Borrow, Grow, Save, Return: The Felton Library Seed Library Invites You to Dig In

By Mary Andersen

As summer ripens into fall, gardens throughout the San Lorenzo Valley are doing what gardens do best: going to seed. For local gardeners, that means now is the perfect time to start collecting seeds from maturing vegetables and flowers, and sharing them with neighbors through the Seed Library at the Felton Branch Library, a project of the Felton Library Friends.

A Library Within a Library

The idea took root even before the new Felton library opened its doors in February 2020. As the Felton Library Friends researched projects that would complement the building’s nature theme, a seed library stood out as a natural fit for a community full of avid gardeners and people drawn to self-reliance and resiliency. After pandemic closures delayed the plan, the Seed Library officially launched in 2023.

The program found its permanent home in 2025, when the Friends purchased an antique card catalog on eBay — a piece of furniture that once organized library books and now organizes something equally full of stories. It sits atop the free puzzle exchange shelves in the library lobby.

How It Works

Borrowing seeds couldn’t be simpler. Vegetable seeds are filed alphabetically in the catalog’s drawers, with flowers, herbs, and native plants in their own sections. Visitors are encouraged to take up to three packets at a time. And if a packet holds more seeds than they can use, they’re welcome to pass the extras along to friends and neighbors. Sharing, after all, is the whole point.

Every packet comes with guidance for success. Patron-donated seeds carry a QR code linking to Cornell University’s vegetable and flower growing guides, while packets donated by seed companies include growing instructions right on the label. And because no seeds in the collection are more than a year old, borrowers can plant with confidence that they’ll sprout.

The program’s motto — “Borrow, Grow, Save, Return” — describes a full circle, and community members are indeed closing the loop, returning seeds saved from their own harvests. The Friends expect that practice to grow with each season.

Powered by Volunteers

Behind the charming seed card catalog is the steady work of Felton Library Friends volunteers. Each fall, they write to seed companies requesting donations of unsold packets from the current year. When patrons drop off bagged seeds at the library’s main desk, volunteers package, label, and file them, restocking the catalog primarily in early spring and mid-summer to match the growing seasons.

The Friends also sponsor free educational programs. Recent years have featured spring workshops on starting seeds, presented by Renee Shepherd and UC Master Gardeners, along with sessions on saving seeds from native plants, vegetables, and flowers led by Master Gardeners from the UCSC Arboretum. A seed-saving workshop was held July 29, and a seed-starting workshop is planned for spring 2027. Gardeners looking for more guidance can explore the UC Master Gardener website, a rich source of local growing information.

Growing Community

The results are visible in gardens across Felton. Thanks to seeds from the Seed Library, Michael Gerson’s Felton garden is bursting with life this season, including thriving peas and beans. While the Friends haven’t tallied exactly how many packets have circulated since launch, the answer is simple: lots.

The Seed Library is one of the many volunteer efforts the Felton Library Friends undertake in the library and at Felton Discovery Park, and it captures their mission neatly — supporting local gardeners in growing their own food and flowers while encouraging them to give back.

Want to get involved? Donate seeds at the main desk, attend a workshop, or join the Friends at their monthly meeting, held the third Wednesday of each month at 3:15 pm in the library’s Community Room. Next up, August 26. To subscribe to the Felton Library Friends newsletter, email felton@friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org. 

Felton Branch Library
6121 Gushee Street, Felton 
friendsofsantacruzlibraries.org/felton

Photo by Mary Andersen