Many of RCBC's community members are interested in growing plants/gardening. This guide is designed to give beginners a starting point for information.
RCBC also has a Food Pantry available to community members. The Food Pantry also occasionally gets seeds donated to it by community members for other community members.
photo by Rachel Pieters cc-by-nc-sa
A seed library is where the RCBC Community can receive donated seeds, free of charge, to plant and grow.
The purpose of the seed library is give more people an opportunity to grow their own vegetables, herbs, flowers that are not chemically treated or imported from other places. By saving seeds, we can create a community of sharing seeds, vegetables, flowers, etc. and reducing hunger in our community.
Bring your RCBC student, staff, or faculty ID
As many as you can reasonably plant and care for. This is based on the honor system, so please try to be mindful of how much you can and are willing to plant and care for, so that the rest of the community may also have a chance at getting seed packets.
No, once you take the seeds home, they are yours to plant. We do encourage you if possible to save some seeds at the end of the season to donate back to the seed library to make more seeds available for everyone in the next season.
Yes! But there are a few things that need to be done.
Store purchased seed packets- unopened or previously opened and sealed shut with tape or glue
Saved Seeds from your garden- (no store-purchased veggie or fruit seeds*) seeds can be saved from heirloom or heritage labeled plants.* Seeds should be dried and put in a labeled envelope with the seed name, variety, date saved, and very brief description. Extra information such as Annual/Biennial/Perennial, Frost Hardiness (Yes/No), Full Sun/Part Sun/Shade is helpful if known!
Example envelope labeled: Beefsteak Tomato, large red tomato, 2023
Example envelope labeled: California Wonder Pepper, sweet bell pepper starts green turns to red, 2024, Annual, Full Sun, Not Frost Hardy
photo by Rachel Pieters cc-by-nc-sa
*Store purchased vegetables and fruits such as peppers, tomatoes, etc, unless marked heirloom, are most likely hybrids and the seeds may be sterile (they won't sprout at all or they will grow a plant but not fruit or vegetables or flowers) or not grow true to type (you may get a completely different variety of pepper, tomato, etc. than the one that you saved the seeds from). Also, there is a chance that that particular variety of corn, for example, might be patented.
*Seeds from hybrid plants may be sterile (they won't sprout at all or they will grow a plant but not fruit or vegetables or flowers) or not grow true to type (you may get a completely different variety of pepper, tomato, etc. than the one that you saved the seeds from).
