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City Life, Education & Work Skills

J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, 6th floor | 1515 Young Street | Dallas, TX 75201
government@dallaslibrary.org | 214-670-1468

Dallas Public Seed Library

There is a circulating collection of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds at the Dallas Public Library!

Farmers and home gardeners have been saving and sharing seeds with each other for thousands of years. Unfortunately the tradition has been largely abandoned over the past 100 years. Here are some reasons to start saving and sharing again:

  • To develop plant varieties that are uniquely adapted to our local climate and growing conditions
  • To increase agricultural biodiversity
  • To ensure the resilience of our food supply
  • To become more self-sufficient as individuals and a community

Locations:

Central Library, 6th Floor
Forest Green Branch
Hampton-Illinois Branch
Highland Hills Branch
Kleberg-Riley Branch
Lakewood Branch
Lochwood Branch
Martin Luther King, Jr. Branch
Mountain Creek Branch
Oak Lawn Branch
Preston Royal Branch
Renner Frankford Branch
Skyline Branch
Vickery Park Branch
White Rock Hills Branch

Newsletter

Sign up for the Seed Library Newsletter to learn about upcoming events! Click here, scroll down to DPL topics, select Seed Library, and fill in your information.

How to Check-Out Seeds

Visit any Seed Library location in person to look through their available inventory. Make your selections and take them home.

You can also fill out the online Seed Request Form.

We invite you to check-out seeds from us and plant them in your garden. After the harvest, we encourage you to let your plants "go to seed," and return some of those seeds to the library.

Donating Seeds

Donations help keep our collection sustainable, but we don't require borrowers to return seed to us - especially those who are new to gardening. However, if you would like to learn how to save seeds, we can help. We offer books and other resources for checkout, as well as workshops on various gardening topics.

For more information on how the seed library works, check out these links:

Volunteering

Fill out the volunteer application on the Dallas Public Library website or visit a branch for a paper application. Select the Seed Library as your assignment preference. If you want to know more about our volunteer opportunities, call or email us.


Local Gardening

Dallas Coalition for Hunger Solutions - Map of Community Gardens in Dallas
Use this map to find a community garden near you!


Growing From Seed

Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Growing Guides
A wealth of general and plant-specific information

Seed Savers Exchange - Growing and Seed Saving Guides
Plant-specific growing and seed saving guides


Seed Saving

We encourage new seed savers to start off saving seeds from Lettuce, Peas, Beans, Peppers, and Tomatoes. Learn how here!

Almanac.com - How to save vegetable seeds.

Seed Ambassadors - Seed Saving Guide
Free seed-saving zine

Seed Savers Exchange - Seed Saving Chart
Crop-specific seed-saving chart


Field Trip and Family Resources

Whole Kids Foundation - Lesson Plans for Gardening with Kids
These lesson plans were designed for school gardens, but can easily be used by parents. Check them out here!

My First Garden - Gardening FUNdamentals for Kids
Built for kids, this website will aid their learning of the processes plants undertake to grow. Spanish version available.

PBS Kids Games -
Check out these links to play gardening themed games!