The Saugerties Seed Library is drawing record participation in its third year, with patrons at the Saugerties Public Library taking home 400 seed packets in March for everything from flowers to okra.
The initiative, aimed at fostering community through gardening, education, and the sharing of seeds and knowledge, is led by library assistant Justyna Staccio. Seed donations—both commercially packaged and seeds saved by local gardeners and farmers—are accepted year-round.
Patrons can borrow seeds for free, plant them at home or in community spaces and, if they want to complete the full cycle of sharing, save seeds from what they grow and contribute them back to the library.
Seed sharing is an ancient practice that has played a role in human survival since the first agricultural societies about 12,000 years ago. It has taken many forms, including sacred ceremonies, personal exchanges, government-sponsored distribution, and modern seed libraries.
The Saugerties initiative reflects a broader movement of more than 600 grassroots seed libraries across the country that promote gardening and support community resilience, food access, and biodiversity.
“There’s a big push in the world to return to self-sustainability and this is an easy way to dabble in it without a lot of financial investment,” Staccio said. “Some of our participants are avid gardeners with a lot of knowledge and others are complete novices. We hope the free seeds will help people experiment and get started.”
After Staccio promoted the seed-saving effort at the library and online, participation surged. She said she was pleasantly surprised by the rise in both donations and borrowers, with contributions coming from Adams Fairacre Farms, Hudson Valley Seed Company, library patrons, and other community members.
“Everyone has been such a huge help,” she said. “It’s been a lot of work, from making our logo and branding to putting together a newsletter and public programming, but it’s so great to see people get excited about it.”
On July 25, the library will partner with Cornell Cooperative Extension for a program on autumn planting tips. Past programming has included instruction on how to save and dry seeds for use in future growing seasons.
Flower seeds have been among the most popular offerings, Staccio said.
“They disappear quickly and we also have a lot coming in from community members, especially marigolds.”
Chase Randell, a lifelong Saugerties resident and program director of The Underground Center, an educational nonprofit focused on sustainable and socially just ways of living, said he visited the seed library soon after reading about it in the newsletter and was immediately eager to take part.
“It was nearly empty when we visited. We’re excited to restock it with a bunch of seeds from things we’ve grown and from extra seeds that have been donated to us for the Saugerties Free Food program we run,” Randell said. “The library project fits right in with our mission which includes localizing and decommodifying food production.”
“There is a lot of overproduction and waste when it comes to seeds and seedlings. One packet might have hundreds of seeds while only a small amount gets used and they are only viable for a year or two — so it’s a lot of waste,” he said. “Plus, how great it is to avoid all of the shipping and fossil fuels for things that come from far away.”
Randell said he and his team planned to donate carrot, corn and bean seeds they have been saving and using for years.
“We’re excited to share locally adapted seeds, ones that we know can endure rugged droughts, moldy periods and our particular local environment,” he said.
According to Staccio, the seed library is typically open through August, based on when the shelves emptied in previous years. This year, though, she said the strong response may keep it going longer.
“There is so much participation and interest, it is likely we will continue having seeds and running programming throughout the year,” she said.
Chana Widawski is a contributing reporter for The Overlook. Send correspondence to reporting@theoverlooknews.com.