The Hamilton East Public Library announces the 2024 HEPL Seed Library will open on Monday, March 4 at the Fishers Library! The Noblesville Library Seed Library will open on Tuesday, March 5.
The Seed Library is open to all Hamilton County residents, who may visit the library to get a maximum of 20 seed packets per library cardholder for the 2024 growing season. The honor system is followed, so there is no need to check in with a staff member unless there are questions. Seeds are not required to be returned, but HEPL does welcome most varieties of harvested seeds to share again with the community.
Seeds are also available for schools, community groups, and nonprofits, whom HEPL loves working with to beautify Fishers and Noblesville! If you’d like to partner with HEPL, please reach out at seedlibrary@hepl.lib.in.us.
“We love hearing about our community’s gardens every year, and we know the Seed Library is very important to library users,” said Julia Welzen, Community Engagement Coordinator at Hamilton East Public Library. “Our hope is that with the HEPL Seed Library, our community will explore how wonderful gardening can be, no matter where they are in their gardening journey.”
There are 145 seed varieties in HEPL’s collection this year, including vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, and even a native grass. The seeds are non-GMO and open-pollinated. Hybrid plants are not included in the collection since the seeds from these plants will not breed true. You’ll find old favorites as well as fresh varieties each year. Plants are labeled by difficulty level so patrons can choose plants that they’ll find the most success with.
New varieties this year include: Homemade Pickles cucumbers, Red Malabar spinach, Anaheim peppers, Greek oregano, summer savory, Long Island Cheese pumpkins, salsify, Amana Orange tomatoes, ageratum (floss flower), annual candytuft, Ohio spiderwort, common ironweed, and much more!
You’ll also see the return of many of your favorites, including zinnias, Suyo Long cucumbers, Moon & Stars watermelons, shishito peppers, Munstead lavender, Genovese basil, Pacific Beauty calendula, Nigella, and Blue False indigo.
HEPL welcomes donated seeds, although is unable to accept varieties like squash and pumpkins that cross-pollinate easily. Visit the Seed Library webpage for a complete list of seeds and growing guides.