The seed library was spearheaded by Springboro resident Kendra Bean, a community herbalist and owner of My Apothecary Box, a small business where she creates herbal products in a commercial kitchen she rents in Franklin. For Bean, this project is about much more than plants.
“Making gardening and herbalism accessible is important to me,” Bean said. “That’s why this seed library is vital and why I’ve also partnered with libraries to teach herbalism classes. That way patrons can attend for free.”
For Bean, seeds carry deep meaning.
“Seeds are important to me. They represent potential, patience, nurturing and fulfillment,” she said. “Gardening has been a gift to me. It got me through the pandemic and helped me connect with others in my community. It gave me friendships I didn’t have before. As an herbalist, seeds are gifts from the earth, and I want everyone to experience them.”
The project itself has grown organically. Before finding a permanent home at the library, the seed collection was housed in binders inside Bean’s home.
“That was the only place we had,” she said. “People would contact me for seeds and I’d set up a time for them to come look and take packets. It had to work because it was all we had. But I didn’t like that it felt like ‘mine’ because it was at my house. It was never meant to be mine.”
Public accessibility
Bean felt strongly that the seeds belong in a public, accessible space, somewhere community members could visit on their own schedules. The Springboro Library proved to be the perfect fit.
Now, patrons simply visit the card catalog area, browse the labeled drawers, and select a seed packet they’d like to try. The seeds are already portioned out, and visitors are asked to take only one packet of each type so others have the same opportunity.
The seed library also operates on generosity. Community members can donate seeds by bringing labeled packets whether harvested from their own gardens or left over from a store-bought packet — to the library’s front desk.
Amanda Marquet, librarian at the Springboro Library, has volunteered to help manage the seed library. Bean will also check in periodically to keep the drawers organized and help portion larger donations into individual packets.
Beyond gardening, Bean hopes the initiative lowers barriers.
“I hope the seed library here leads to all the libraries having them,” she said. “I hope people who are intimidated by gardening will try it because they aren’t worried about failing as much. In the current economy, with inflation so high, it makes it harder to take risks on things that may have a learning curve.”
By removing the financial risk, the seed library gives residents permission to experiment and to plant something new without fear of wasting money if it doesn’t thrive.
In a small wooden drawer in the corner of the library, Springboro now holds packets of possibility, tiny reminders that growth often begins with something small, shared freely, and planted with hope.
HOW TO GO
Where: Springboro Public Library, 125 Park Lave, Springboro
Hours: 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday
Online: fspl.org
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