#PacificAster is one of my fave #NativePlants to use for #rewilding & for attracting more #pollinators.

It's a small, hardy, beautiful purple #NativeWildflower which is found from BC to California. It's tolerant of many different coastal habitats, from ocean sand dunes to rocky outcrops to salt marshes to grasslands to forests. Great plant to use for soil erosion & slopes stabilization work. It has a deep, clumpy, extensive fibrous root system - don't grow beside plants with weaker root systems.

Pacific aster is extremely easy to grow in it's native grow zones, across coastal PNW areas. You'll love their long bloom time, from late May into late October. It provides pollen sources for pollinators in Fall. After they stop blooming, they'll produce fluffy seed heads, full of prolific wind-born #seeds. Snip off tops of seed heads to save them. I store mine in airtight jars & share a lot of them too.

#gardening #Bloomscrolling #florespondence #Saanich #Gardeners #botanical #Flowers #PollinatorGarden #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #Zone8 #perennials #VictoriaBC #Wsanec #PlantLovers #FallFlowers #Autumn #Nature #SeedSavers #SeedKeepers #SeedSharing #SeedBanking #SeedCollecting #SilentSunday #biodiversity

Some of our #VictoriaSeedLibrary work.

#LifecyclesProject #FoodSystems #Nonprofit #FoodSecurity #seeds #ViewRoyal #Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #VancouverIsland #VanIsle #PacificNorthwest #Cascadia #PNW #CommunitySharing #CommunityBuilding #Volunteers #SeedSaving #SeedSharing #Teamwork

#Canadians - Please sign this #petition & share it widely!

#Defend #SeedSaving #Rights 🙏

A proposed federal rule would remove #farmers right to save #seeds from new fruit, vegetable, ornamental and hybrid #plants - raising costs, and limiting local #climate adaptation. Tell our Government to defend seed-saving rights.

https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-6778

#FoodSecurity #SeedsOfLife #SeedsPreservation #SeedSavers #SeedsSovereignty #SeedCollectors #SeedSharing #Gardeners #Botanical #SaveOurSeeds #SignPetition #CDNpoli #BCpoli #TakeAction #SupportSmallFarmers #FreeTheSeeds #HandsOffOurSeeds #SeedsAreSacred #Canada

So, folks in #Maine / #NewEngland. I'll have extra #CosmosSeeds (pink) and #CatnipSeeds to share. DM me for deets, and we'll figure out how to mail / share them!

#SeedSharing #SolarPunkSunday #AcclimatedSeeds #GardeningForPollinators #ClimateChangeGardening

Excellent resource! @MaQuest @OccuWorld

#SolarPunkSunday #SeedSaving #SeedSharing #LibrariesRule!

#seedsharing breaks #gametheory.

The #FourSisters: Nurturing a time of plenty

"For the #Mandan, #Hidatsa and #Arikara people, seeds are even more than miraculous kernels of life. They are relatives and storehouses of ancestral memory, linked back to a time of abundance connected to the land. That is why the seed sovereignty project generates so much excitement throughout the community. Last month, the program’s first Food and Seed Summit drew around 100 enthusiastic participants.

"The college’s #FoodSovereignty effort aims to help reverse the cultural loss from the MHA Nation’s 1940s dislocation by flooding from the massive Garrison Dam. The seed sovereignty project engages faculty and community members, elders and USDA researchers to cultivate food security in the Three Affiliated Tribes.

Sowing #Sovereignty: Reclaiming #IndigenousAgriculture in #NorthDakota

By Tracy L. Barnett, June 10, 2024

Excerpt:
"Like others from her community, Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills grew up hearing the stories about a time of bounty, when the Three Affiliated Tribes farmed the rich bottomlands of the Missouri River. They grew nearly everything they needed in a tight-knit network of communities where work was shared and abundance existed for all.

"The stories were all that remained from those days – and the seeds.

" 'We had a lot of independence, even up to the 1940s,' Plenty Sweetgrass-She Kills told Buffalo’s Fire. 'Then, with the Garrison Dam, that had some devastating impacts in terms of our ability to grow our #TraditionalFoods.' "

Read more:
https://esperanzaproject.com/2024/native-american-culture/sowing-sovereignty-reclaiming-indigenous-agriculture-in-north-dakota/

#SolarPunkSunday #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #SeedSharing #NativeAmericanFoods #BuildingCommunity

I'm processing all the photos/vids from yesterday now. Then going for a mental wellness walk in nearby forest. Napping after lunch. Visiting one client in afternoon. Getting back to personal communications when back from client appointment.

I have a couple of phone meetings today to discuss creating a #cultural #SeedLibrary (separate from the LifeCycles Victoria Seed Library project). The BIPOC specific seeds library would be only for food crop seeds from our far away homelands that aren't really grown or known about here. There's many of us POC who've been displaced from our homelands & far from our traditional food crops. There's a gap with seed libraries here - all the ones currently available are colonial & don't include many POC traditional food crop seeds. I want to work with local, #BIPOC #diaspora folks to create the first cultural seed library on #VancouverIsland. I met several fellow displaced POC war survivors yesterday & there's a lot of interest in this idea. I want to work on making it a reality. BIPOC #FoodSecurity initiative.

#Saanich #VictoriaBC #YYJ #Grassroots #CommunityBuilding #CulturalFarming #GrowingFood #SeedSharing #SeedSaving

#Tennessee: #NashvillePublicLibrary, #Goodlettsville Branch

Spring #PlantSwap / #SeedExchange

When: Saturday, April 5, 2025 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Where: Goodlettsville

Description: "Do you have too many seeds, seedlings, or plants? Bring your extras and share with the community. Don't forget to checkout seeds from our Seed Exchange!"

Contact: Goodlettsville (615) 862-5862
https://events.library.nashville.org/cal/event/eventView.do?b=de&href=/public/cals/MainCal/CAL-8a3e8e4b-93073382-0194-95829436-00002ce4.ics
#SolarPunkSunday #LibrariesRule #SeedSwap #SeedSharing #PlantSwap #BuildingCommunity #Gardening

#Tennessee: #NashvillePublicLibrary #SeedExchange

"The Seed Exchange offers access to local librarians who will support, coach, and cheer you on as you grow your own home, school, church, or community garden. The best part about our Seed Exchange: it’s free! All you need is a library card."

Borrow Seeds

"Use your library card to borrow vegetable, herb, and flower seeds at Main Library and select branches. Find a Seed Exchange location near you. Borrowing seeds is free. All you need is a Nashville Public Library card."

Grow Plants

"NPL’s Seed Exchange offers access to local librarians who will support, coach and cheer you on as you grow your own home, school, church or community garden. We’re also working with local farmers, gardeners and community agencies to offer free gardening workshops throughout the year."

Return Seeds

"Once the season is over, harvest seeds from your garden and return them to the library. We ask that you follow certain protocol when harvesting seeds to share with the Seed Exchange. We want people who take seed to get what was on the label and we want to protect from passing on disease.

"Additionally, we are always looking for #OpenPollinated, #HeirloomSeeds from anyone in the community who is willing to share, a little or a lot.

"Our Seed Protocol [linked below] includes guidelines for properly saving and preparing seeds to share."

https://library.nashville.org/events/seed-exchange

Seed protocol:
https://library.nashville.org/about/policies/seed-protocol
#SolarPunkSunday #LibrariesRule #SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #BuildingCommunity #Gardening

@nix the library here in albuquerque has seeds for patrons to take. i always thought that was a great resource. #abq #seedsharing

https://abqlibrary.org/seeds/How

#ElkRapidsMI #library starts seed library, offers #FreeSeeds for #CommunityGardening

by Marc Schollett, March 16th 2025

ANTRIM COUNTY, Mich,. (WPBN/WGTU) - - "With temperatures rising across northern #Michigan, folks with green thumbs are gardens are already thinking of what they'll plant this spring, but a northern Michigan library maybe one step ahead of them and lending a helping hand at the same time.

"'Libraries are a place where people come together for community,' said Emily Spielbauer, Elk Rapids District Library.

"The Elk Rapids District Library isn't huge, but what it offers the community it serves is gigantic.

"'I mean, it feels great to know that you're serving the community or feeling a need,' said Spielbauer.

"Inside, a ton of books, but it's what just appeared in their lobby this week that may have folks stopping to take a second look.

"Ultimately right now we're really excited about the opening of our seed library in which people can come and get seeds," said Spielbauer.

"It is a library inside a library.

"So we've got a lot of produce, a lot of different types of things that you can eat. We have a small section of flowers, but the idea is that we're offering a source of food for the community," said Spielbauer.

"Right in the corner, is the library's seed library, hundreds of packets, of dozens of different things you can grow in your garden.

"'So the seeds are a self-service station. People do not have to give their name or anything. They can just come in and take what they will use,' said Spielbauer.

"The seeds are free, but there is a tremendous perk for getting them here that you just don't get buying them at the store.

"'You get these green thumbs together and they start talking about their favorite things to grow. And like I said, sharing tips and tricks together,' said Spielbauer.

"The seed library offers all the things you might expect to grow here in Northern Michigan...and a few that have sparked some curiosity.

"'One thing that I've not seen go and I'm really interested if someone would report back is the okra. Like I don't know how to grow it and we've got a lot of okra seeds,' said Spielbauer.

"A lot of seeds, thanks to a lot of donations."

Read more:
https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/elk-rapids-library-starts-seed-library-offers-free-seeds-for-community-gardening
#SolarPunkSunday #LibrariesRule #SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #BuildingCommunity

#California: #MariposaCounty #Library Offers New #SeedLibrary at the #RedCloudBranch in #GreeleyHill, Also Available in #Mariposa
Monday, 03 March 2025 06:39

March 3, 2025 – "Mariposa County Library officials announce that they now have a Seed Library at the Red Cloud Branch in Greeley Hill. We have vegetables, herbs, and flowers.

"The way this works is you can stop by, take a few seeds, put them in baggies, write down instructions for planting them, and be on your way. We also invite users to leave their own seed donations.

"This project was in partnership with the Master Gardeners, who we are very grateful to! We also have a Seed Library at the Mariposa Branch that they assist with maintaining, on a regular basis."

Source:
https://goldrushcam.com/sierrasuntimes/index.php/news/local-news/65134-mariposa-county-library-offers-new-seed-library-at-the-red-cloud-branch-in-greeley-hill-also-available-in-mariposa
#SeedLibrary #MariposaCA #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #LibrariesRule! #SeedSharing #SeedExchange #Gardening

So, today's #SolarPunkSunday has been mostly about #SeedSharing and #Gardening. I think I'm going to continue with this theme since it's a timely topic. Next week I'll make sure to cover #RepairCafes and ways to make #RenewableEnergy more nature-friendly!
#SolarPunk

#NorthDakota: #JamesRiverValley #SeedLibrary Opening March 20

By: Steve Urness March 7, 2025

JAMESTOWN, N.D. (NewsDakota.com) – "The 2025 Seed Library is opening March 20 at #StutsmanCountyLibrary!

"#NDSU Extension Agent Ashley Kjellberg will be presenting a talk entitled, 'Timeline for Planting a Successful Garden.The seed library will also be open for you to choose from a variety of seeds from vegetables to flowers. Attendees will receive a free 3D printed garden marker (while supplies last).

"The Seed Library opens March 20th at 6:30 PM in the Stutsman County Library in Jamestown, North Dakota."

Source:
https://www.newsdakota.com/2025/03/07/james-river-valley-seed-library-opening-march-20/
#SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #JamestownND #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #SeedSharing #Gardening

Free #SeedLibraries in #Minnesota

Story by Thrifty Minnesota, March 6, 2025

"Free seed libraries are a great way to get seeds to start your garden and learn more about gardening in the process. Here is our list of free seed libraries throughout Minnesota!:"

Learn more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/parks/free-seed-libraries-in-minnesota/ar-AA1An9Dv
#SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #SeedSharing #Gardening #FoodSecurity

#California: ‘Seeking seed donations': The #Altadena #SeedLibrary looks ahead to #regrowth

Story by Alysia Gray Painter, January 13, 2025

"Following the Jan. 7 fire that swept through the city, growers and gardening groups are beginning to think about what is next, groups that include the Altadena Seed Library.

"This community is enormously dedicated to native plants, but also had many farmers and growers who lost generations of crops at community gardens and in backyards.

"#Wildlife coming down from the foothills has lost habitat and food. the air quality will be poor and temperatures will be higher without the lush greenery that protected us. not to mention the vast natural spaces that have burned and may benefit from help #reseeding.

"If you have seeds to spare — particularly native plants — please send a message. please share widely.

"Monetary donations are also requested, if you are able to donate.

"Seeds may be sent to 37 Auburn Ave. #8, Sierra Madre, CA 91024 c/o Altadena Seed Library."

Source:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/seeking-seed-donations-the-altadena-seed-library-looks-ahead-to-regrowth/ar-BB1rscpJ

Altadena Seed Library IG:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DEtvdpixEw2/
#AltadenaFires #CaliforniaFires #Reseeding #SolarPunkSunday #NativePlants #NativeSeeds #SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #Gardening

#Iowa: New #SeedLibrary offers #Native Plants for community gardeners to enjoy

by PEGGY SENZARINO Feb 16, 2025

SIOUX CITY – "It might not be gardening weather yet but a new free seed library in Sioux City will have area gardeners planning and dreaming up summer flower gardens even with snow on the ground and temperatures below freezing.

"Located on the lower level of the #DorothyPecautNatureCenter, the Loess Hills Wild Ones Seed Share Library is a tool for people with a green thumb to utilize.

"'This is a native seed library and members of Loess Hills Wild Ones collected seeds in the fall and we are sharing them with anyone in the community that would like some,' said Marcie Ponder, Loess Hills Wild Ones treasurer.

"The cabinet is housed at the base of the stairs leading to the lower level of the nature center. A binder is full of information about the available seeds including descriptions and photographs."

Read more:
https://siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_afa248de-ebcc-11ef-80ad-6f14c6510777.html

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/Pozre
#SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #SiouxCityIowa #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #SeedSharing #Gardening #NativePlants #NativeSeeds

#Louisiana: #WestFelicianaParish #Library launches a new #SeedLibrary

Feb 18, 2025

"Just in time for spring planting, the West Feliciana Parish Library announces the launch of its Seed Library — a community-driven initiative designed to make gardening accessible to everyone.

"The Seed Library allows patrons to 'borrow' seeds to grow their own food, flowers and herbs. Interested gardeners can take home seeds, plant them, enjoy the harvest, and, if possible, return seeds at the end of the season to keep the cycle going.

"This project was made possible through an #LSU #AgCenter #HealthyCommunitiesGrant and is maintained in partnership with the LSU AgCenter's West Feliciana Parish Extension Office.

"'Our goal is to empower our community with the ability to grow fresh, healthy food while promoting #biodiversity and #SelfReliance,' said Molly Porter, librarian. 'By participating, you're not just growing plants — you’re growing a stronger, more resilient community.'

How to get seeds from the library:

- Sign up: Fill out a Seed Library Patron Form and bring it to the circulation desk.
- Pick your seeds: Choose from a variety of seeds that thrive in the local climate. Three per week limit.
- Log your choices: Record the seeds you take in the binder to help track demand and replenish stock.
- Plant and enjoy: Take the seeds home, plant and watch them grow.
- Return seeds, if you can: If you save seeds from your harvest, bring some back to the library to share with others.

"Throughout the growing season, the library will offer workshops on gardening basics, seed saving and more."

For details, visit www.wfplibrary.org/seeds or stop by the library to get started or contact (225) 245-3752, or mporter@wfplibrary.org
https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/communities/st_francisville/west-feliciana-parish-library-launches-a-new-seed-library/article_d9f400fe-e8cb-11ef-8946-4b3a48ecf5de.html
#SeedLibrary #SeedSharing #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #LibrariesRule! #SeedSharing #SeedExchange #Gardening #FoodSecurity

#Texas: #GreenThumbs, #BookWorms team to create free seed library at #LongviewPublicLibrary

by Jordan Green Mar 6, 2025

"Something seedy is happening at the #Longview #PublicLibrary.

"The Gregg County Master Gardeners Association has partnered with library to create the #SproutAndShare #SeedLibrary, which will allow novice and experienced gardeners alike to pick up free seeds to plant in their own gardens.
The library and gardening association will host a grand opening and educational event at 10:30 a.m. Saturday [yesterday].

"A member of the association sprouted the idea for the seed library, according to Shaniqua Davis, agent for the Texas AgriLife Extension Office in Gregg County. The seed library will be open to the public during the library’s operating hours: 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Wednesday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

"Leah Shreves, technical services supervisor for the Longview Public Library, said the seed library will help people learn to produce their own food, whether they live in a home or in an apartment.

"'It’s a way to kind of try and help provide fresh and healthy foods that people can grow on their own to decrease their grocery bill and could also be a relaxing and rewarding hobby,' Shreves said.

"'We’re wanting to give back to the community and give them options and learn that they can grow their own food.'

"The library will have 16 varieties of plant seeds to start with, ranging from green beans and snap peas to watermelon and flower seeds. More than 800 seed packets will be stocked in the library when it opens. Patrons can pick up seven packets per visit. Each packet will have a QR code on it that people can scan, directing them to more information about the plant.

"Master gardeners association members plan to offer at least one educational class per quarter that will be free to the public, Shreves said. During Saturday’s grand opening, gardeners will discuss some of the basics of gardening.

"The library is at 222 W. Cotton St. For more information, call (903) 237-1350."

Original article:
https://www.news-journal.com/news/local/green-thumbs-book-worms-team-to-create-free-seed-library-at-longview-public-library/article_cdc24ff8-fa04-11ef-a4c1-bbb2f34935f4.html

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/91Eav#selection-3227.0-3236.8
#SolarPunkSunday #SeedBanks #SeedLibrary #LongviewTexas #SolarPunkSunday #BuildingCommunity #LibrariesRule! #SeedSharing #SeedExchange #Gardening #CommunityAgriculture #SeedSharing #FoodSecurity