Monash Seed Library, helping the community’s green thumb

After scattering a few hopeful seeds back in Autumn, with the launch of its first Seed Library program, Monash Public Library Service is now surveying a lush field of crops the envy of the most accomplished of green thumbs.

The response to the Seed Library from the local community has been staggering and it now boasts more than 1000 registered residents or households taking part.

When it launched the program in March, the Monash Public Library Service was keen to encourage the community’s budding market gardeners to grow their own vegetables, fruits, and herbs in their own garden - regardless of how big or small that garden might be.

Library officers at the Glen Waverley library, home of the Seed Library program, Kate Joiner and Megan Hanrahan, have been overwhelmed by the project’s success.

“We’d seen it going well at different libraries and we had an idea it would do well here,” Kate said.

But neither expected that interest to translate into 1000 signed-up members.

“And some were people who’ve maybe never been in the library before,” Megan said. “We positioned the Seed Library near the exit. They’ve borrowed something and then, on their way out, they’ll spot it or their child will spot it and they’ll come back in and talk to someone. It’s another chance that we can build family rapport.”

Every season, Seed Library members can take their pick of up to three packets of seeds from the library collection. In Autumn, members had the chance to grow lettuce, bok choy, radish, silverbeet, parsley and snow peas. Now, as we move towards late-Spring, basil (sweet), pumpkin, cherry tomato and sunflower are on offer.

Such is the high level of interest, from time to time the Seed Library may run short of some seed varieties - but organisers are doing their best to maintain stock levels.

Tomato and bok choy have been a particular hit with the small army of Monash market gardeners, the demand so great that seed packets are flying off the library shelf faster than staff can replace them.

“People are so engaged with it, it’s really touched people,” Kate said. “Particularly in Spring. The seed drawer has been decimated. And we’ve also tried to pick seeds that don’t necessarily need larger gardens, that can be grown in pots or the backyard might be shaded (part of a townhouse complex).”

“You want people to be successful,” Megan continued. “You want it to be a positive experience. You don’t want them to say: ‘I just don’t have a green thumb’ or ‘I kill everything I plant’.”

And for Megan and Kate the pleasure experienced by successful gardeners has been infectious.

“We get people to share photos and tag them,” Megan said. “We really want to hear how it’s been successful for them. I just love seeing those pictures.

“We had one person share photos of all the crops they’d grown. One lady grew radishes and she couldn’t wait to tell me that her radishes had gone well and, when they were finished, she was going to donate some of the seeds back.”

As well as growing fresh produce at home, members are encouraged to make sure at least one plant is used for collecting seeds that can be returned to the library to go back into the Seed Library program for other members to grow. Kate and Megan are expecting seed donations from the original crops to start flowing back into the program shortly.

“Probably at the end of the season,” Kate said. “It’s an honour system, (but) people really care about it. There’s been some great donations of (other types of) seeds from the community to us. People are very generous.”

And the program has grown beyond just the garden beds of Monash.

Such is the incredible sense of community that’s developed with the program that a wall of colourful post-it notes has sprung up next to the Seed Library at Glen Waverley, peer-to-peer gardening tips and advice about what’s working and what isn’t out in the gardens of Monash.

Though initially located at the Glen Waverley Library, it is hoped that the program will be extended to other branches of the Monash library service in the near future. For now, organisers are exploring options to transfer seeds to other branches if members are unable to get to Glen Waverley Library.

Both Kate and Megan said the program had been incredibly well-received at the Glen Waverley branch but they wouldn’t want to expand it to other libraries until there was adequate resources to do so, rather than diverting resources from Glen Waverley and spreading the program too thin.

To get started, you can register online or complete a form at Glen Waverley Library. You can also collect a handy six-page booklet with tips on planting and sowing seeds, and hints  on how to harvest seeds before returning them to the library.

The booklet also features QR codes that will link you to the Monash Public Library Service catalogue, for information on seeds and growing food; general gardening; sustainability and gardening for children.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE SEED LIBRARY

To register and find out more, visit www.monlib.vic.gov.au/seed-library or ask at the Glen Waverley Library, 112 Kingsway, Glen Waverley.

TAG US ON SOCIAL MEDIA

We’d love to see our Seed Library members tag us on social media! It's a great way to show us your seedlings and harvest. You can tag us using @monashlibraries on Facebook, Instagram or X (Twitter), and use the hashtags #monashlibraries and #monashseedlibrary. We might share your post!

 LIVING A SUSTAINABLE LIFE

Council's Sustainable Monash team has lots of great information and ideas about how to live more sustainably in Monash. This includes reducing food waste, growing gardens that support local wildlife, and composting.