The library will be closed Sunday, March 31st, for Easter

Memorial Hall Library

The Andover Seed Library Will Re-Open on February 3

The Andover Seed Library will re-open on February 3rd! We are thinking beyond the tiny kernels you will press into the soil in your backyard once the ground warms up. Seeds are essential for the future of agricultural diversity and that’s not just about enjoying a veritable smorgasbord at supper.  Maintaining a supply of genetically diverse plant species is a hedge against the future of devastating crop blights that scientists know will be exacerbated by climate change.  

Efforts like the Andover Seed Library encourage diverse species conservation by actually circulating seeds. The more seeds in actual circulation, the more new varieties are evolving and the more effective our seed reserve will be for feeding communities nutritious food for years to come.  So read up, watch some great documentaries and dust off your gardening gloves, spring is around the corner!  ​

The complete guide to saving seeds : 322 vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, trees, and shrubs
The complete guide to saving seeds : 322 vegetables, herbs, flowers, fruits, trees, and shrubs
by Robert E. Gough

A full-color resource explains how to gather, clean and store seeds for 300 different kinds of vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, trees and shrubs, as well as how to propagate and care for new seedlings. Original.
The triumph of seeds : how grains, nuts, kernels, pulses, & pips, conquered the plant kingdom and shaped human history
The triumph of seeds : how grains, nuts, kernels, pulses, & pips, conquered the plant kingdom and shaped human history
by Thor Hanson

From his own back yard to the coffee plantations of the Amazon to the spice routes of Kerala, an award-winning conservation biologist presents a book filled with knowledge, adventure and wonder that explores the seeds all around us as both a natural phenomenon and a human one.
The seed underground : a growing revolution to save food
The seed underground : a growing revolution to save food
by Janisse Ray

Discusses the loss of fruit and vegetable varieties and the genetically modified industrial monocultures being used today, shares the author's personal experiences growing, saving, and swapping seeds, and deconstructs the politics and genetics of seeds.
Seedswap : the gardener's guide to saving and swapping seeds
Seedswap : the gardener's guide to saving and swapping seeds
by Josie Jeffery

Presents a guide to seed saving and creating a seed bank, providing information on why seed banks are important, which seeds to swap and save, and how to get involved with the worldwide horticultural campaign to save seeds.
Burpee seed starter : a guide to growing flower, vegetable, and herb seeds indoors and outdoors
Burpee seed starter : a guide to growing flower, vegetable, and herb seeds indoors and outdoors
by Maureen Heffernan

A complete, easy-to-use gardening manual covering the basics of starting plants from seed discusses indoor and outdoor cultivation, how to purchase seed, seed viability, gardening equipment, planting charts and light requirements, planting dates, and other valuable information. Original.
Seeds of time
Seeds of time
This documentary is available through our Hoopla streaming media service. 
Follows agricultural expert Cary Fowler as he explores efforts to save seed banks worldwide in order to protect threats to global food supplies brought about by climate change.
 
 
Open sesame
Open sesame
This documentary is available for loan through our Kanopy streaming film service. 
Documents the implications of seed privatization and explores possible solutions to the crisis
randomness