notable EDIBLES
Sowing Seeds by DARBY KENDALL / photography by HANS BRAXMEIER AND JOSHUA LANZARINI
I
f you’re looking to grow a garden, the Austin Public Library’s
that are known to grow well in our area. “Our climate and soil
Central location has the perfect resource to help get you
conditions in Central Texas are extremely unique to this partic-
started. A repurposed card catalog on the sixth floor of the
ular place,” Dieter says. “When choosing plants — not just food
library contains enough flower power to establish over 30,000
crops but also herbs and landscape plants and cut flowers — it's
plants and is totally free to the public.
really important for us to protect the plants that grow well here,
Known as The Seed Collection, this card catalogue acts as a seed
because a lot of them don't perform well in other places.”
library, where patrons can both “check out” and “return” packets
“Knowing that someone in the community has experience
of seeds. Thanks to the combined efforts of the library and the
growing these seeds, and that they did well for someone else,
Central Texas Seed Savers group, visitors can take home four pack-
takes some of the initial risk out of trying something new,” Dieter
ets of seeds per visit (with each packet containing 10 to 20 seeds,
says. “It makes you feel a little more brave because they were en-
depending on their size), including unique varieties grown by
dorsed by another local gardener.”
home gardeners that are rarely available for purchase at nurseries.
Because donations or “returns” to the seed library come in a va-
Local gardening educator and founder of Central Texas Seed Savers,
riety of forms, from pods to large amounts of seeds that need
Colleen Dieter, started the seed library after hearing about the
to be parsed out, Central Texas Seed Savers hosts seed sorting
idea from an attendee at one of her seed saving classes at the SFC
volunteer nights at the library, typically on the first Monday of
Farmers’ Market Downtown. “In October 2018 we had our first
every month. Dieter encourages any gardeners or folks interested
seed swap at the Central Library, and that was before the seed
in gardening to stop by so they can learn about the handy practice
library even opened,” Dieter says. “People just visiting the library
and methods of seed saving.
stopped in to check out the swap, and they couldn't believe that there were free seeds there … All it takes is a few gardeners saving their seeds to make enough seeds for everyone, because the plants are so prolific. That's one of the really fun things about it, too, is that I think it gets people feeling a sense of abundance.” In addition to the delight that comes from scoring gardening stock for free, The Seed Collection gives visitors access to seeds
12 / EdibleAustin.com
“It's empowering for everyday people to take something tiny like a seed and plant it and watch it grow and enjoy that experience,” Dieter says. “That's all part of the richness of life, and being able to share that with other gardeners is important to me.” For more information, visit centexseedsavers.org
