Seed Library - Seattle REconomy

What is the Seed Library?

You can use (or “borrow”) seeds from the seed libraries at the NE Seattle Tool Library and Shoreline Tool Library for free! No prior gardening skills needed! We ask you donate (or “return”) seeds at the end of the growing season.

Seed donations keep the library stocked for the next season. If you want to help keep the lending library stocked, pick a variety or two of your plants and let them mature all the way to seed production. If you have never saved seeds before, we can help you discover which seeds are easier to save. Here is information on the life expectancy of some seeds.

A seed library is a simple way of preserving and sharing a diverse array of seeds. It spreads the love of gardening, strengthens access to food resources in the community, keeps rare plants circulating, and protects the food source diversity. Our seed libraries are part of the Washington State Seed Library Network.

Send us pictures of what you have grown using the Seed Library along with what the NE Seattle Seed Library or Shoreline Seed Library means to you along with anything else you’d like to share with the community!

How do I donate seeds?

Seeds can be packaged in a variety of of containers (jar, bottle, original packet, homemade envelope, ziplock, tiny plastic bag, etc.). Regardless of the container, they should fit in the drawers and not spill. It’s also helpful for all donations to be labeled with what type of seed they are and which year they were harvested. Any other information is a nice bonus.

If you don’t have access to small containers, we may have some available at the tool library that you can re-package seeds into. We try to keep a supply of envelopes and labeling materials in the drawers/under the seed library. If we have none left, please leave them neatly organized at the seed library and let a coordinator know, and we’ll repackage them when we get the proper materials.