Seed Library
We provide our community with free vegetable, flower and herb seeds to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and well-being.
University Libraries is a member of the Michigan Seed Library Network and Kalamazoo Seed Collaborative.
About the Seed Library
Seed libraries are a way for aspiring and experienced gardeners to share free seeds and knowledge. Our Seed Library provides free open-pollinated, heirloom and native seeds to the Western and Kalamazoo communities to:
- Promote sustainable agriculture.
- Improve access to high-quality food.
- Expand pollinator habitats.
- Preserve heritage seeds.
- Educate communities about seed saving, sharing and growing their own food.
We keep seeds for three years. Seeds older than this will be moved to a basket to the side with a warning note about low germination rate.
All seed packets are marked clearly with the date the seeds were collected.
Anyone who visits
You can find the seeds
Take what you will plant
Seed libraries survive only if their members save seeds from the plants they grow.
Please save and return your seeds so we have more to share next year.
Donating to the Seed Library
We accept seeds from community members and donations from seed companies. We also receive the free One Seed, One State selection from the Michigan Seed Library Network each year.
To donate to our Seed Library, place each seed variety in a separate envelope, attach a donation card, and return it with your seed donation. You can find donation cards near the Seed Library. Seeds must be clean, dry and free of all pods, husks and chaff.
We only accept open-pollinated and heirloom seeds and do not knowingly accept hybrid, patented or genetically modified seeds.
Growing brown-eyed Susans
Sow seeds directly in the garden after the last frost, which generally is around May 4 in Kalamazoo.
Brown-eyed Susans generally don’t bloom until their second year, so lightly rake in the seeds in a sunny spot where they won’t be disturbed or mistaken for weeds and make sure they’re watered well their first year. Plants will be drought-tolerant after they’re well established.
When they do bloom, the flowers are vivid yellow and tall (up to 5 feet in good soil and light, shorter in partial shade or with environmental stressors), and they’ll last from late summer into the fall. Leave seed heads on the plant in winter for bird food—finches love them!—and to help the plant reseed.