Montgomery Seed Library

05/27/2026

The Montgomery Seed Library will be at the Montgomery Friends of Open Space Farmers Market this Saturday, May 30th, from 10am - 1pm for opening day! Stop by to learn about what we do and swap for some seeds!

We will be collecting donations to the seed library, so bring your extras, and we will share with the rest of our community.

04/14/2026

Here's an excellent guide for how to save seeds from Richmond Grows, one of the OG seed libraries based out of Richmond CA. Rebecca Newburn, cofounder of Richmond Grows, is the founder of the Seed Library Network!

Dear Grow a Row Stewards, ( español ) Thank you for growing seeds for our community! Stewarding seeds locally will create more climate adapted plants and provide access to healthy nutritious...

04/12/2026

Yesterday was a gorgeous day at the beautiful Fairgrown Farm for the Garden Planning Workshop. The Montgomery Seed Library was there to talk about the importance of preserving the diversity of our planet’s seed stock and to connect with our community through the sharing of seeds.

It was nice meeting and speaking to the attendees at the seed swap. Thank you, Fairgrown Farm, for including us and I look forward to collaborating on future events to promote the saving and sharing of seeds.

04/10/2026

Reminder: the Garden Planning Workshop at Fairgrown Farm is tomorrow from 10-12! Come join us at the seed swap table to exchange some seeds!

The event includes many hands-on interactive stations for both experienced and novice gardeners. Fun for kids too!

Join us for a Garden Planning Workshop!!
Time: Saturday, April 11th
Where: Fairgrown Farm 260 Wargo road, Pennington NJ
💐🌷🪻🌻🌸🌺🌹🌼🌿

Help your home garden thrive with some farmer advice!👨‍🌾🚜

04/04/2026

The Montgomery Seed Library will be joining Fairgrown Farm on Saturday, April 11, from 10-12 at their Garden Planning Workshop! This will be a super fun hands-on event for all ages to learn different gardening techniques.

Stop by the seed swap table where you can trade your extra seeds for others that you haven't tried before.

Join us for a Garden Planning Workshop!!
Time: Saturday, April 11th
Where: Fairgrown Farm 260 Wargo road, Pennington NJ
💐🌷🪻🌻🌸🌺🌹🌼🌿

Help your home garden thrive with some farmer advice!👨‍🌾🚜

04/01/2026

A big thank you to Montgomery Twp resident, Seth, for his generous donation of this big bag of Mammoth Sunflower seeds that he collected from his garden last season. They are being packaged to be available at the seed library in the coming days.

The concept of the Montgomery Seed Library isn't hard. You take some and you give some. By sharing your extra seeds with the rest of our community, we can work to preserve seed sovereignty; promote the diversity of our planet's seed stock; preserve culturally important seeds, etc.

The Montgomery Seed Library has been wildly popular. I restock almost every week, but unfortunately, we have received only a handful of donations over the course of a year. In order for the seed library to be viable, we need the community to give back. We welcome you to take seeds, but please do not clear out the entire library in one fell swoop, which has happened on numerous occasions. We work on the HONOR system. Please do not take more than 3 packets during one visit. If you have seeds to donate, envelopes are provided in the top pocket of the seed library. Alternatively, contact me and we can arrange for me to pick them up.

Thank you for visiting the Montgomery Seed Library. Let's work to make it successful so that the entire community can benefit!

03/28/2026

Here is a great stewardship story about the important work that the Seed Savers Exchange does. They are an inspiration for what we try to do at the Montgomery Seed Library.

An unexpected challenge wiped out Norma’s supply of ‘Angelica’s Little Diablo’ pepper seeds. Without SSE, this variety would have been lost.

03/20/2026

Today is the vernal equinox, marking the official astronomical start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere!

Here's an excellent guide on how to start seeds indoors by Luay Ghafari, author of Seed to Table: A Seasonal Guide to Organically Growing, Cooking, and Preserving Food at Home (see previous post).

Gardening expert Luay Ghafari shares a step-by-step guide, plus the tools you actually need.

03/20/2026

Seed to Table: A Seasonal Guide to Organically Growing, Cooking, and Preserving Food at Home by Luay Ghafari

This is a book full of great pictures and inspiration for your next edible garden. It might encourage you to try something that you have never grown in the past.

I agree with the author’s philosophy on self-sufficiency and gardening. It simply is not a realistic goal for our area and would make for a boring existence to try to live completely off of what we grow. He does give good guidance on what you should consider when designing your garden, like:
Do I need to grow it?
Will it thrive in my garden?
Will it save me money?
Do I even like it?
Can I preserve it?
How versatile is it?

There is a chapter on crop guides with descriptions and tips, along with recipe and preservation ideas.

The chapters on Garden Planning, Growing Techniques, Seeds and Planting Guide are helpful to beginner and experienced gardeners alike.

If you have any seeds leftover after planning your garden, consider donating them to the Montgomery Seed Library, so that others in our community can also try to grow them. We are located in the rear of the lobby in the Montgomery Municipal Building.

02/24/2026

Now that we're all ramping up our growing season, here's a great little video by MIgardener on making your own economical seed starting mix. MIgardener is one of the good guys in the seed business. He sells top quality seeds at affordable prices. The variety is exceptional!