Seed Libraries: How to Get Free Garden Seeds at Your Library
A seed library is a free collection of vegetable, herb and flower seeds kept at a public library. You take a few packets, plant them, and at many libraries you can save seeds from your best plants and bring some back. The rules vary: Sacramento needs no library card at all, New Orleans lets cardholders take 3 packets a day, Indianapolis allows 5 packets per visit, and Rochester, Minnesota sets a limit of 10 packets per person.
Can I save seeds from this plant?
Many seed libraries hope you will bring seeds back. Pick the crop you grew to see how easy its seed is to save, how to harvest and store it, and what to check before you return it. The rules come from the University of Minnesota Extension guide to saving vegetable seeds.
Seed library rules at seven library systems
Seed libraries are the loosest lending service a library runs. Some do not ask for a card at all. Here is what each library's own page says.
| Library | Card needed? | Limit | Where | Bringing seeds back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento Public Library (CA) | No | Not stated | 18 branches | Not stated |
| San Francisco Public Library (CA) | No at Portola; at Potrero, adults ask at the front desk | Not stated | Portola and Potrero branches | Welcomed; Potrero asks you to return seeds to the same library |
| LA County Library (CA) | Yes, use your library card | 3 varieties per adult per month | 9 locations, 300+ varieties | Not stated |
| Indianapolis Public Library (IN) | Not stated | 5 packets per visit, March to September | All locations | Donation envelopes with the seed's name, date saved and your name |
| New Orleans Public Library (LA) | Yes, cardholders in good standing | 3 packets per day; no holds | 7 locations | No returns needed; saved garden seed not accepted |
| Rochester Public Library (MN) | No checkout required | 10 packets per person | 2nd floor downtown, plus the Bookmobile | Seed saving encouraged |
| Jefferson-Madison Regional Library (VA) | Membership in the Little Seed Library | Not stated | Gordon Avenue, Crozet and Scottsville | Members check out or donate seeds |
Seed libraries are not only a big-city service. Laramie County Library System in Wyoming, working with the Laramie County Master Gardeners, offers flower, herb and vegetable seeds selected for Wyoming's climate, free to county residents and available without a library card. It marked the Seed Library's 10th anniversary with the 2026 season. Houston Public Library lists its seed library inside its Library of Things.
How a seed library works
Rochester Public Library in Minnesota sums it up in three steps: choose what you can use, grow what you brought home, and save seeds from what you grew for next year. San Francisco's description adds the long view. Gardeners save seeds from the heartiest and healthiest plants and return them to the same library, so over time each branch builds a collection suited to its own microclimate.
- Take a few packets. Respect the limit. New Orleans seeds are first come, first served and cannot be placed on hold.
- Plant and grow. Many libraries pair seeds with planting guides. Indianapolis publishes a monthly chart of when to start seeds indoors and when to plant outside, and New Orleans links month-by-month planting guides from the LSU AgCenter.
- Save seed from your best plants. The University of Minnesota Extension advises saving from only the most vigorous plants with the best-tasting fruit, and never from weak or off-type plants.
- Bring some back, if your library takes it. Check first, because policies differ more on returns than on anything else.
Offerings change with the season and with donations. LA County Library says its varieties change often based on availability, and Indianapolis hands out seeds from March through September while supplies last.
Which seeds are easiest to save
If you plan to give back to a seed library, start with crops whose seed comes true. The University of Minnesota Extension groups vegetables this way:
- Easiest: tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas. Their flowers are self-pollinating and the seeds need little or no special treatment before storage.
- Harder: carrots and beets. They are biennials, so the plants need two growing seasons to set seed.
- Tricky: corn and vine crops. Corn has separate male and female flowers and can cross with popcorn from a nearby garden on a windy day. Insects cross-pollinate cucumbers, melons, squash, pumpkins and gourds, and seeds from those crosses grow into vines with fruit unlike the parent.
Variety matters as much as crop. Save seed only from open-pollinated varieties, which can include heirlooms. The Extension names 'Big Rainbow', 'San Marzano' and 'Brandywine' tomatoes, 'Kentucky Wonder' and 'Blue Lake' beans, and 'Little Marvel' peas as open-pollinated types that come true from seed. Hybrid tomatoes such as 'Big Boy', 'Beefmaster' and 'Early Girl' produce viable seed, but the next generation will not match the parent. Rochester's seed library stocks free, open-pollinated seed and lists keeping open-pollinated varieties in use among its goals.
How to harvest and store saved seed
- Tomatoes: let the fruit ripen fully, scoop the seeds and gel into a glass jar with some water, and swirl twice a day. The seeds should sink within five days. Pour off the liquid, rinse and dry the seeds on paper towels.
- Peppers: leave some fruit on the plant until it is fully ripe and starts to wrinkle, then remove the seeds and dry them.
- Peas and beans: let the pods dry on the plant until they turn brown and the seeds rattle, which can take up to a month past eating stage. Dry them indoors at least two weeks before shelling.
Store seeds in tightly sealed glass containers, dry and cool. The Extension says 32 to 41 degrees F is ideal, so a refrigerator can work, and a little silica gel or powdered milk wrapped in tissue will absorb moisture. Label every packet with the name, variety and date, and use saved seed within one year, because older seed germinates less well.
Returning or donating seeds to the library
Libraries split on this, so read your library's rules before you drop off an envelope.
- Indianapolis accepts donations in its own donation envelopes, available at any branch. Each envelope needs the common name, the month and year the seed was saved and the saver's name, plus a note if the seed is hybrid or treated. Donations missing those details, or not in the envelopes, are removed.
- San Francisco welcomes returns. The Portola branch invites seed donations when your plants succeed, and the Potrero branch asks gardeners to return seeds to the same library.
- New Orleans does not. Its seeds do not need to be returned, and it cannot accept returns or donations of seeds saved from home gardens. Small donations of packaged store-bought seeds may be accepted.
- Jefferson-Madison runs it as a membership. Members of the Little Seed Library, run with the Piedmont Master Gardeners, can check out or donate seeds.
San Francisco's Potrero branch also has an age rule: patrons 18 and over can use the seed library by asking at the front desk, and younger patrons need a parent or guardian present or a note from a parent, guardian, teacher or community gardener.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a seed library?
A seed library is a free collection of vegetable, herb and flower seeds at a public library. You take a few packets, plant them, and at many libraries you can save seeds from your harvest and bring some back for other gardeners.
Do I need a library card to take seeds?
It depends on the library. Sacramento Public Library needs no card, and San Francisco's Portola branch requires none. LA County Library asks you to use your library card, and New Orleans offers seeds to cardholders in good standing.
How many seed packets can I take?
Limits range from 3 to 10. New Orleans allows 3 packets per day, Indianapolis 5 packets per visit, and Rochester, Minnesota 10 packets per person. LA County Library limits each adult to 3 varieties per month.
Do I have to return seeds to the library?
Usually not. New Orleans says seeds do not need to be returned. Libraries that welcome saved seed, such as Indianapolis and San Francisco, ask you to label it or return it to the same branch.
Which seeds are easiest to save for the seed library?
Tomatoes, peppers, beans and peas, according to the University of Minnesota Extension, because their flowers self-pollinate. Choose open-pollinated varieties; hybrids such as 'Early Girl' tomatoes do not come true from seed.
How long do saved seeds last?
Use saved seed within one year, the University of Minnesota Extension advises, because older seed has lower germination and vigor. Keep it sealed, dry and cool, ideally at 32 to 41 degrees F.
Sources
Every rule, fee and figure on this page comes from the official page listed here. We read each one on September 25, 2026. Seed offerings change by season, so check your branch before a special trip.
- Sacramento Public Library: Seed Library: https://www.saclibrary.org/seeds
- San Francisco Public Library: Portola Branch Seed Lending Library: https://sfpl.org/locations/portola/seed-lending-library
- San Francisco Public Library: Potrero Branch Seed Lending Library: https://sfpl.org/locations/potrero/potrero-branch-seed-lending-library
- LA County Library: Seed Library: https://lacountylibrary.org/seeds/
- Indianapolis Public Library: Seed Library: https://www.indypl.org/services/seed-library
- New Orleans Public Library: Seed Libraries: https://nolalibrary.org/location-specific-services/seed-libraries/
- Rochester Public Library (MN): Seed Library: https://www.rplmn.org/borrow/seed-library/
- Jefferson-Madison Regional Library: Library of Things: https://jmrl.org/library-things
- Laramie County Library System: 10 years of the Seed Library: https://lclsonline.org/growing-forward-celebrating-10-years-of-the-seed-library/
- Houston Public Library: Library of Things: https://houstonlibrary.org/library-of-things
- University of Minnesota Extension: Saving vegetable seeds: https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/saving-vegetable-seeds