The Summit County Seed Library is growing each month

Kimball Jct. branch of the Summit County Library, where anyone can utilize the popular Seed Library. Photo: TownLift // Michele Roepke

SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — A new Seed Library program is sprouting across Summit County’s three library branches, thanks to the efforts of Coalville Branch Manager Susan “Murph” Murphy. The initiative, launched this year with help from Utah State University Extension, has already drawn 19 participants—an encouraging start for a first-time offering.

“This is our first year for the Seed Libraries, and it’s been a great addition to our services,” she told TownLift. “The Utah State University Extension Office donated seeds to get us started.”

No library card is needed to participate, and everyone in the community is welcome to join in. Seed Libraries are popping up all around the country, and in this part of Northern Utah, they felt like they simply didn’t want to miss out on all the fun.

“The Seed Library at Coalville has had over 50 people participate,” Murphy continued. “Mostly people ‘borrowing’ seeds but people are starting to donate seeds from their gardens since it’s that’s time of the year. Patrons are particularly excited about creating their own Monarch butterfly gardens since we have everything you need to start one: milkweed, catmint, lavender, daisies, etc.”

The most popular seeds are the sunflowers, they have lots of people taking sunflower seeds and then in turn donating sunflower seeds from their own gardens.

The idea is that master gardeners or the greenest of green thumbs can walk into their local library, see the display right on the front counter, take the variety of seeds they they want and/or need, grow the plant, then return later if and/or when that plant goes to seed and replenish the seed packet.

There’s a sign-in sheet if people are interested in documenting their process, however it’s not mandatory, more of an honor system whereby a community of seed librarians can keep track of what’s working and perhaps what’s not.

If this short growing season continues to bear fruit for the gardeners of Summit County, this new program can become more than a seedling next summer.