A collaborative project between the Nobles County Historical Society and the Worthington Garden Club has brought a seed library to the community, providing an opportunity for residents to access a variety of free seeds.
The idea for the seed library was inspired by the success of Luverne’s seed library, which has been operating for a couple of years.
- The Worthington Garden Club first caught wind of the idea from Luverne’s seed library and was excited to share it with the community.
- After discussing the idea, the garden club and the NCHS executive director, Beth Rickers, decided to pursue a grant from the Community and You grant program.
- The proposal was submitted and accepted within three hours, thanks to the Community and You grant’s quick response time.
The seed library will be set up in an old card catalog at the Nobles County Heritage Center, which is an antique that would have been expensive to purchase otherwise.
Residents can come to the seed library and pick up a variety of free seeds, including vegetables and flowers, and use them to plant their own gardens.
The seed library will also offer a variety of resources to help gardeners get started, including toilet paper roll seed starters and small envelopes to store and label their seeds.
To encourage community involvement, the seed library will also offer a kids’ program, where children can participate in gardening activities and take home a packet of seeds and a pair of gardening gloves.
The seed library is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on April 22, at the Nobles County Heritage Center, 225 Ninth St., Worthington.
Some of the activities and events planned for the kickoff include:
| 10 a.m. – 11 a.m.: Master gardener Nancy Hofstee will talk about heirloom seeds. |
| 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.: Gardening program with a variety of gardening tools and books available for attendees to use. |
| 3:30 p.m. – 4 p.m.: Kids’ program with garden crafts and activities. |
Residents can also look forward to:
- Drawings for prizes, including watering cans, gardening tools, garden books, and grow bags.
- Refreshments available throughout the day.
- Free seeds, including vegetables and flowers, for residents to take home and plant.
To use the seed library, residents will need to sign into the guest book before picking up their seeds.
The seed library is a unique and exciting opportunity for the community to come together and explore the world of gardening.
As Beth Rickers, executive director of NCHS, said:
“We just want people to come and get excited about gardening.
