The Chatham-Kent Public Library is offering its free seed library again for the season.
The Chatham-Kent Public Library (CKPL) is launching the CKPL Grows Seed Library on Saturday, March 20 at all 11 library branches.
"You are able to check out five packages of seeds as long as you have a valid library card," said Cassey Beauvais, the Manager of Public Services at CKPL. "There are lots of different varieties of fruit, vegetables, flowers, and herbs for you to choose from."
With the CKPL Seed Library, residents can borrow seeds for free, save the seeds they grow and return some of the seeds back to the library at the end of the growing season.
You can call and reserve seeds, but the easiest way is to just stop by curbside pickup at your local library branch.
"We have what we call a seed menu at the desk, so you can just take a look at it," said Beauvais. "We've even made it so we can wipe it down in between in you need to touch it, so it's very safe that way."
Since the program first began five years ago, CKPL has handed out thousands of seed packages to residents.
Beauvais added that if you've never grown a garden from seed before, they can also help.
"We also have lots of great resources as well, of course, because we are a library, so books and things that like. We are planning on a special video for learning how to grow things from seed on our social media."
Seeds are available while supplies last.
In addition, CKPL will also be running the “Who Has The Greener Thumb?” contest in partnership with Essex County Library.
"We have two special kinds of seeds added to our seed library, a giant pumpkin and a giant sunflower," said Beauvais. "When I say giant pumpkin, I mean the kind that you need some kind of vehicle to move, it's big time. And the sunflowers, they're supposed to be about 12 feet high. So we would like gardeners in Essex County and Chatham-Kent to take out these seeds, grow them, and share them on social media so we can see whether Chatham-Kent gardeners or Essex Country gardeners have the greener thumb."
For more information on the seed library and library branch hours, visit http://ckpl.ca/.
