Rigby Library starts seed ‘lending’ program

Rigby City Library is starting up a seed library program. There are seed programs like this one all over the country, and Rigby City Library was eager to try it out. It’s still a little early yet for some planting, but there has already been plenty of interest.

Patrons check out a packet of seeds, for produce like tomatoes, lettuce, garbanzo beans, herbs, and more. Take them home and plant them, then once it’s time to harvest, bring the new seeds back to the library. Not a gardener? There’s help to get started, like a cheat sheet binder full of advice.

“The library over the next couple months will be putting on different community classes as far as seed saving, and even gardening, natural pest control, things like that,” said Sam Tower, director of the seed library.

The seeds are local, so they have been tested in the east Idaho climate and soil. They are ranked easy, medium, and hard, with the easy seeds mostly been annuals that will go to seed in the first year.

“You are basically making a plant and making a variety of that vegetable or fruit that is directly designed over the years for your local climate, for your soils types. So, over time, 10 years or so, the seed library will have seeds that are basically specifically designed for lour local area,” said Tower.

There’s no due dates or late fees.

“Maybe you get a big, bad, nasty bug that year, and you are not able to collect seeds, that’s fine,” said Tower.

Tower said it’s about knowing where your food comes from, and being a part of that process.

During National Library Week April 12-19, Rigby City Library offered half price membership. One hundred twenty-seven new people are now Rigby City Library cardholders, including some who joined just for the seed library.

Membership is required to use the seed library. Rigby residents can enjoy a free membership, for others in the county or elsewhere, it costs about $50 a year, though shorter memberships are available.