The Seed Library is a partnership between the ASWCD and the Anderson County Main Branch Library. Any individual with a library card is able to check out 5 FREE seed packets of their choosing. Then take them home, plant them, and watch it grow!
Visit the Anderson Library - Main Branch to check out your seeds! The Seed Library is now in a new location at the Anderson Main Branch with the LEAP Station on the main floor. There are lots of helpful books and items that you can check out such as a soil testing kit to help with your gardening needs this year!
We also host Traveling Seed Totes at our neighboring library branches! The travel tote will have a variety of seeds at each location for one week. Scroll down to click the schedule to see when your Traveling Tote week is.
Do you love visiting the Bookmobile? If so, you can get select seeds there too!
Growing guide Traveling Tote Schedule

About the Seed Library

The Seed Library is an educational project that provides the public an opportunity to learn about the importance of growing their own food, eating healthy, environmental stewardship, promoting green space and plant diversity, while encouraging families to get outdoors. Anderson County Soil & Water Conservation District and the Anderson County Library System have established a “seed sharing” library, with different seed varieties, that are housed at the Anderson Main Library Branch in a card catalog. Seeds that are available to the public are vegetables, herbs, and native plant species. In September of 2020, we did a “soft-opening” for our Seed Library due to COVID-19 and 793 seed packets were checked out with 12 varieties available. The Seed Library closed October of 2020 and reopened in March of 2021 for a grand opening with up to 40 different seed types, all suited to grow in our area. A total of 5,095 seed packets were checked out in the spring of 2021!! Along with the main Seed Library, we also partnered with the smaller library branches in the county and did Pop-Up Seed Libraries. This provided different areas of the county with free seeds and eliminated individuals needing to travel to the main branch. Our Pop-Up Seed Library idea is now known as the Traveling Seed Library Totes that visit each branch for one full week during each Seed Library season.

We have reached many areas in Anderson County through this program and we want to continue to reach more. The poverty rate in Anderson County is 22.3% and these people go without eating healthy food or even food at all. The Seed Library will help decrease the number of people who go hungry in Anderson County and decrease the number of people who are simply unaware of how to grow their own food. The Seed Library project has a lot to offer just by providing seeds. Growing your own food promotes a healthier lifestyle, saves money on groceries, reduces food waste and worrying about food safety, builds a sense of pride, has a positive environmental impact, and it gets you outdoors.

How You Can Participate

  • Donations

    We are thankful to everyone who has donated seeds to the seed library in the past. As the seed library continues to grow, we will greatly appreciate any additional seed donations. If you have any seeds that you aren't using or may throw out, please reach out. We would love to take any seed variety off of your hands.
Seed Donations

  • SEED PACKING

    Every seed packet that is available to check out has been labeled, packed, and counted. It takes many hands to pack all of the seeds you see. We would greatly appreciate any help in packing seeds. We would love to host a "seed packing party," where a group of friends, coworkers, or an organization gathers together for a few hours (or as long as you're able) to pack seeds.
Volunteer to Pack Seeds Host a Seed Packing Party
Thank you for Your COnsideration in DOnating Seeds and/or Time to our Seed Library!

Send us your garden pictures!

Email us pictures of your garden that you are growing from your #AndersonSeedLibrary !

We love seeing your gardens grow!