To Do Today: Start a Garden with Boston Public Library’s Seed Library
Green up your apartment with the Boston Public Library’s seed library. Photo via Unsplash/Kate Darmody
To Do Today: Start a Garden with Boston Public Library’s Seed Library
The BPL is sharing seeds—and you don’t need an outdoor garden to join in
What?
Start a garden—even an indoor one—with the Boston Public Library (BPL) seed library.
When?
During library hours until Monday, June 30. Find hours for the Honan-Allston Branch of the Boston Public Library here.
Where?
The Honan-Allston Branch of the Boston Public Library, 300 N. Harvard St. Allston; or most BPL branches.
The Honan-Allston branch is the nearest to Boston University, but other participating branches include Brighton, Chinatown, Codman, Connolly, East Boston, Egleston Square, Faneuil, Fields Corner, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Parker Hill, Roslindale, South Boston, Uphams Corner, West End, and West Roxbury.
How much?
Free
Why should I go?
Having a garden in a city can feel daunting. With limited time, resources, and outdoor space, it can seem impossible. But whether you’re an experienced gardener with tons of outdoor space or are brand-new to the idea in a teeny apartment, the Boston Public Library wants to help you get started with gardening.
The Seed Library aims to support Boston’s ecosystem by providing seeds of native plant species that can help support local wildlife. It’s free and accessible, with seeds available for easy-to-grow vegetables, herbs that thrive indoors, and native wildflowers that will bloom anywhere there’s space to grow.
Choose your seeds from your nearest participating BPL branch (note: choice and selection will vary by location) and ask for tips to help your new plants grow. Then start your garden wherever it’s convenient. Depending on which plants you choose, you could scatter seeds in your backyard, put a pot on your windowsill, cultivate a collection of greens on your roof, or join a community garden.
True to the word “library,” the BPL encourages you to collect seeds from your plants to give back to the seed library. Seed saving is an ancient practice that protects and enhances biodiversity. Sharing seeds from plants grown in Boston neighborhoods helps those seeds grow into resilient, well-adapted plants.
So, if you’re feeling inspired to garden and fancy enhancing your neighborhood’s biodiversity in the process, head to your nearest participating Boston Public Library branch.
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