Longview Public Library

The LPL Seed Library is open! Use your library card to check out seeds and plant a garden of your own. Anyone with a Longview Library card is invited to participate. Scroll down to complete the order form below.

Seed Library Events

Longview Library events are free and open to the public, thanks to the Friends of the Longview Library and the Longview Library Foundation. Events currently taking place via Zoom, unless otherwise noted.

June 19, 11 AM
Hardy Fuchsias in the Garden with R. Theo Margelony
Two years ago, Theo Margelony and his "Fuchsias in the City" left their tiny urban garden of 1/94th acre in Manhattan to start growing and blogging anew in Portland. In this first event of the Seed Library Presents speaker series, Theo will be talking about fuchsias, starting a new garden, and how to best choose, grow, and enjoy these diverse classics in your own space. Theo writes about fuchsias and other garden topics on his blog The Fuchsietum | A Garden in Portland, and he can be found on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Before moving to the Pacific Northwest to pursue fuchsias, Theo was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York where he long pursued heraldry, his other passion, in the Department of Medieval Art & The Cloisters.

Click here to join the Zoom presentation

Seed Library Order Form

To order seeds, fill out and submit the form below. Select up to ten packets, along with five alternate choices in case your first choices are unavailable. One packet per variety. A household can check out ten packets for each cardholder. You will be notified when your order is ready to be picked up using our Library Drive-Thru service.

If you would like to save seed from crops marked "easy to save", please see the our Easy Save Guide. Seed companies are currently experiencing high demand with fewer staff, so seeds are going to be in shorter supply, making saving seed for the library even more important--Plus it's fun! Find more Seed Library resources below the form.

Name: *

Library Card (last 7 digits): *

Phone Number:

Email Address: *

List your seeds (up to 10 packets, one packet per variety), separated by a comma. See Crop List below for available varieties. *

List up to 5 alternates we can substitute if your first choices are unavailable.

I agree to uphold the Safe Seed Promise (see below). Yes

I am interested in volunteering with the LPL Seed Library in the future. Yes

The Safe Seed Promise

Agriculture and seeds provide the basis upon which our lives depend. We must protect this foundation as a safe and genetically stable source for future generations. For the benefit of all farmers, gardeners and consumers who want an alternative, I promise that I do not knowingly buy, grow, share, or trade genetically engineered ("GMO") seeds or plants.

If returning seed, I promise to grow plants and save seeds according to best practices to insure that I return viable seed that will produce plants true to the variety I label them to be. (If you're unsure about best practices for seed saving, check out the resources below and at the Library.)

In order to maintain a healthy population of bees, other pollinators, and soil microorganisms, it is important to limit our use of pesticides. Plants grown without pesticides are hardier and naturally adapted to withstand pests; therefore I pledge to refrain from using synthetic pesticides on seeds from the library, particularly if returning seed.

Seed Library Resources

Crop List: Seeds for spring sowing available for order starting March 1, 2021.
Easy Save Guide: Quick list of tips for saving seeds.
Planting Guide for the Maritime Northwest: A handy planting guide provided by Uprising Seeds.
Saving Seeds: Where to Start: More information about saving seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange.
LPL Seed Library on Facebook
LPL Seed Library on Instagram
Garden Talk with Austin: Austin shares garden tips from in this series of video chats from the Library garden.

Seed Library Book Collection

About the LPL Seed Library

The Seed Library is a collection of seeds and books that can be checked out with a Longview Public Library card. Those who check out seeds, especially those marked "Easy Save", are encouraged to save seeds to help maintain and grown our collection. Seed checkouts are available in spring, summer, and fall. Seed Library books and other resources are available year round.

Mission Statement: The LPL Seed Library seeks to provide seed as an accessible and affordable public resource, promote biodiversity and local adaptation, educate patrons and the public on topics surrounding agriculture and horticulture, and develop a community and culture of self reliance, sustainability, and generosity.

The Purpose of the LPL Seed Library is to:

create an accessible, affordable source of regionally-adapted and native seeds, maintained by a local community of caring farmers and gardeners;
educate library patrons and the public about biodiversity, garden and plant ecology, sustainable food production, food sovereignty, native plants, cultural traditions concerning food and agriculture, heirloom varieties, PNW agricultural history, and related topics;
build community awareness and connections through partnerships between the library and local nonprofits, food producers, horticulture businesses, gardeners, educational institutions, health practitioners, artists, and others; and
strengthen the LPL's connection to its community, membership, and volunteers; broaden the relevance of the library to area residents; set an example for other libraries and organizations; and support and supplement the other educational programs of the Longview Public Library.

For more information about the LPL Seed Library, please call 360.442.5310 or email us.