A library card from the Bozeman Public Library allows you to borrow books, movies, download music and checkout seeds.
Kit Stephenson is the head of the Adult Services and Outreach at the Bozeman Library. She says the tradition in libraries has been sharing information and sharing resources. “And now seeds,” Stephenson said.
This is Bozeman’s first season of lending seeds. The libraries in Butte, Great Falls, Missoula and Whitefish also have seed lending, as well as libraries in other states.
The heirloom seed packets are from different seed companies and are heirloom so they can be harvested and saved from year to year. There are varieties of tomatoes, squash, melons, peppers, onions, lots of different greens like kale and chard and mustard greens, and even flowers and herbs.
And all you need is your Bozeman library card.
“The way we are checking them out is, it goes on people’s cards but there is no overdue fine. I want to stress that,” said Stephenson. “So then we can track what seeds go out, what is popular and what is growing in Bozeman."
The library will also be holding classes on gardening and how to save seeds with the idea that people will bring back seeds at the end of the harvest season so they can be shared the next year.
“We talk about stories being passed down from generation to generation,” Stephenson said. “Well, that’s this whole idea of passing down seeds. So to me that is my hope, to just create this community of gardeners and seed lovers and just passing them along, this sharing idea.”
The Bozeman public libraries first gardening class is tonight, April 27, 2017 at 7 p.m. A permaculture expert will be coming in to talk about starting a garden. Stephenson said as the summer progresses they will have classes on how to harvest and save seeds.
