SEED LIBRARIES: A GROWING TREND

Each year, Michiganders eagerly wait for Old Man Winter to take his final breath and allow Mother Nature to usher in spring with new life. For those who have been shut inside all winter, spring brings much-needed fresh air and allows for reconnecting with nature.

Local libraries encourage the public to get their hands dirty and start a garden this season by offering seed libraries.

There are currently 130 active seed libraries in Michigan and around 600 nationwide, according to Bevin Cohen, who created the Michigan Seed Library Network as a connection tool to promote and develop seed libraries.

Cohen is a Michigan-based author specializing in herbalism, seed saving and sustainability practices through the homestead project he and his wife own, called Small House Farm in Sanford.

Though each seed library differs slightly from the next, the general model allows librarygoers to “check out” seed packets of different plant varieties such as vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers and even Michigan native plants, which attract vital pollinators like bees and butterflies.

Typically, libraries limit how many seed packets can be checked out at a time and encourage seed saving so that they can replenish their supply.

Professional seed saver Cohen explains that the process isn’t as complicated as it may seem.

“It’s pretty simple. The first detail is learning how to identify when the seeds are ready to be harvested, which varies from one crop to the next,” Cohen said.

Cohen said that knowing where the seeds are and when they’ll be ready is crucial in seed saving.

“With things that (are) easy to grow, like beans and peas, we’re harvesting the seeds themselves, so those are really easy to identify. Plants like tomatoes and peppers will change from green to red, signifying their ripeness. Therefore, the seeds are ready to go. With some things that we grow and eat, we are already saving the seeds without realizing it, like when you extract the seeds from a melon before eating it.”

According to Cohen, seeds don’t have a strict expiration date; as long as they are stored in a cool, dark location, they can remain viable for many years. If stored in an airtight container in a freezer, they might be able to last for de- cades at a time. Cohen does specify that there is an exception to this rule: Seeds for parsnips, spinach and most onion varieties tend to lose their viability after the first year.

Every year, the Michigan Seed Library Network showcases a different seed with Michigan roots through their “One Seed, One State” initiative.

One Seed, One State unites seed libraries across the state under one common goal to grow the same plant. This year’s seed is Grand Rapids lettuce, which is described as an easy-togrow frilly, non-bitter leaf lettuce that can be eaten as early as 28 days after planting. The “father of forced lettuce,” Eugene Davis, developed Grand Rapids lettuce in the late 1800s. Since this variety of lettuce is known to be cold hardy, it is credited with establishing the greenhouse winter lettuce industry in Grand Rapids, which supplied the Great Lakes region with lettuce for decades.

The Michigan Seed Library Network served over 200 seed libraries with One Seed, One State kits in 2023, and Cohen estimates that nearly 900 individuals attended the seventh annual Central Michigan Seed Swap, an event inviting people to “Swap, share and share!” It was held Feb. 25.

See SEEDS on page 17A