the seed library movement that we decided to start one here on the Vineyard. The MV Community Seed Library is a collaboration with Island Grown Initiative, Polly Hill Arboretum, West Tisbury Library, Whippoorwill Farm, and a growing group of both long-time and first-time seed savers. Each year, we host seed saving and processing workshops, seed and seedling swaps, and maintain a small but growing seed collection in a card catalog in the library lobby.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n [\/et_pb_toggle][et_pb_toggle title=”Resources, Guides, & Seed Labels” _builder_version=”4.16″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n To learn more about seed libraries, please visit\u00a0<\/span>www.seedlibraries.org<\/a>,\u00a0www.richmondgrowsseeds.org<\/a>, or\u00a0<\/span>www.seedlibraries.weebly.com<\/a>, and please come by our own\u00a0local seed library at the West Tisbury Library and become part of this movement\u00a0yourself.<\/p>\n Click here for a Seed-Starting Date Calculator<\/a><\/p>\n DOWNLOAD\u00a0THE MV SEED LIBRARY BORROWER INFO SHEET.<\/a><\/p>\n DOWNLOAD THE SUPER-EASY SEED SAVING GUIDE<\/a>\u00a0(From Richmond Grows Seed Library)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Monthly, 12-2pm (Nov. 15, Dec. 20, Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21)<\/p>\n
Saturday, May 30, 10am-12pm<\/p>\n