What is a Seed Library?

A seed library is a community resource consisting of seeds that can be taken home instead of books! This is a free seed sharing program sustained through donations from the community.

Our seed library aims to:

• Cultivate a community of self-reliance, sharing, resilience, and knowledge
• Encourage community connections through sharing of seeds, knowledge, and resources
• Create and build upon community partnerships
• Nurture and embrace our unique local environment and support the community to enjoy their gardens
• Support our community to grow and enjoy their gardens
• Support sustainable practices in the community

Download our seed library booklet or contact the Library for more information.

How it Works

Participating in our seed library is FREE! All you need is a membership at Goulburn Mulwaree Library.

• Browse available seeds and borrow up to two packets of seeds at a time from the Library
• Grow the seeds into plants
• Harvest seeds from the plants
• Return collected seeds to the Library for others to enjoy

The seed library is an evolving collection of seeds based on the season and the diversity of donations. You can find a variety of vegetables, herbs, flowers, and native plants to grow and enjoy at home!

Happy gardening!

Harvesting and Donating Seeds

Growing plants from the seed library is fun and free! Help keep the fun going by harvesting seeds from your plants and returning them to the Library for others to enjoy.

To harvest seeds, collect from the healthiest plants you've grown. Take a mature fruit or seed head that looks plump and fairly uniform in colour:

• Seed pods and seed heads (e.g. beans or coriander) can be collected in a paper bag just as they begin to turn brown. Leave them to dry in a warm, dry place and then shake gently to release and collect the seeds.
• Seeds from fleshy fruit (e.g. tomatoes or capsicum) can be collected by scooping out seeds from a slightly over-ripe fruit, washing them and leaving them to dry
• Place collected seeds in an envelope or paper bag labelled with the name of the plant and the date of seed collection and return them to the Library
• Keep some seeds to re-plant at home next season by storing them in an air-tight container in a cool, dry area

The Library will accept clean, dry, healthy-looking seeds. Please clearly label your seeds and keep seeds of the same species together (no mixed packets).

The Library can't accept seeds that are mouldy or rotten, containing excess soil or debris, unlabelled, mixed, on the NSW Department of Primary Industries WeedWise list, or commercially pre-packaged and past their expiry date.

Download our seed library booklet or contact the Library for more information.