The Castlemaine seed-lending library is located in the Castlemaine public book library. It provides a hub for the community to access free local vegetable, herb and flower seeds, donated by local gardeners.
Established in October 2016, the Seed Library is volunteer-run and relies on a community of dedicated gardeners and seed savers. In its first year it lent out more than 1000 seed packets to over 250 local borrowers.
- Borrowers check out the seeds, then
- Grow the seeds in their garden
- Use the crop to provide food for their family
- Allow some fruit to mature (to produce viable seed)
- Save and dry the seeds
- Return the seeds to the library to be repackaged
- The cycle continues…
A team of dedicated volunteers comes together on the first Thursday of each month for a Working Bee to repackage seeds and include lots of tips for growing, saving and storing seeds. We don’t seal our packets so they can be returned and reused next season. This resource promotes health and wellbeing, offering the community skills and tools to grow their own food while promoting local seed resilience.
For more information about the Seed Library, or to get involved, please email castlemaineseedlibrary@gmail.com
You can find further info at www.castlemaineseedlibrary.org.au
