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Coronavirus COVID-19

COVID-19 Advisory: WSU Extension is working to keep our communities safe. All Extension programming is being provided virtually, postponed, or canceled. Effective March 16, 2020, WSU Extension county offices and WSU Research & Extension Centers will be closed to the public. We are available via email, phone, and webconference.

Seed Library

Our Mission

Our mission is to create a culture of learning, sharing, and community through sustainable seed saving that reclaims seeds as a public resource, encourages biodiversity as an alternative to transgenic modified seeds, fosters self-reliance over dependence upon large food producers, increases food security, promotes a healthy diet and develops seed adapted to thrive in the soils and climate of our region.

WSU Seed Library is Offering Remote Services!

 

Over 250 Members in the Seed Library!  Anyone can become a member of this program.  Borrow, Grow, Return.

The WSU Office is closed to the public at this time. However, the WSU Seed Library is offering our community seed inventory to Members remotely! We encourage gardeners to borrow seeds, grow plants, and return the seeds you save at the end of the season.

The process of becoming a Member is simple:

  1. Check the available seed list (below).
  2. Fill out the form below to email us your requests for up to 3 seed packets.
  3. Select your seed delivery option
  4. This form will serve as your Member Form for you which will include a preferred form of contact. This will remain completely confidential.

 

FAQ Jefferson County Library bookmobile pickup sites Community Seed Project WSU Extension Event Calendar
Once we receive your request, we will contact you with the location and date for seed pickup.  We will also add you to our mailing list in which we’ll send you information on Seed Saving Basics throughout the growing season.  If you opt for mail delivery, please send a self addressed envelope plus $4.00 of postage (8 forever stamps).  Monetary or stamp donations are accepted to help defray the cost of postage/handling.  Checks can be made payable to Jefferson County Master Gardener Program at 121 Oak Bay Rd Port Hadlock, WA 98339 and put “Seed Library” in the memo.

A couple of things to remember: 1) although these seeds are free and come from community-saved seeds, it’s important to support our professional seed companies and local nurseries; and 2) you can donate excess produce to your local Food Bank.

Thank you for doing your part to support community food resilience.

Karen Seabrook

Seed Library Remote Services Request

Use this form to request seeds from the WSU Seed Library
    Please select your pickup or mailing option. Please note it may take up to 2-weeks,. You will be emailed when delivery/pickup is ready. For Book Mobile Stop locations, go to https://jclibrary.info/use-the-library/bookmobile/

Seed Library Inventory

Inventory changes seasonally

Seeds Available: March – May*

List of available seed is coming soon!

Beans (scarlet runner, bush) Beans (Pearl’s white shelling runner)
Arugula Beans (bush, all varieties)
Asian greens Broccoli head
Beet Brussel Sprouts
Mustard Cabbage Red
Mescluns Collards
Peas Sugar Eggplant
Peas Snap Kale red, Nero Toscana
Peas Shelling Lettuce
Cucumbers slicing Quinoa
Cucumber pickling Squash – Summer
Radish Squash – winter
Rhutabaga
Flowers Flowers
Nasturtiums Sunflower – regular
 Phacelia Mammoth (5ft tall) Cosmos
Phacelia (18 in. tall)
Marigolds Herbs
Sunflower – mammoth  Parsley

*Some plants, like lettuce and radishes, can be replanted every 2-4 weeks, for a continuous harvest.

*Consult the VEGETABLE PLANTING GUIDES to decide whether to start plants indoors or direct sow into your garden

 

Planting guides gives you information about what vegetables and herbs you can plant indoors for starts or into your garden.  Here are links to several planting guides for our region.

EM057E Home Vegetable Gardening in WA, pages 13 – 14

West Coast Seed Regional Planting Charts for B.C. Canada (choose coastal chart for conditions most similar to the Olympic Peninsula)

Kingcoseed.org

Please note that these guides have been developed for large geographical regions and the direct sow and transplant months may vary depending on your location.  In fact, most gardens have their own microclimates.  To determine your microclimate, check out this WSU publication:

FS181E Determining you garden’s microclimate.

For more information about seed saving:

WSU Saving Seeds, Seed Saving Chart,

seedalliance.org,

seedsavers.org,

seedambassadors.org,

http://www.richmondgrowsseeds.org/

To access WSU large catalog of free gardening publications, click here:  https://pubs.wsu.edu

 

Events 2021

Online education opportunities will be listed on the WSU Extension Calendar:

Seed Library on JC Library Book Mobile ~ Starts March 1st, 2021
last full week of every month, March-September.

 

The WSU Seed Library is offered a Lunch and Learn on Thursday, March 4 via zoom to introduce our Community Seed Project and teach about preserving the genetic diversity in our local seed varieties*

To view the recording, please click HERE

“With the seed vendors scrambling again this year to provide enough seeds for your garden the WSU Seed Library is offering a project aimed at teaching the backyard gardener how to save seeds from their favorite crops thereby increasing their resiliency. This is a hands-on learning project to teach the practical applications of preserving genetic diversity and maintaining your favorite seed varieties. The Seed Library will provide the seeds: two locally developed varieties, a sweet corn developed at Sunfield Farm by Ezra Sullivan and a black bush shelling bean from Oatsplanter Farm. You grow the plants, harvest some for eating and save seeds from the best plants.  Please join us for a Q/A after the lecture with Katie Miller, a professional seed developer and educator from Organic Seed Alliance.”