The Little Seed Library at Portage County District Library’s Windham Branch will offer free fruit, vegetable, herb and flower seeds, as well as provide educational resources for home gardening, seed saving, and food preservation. Seeds are now available at both the Garrettsville and Aurora Branches.

To select seeds, browse the Seed Catalog and Growing Guide for available seed packets and information about the variety, level of growing difficulty and level of seed saving difficulty. Please note that supplies of seeds are limited and are available on a first come-first serve basis.

For more information or to select seed varieties, visit the Windham, Garrettsville or Aurora Branches during open hours.

Donating Seeds

Seeds must be from open-pollinated, nongenetically modified, non-hybrid and/or heirloom plants that are NOT listed as invasive by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Once you’ve harvested your dried seeds, bring them to the Reference Desk in a sealed plastic bag along with the Donation Form. Donations for the 2025 growing season will be accepted beginning September 1, 2024.

Choosing Seeds

To select seeds, browse the Seed Catalog and Growing Guide for available seed packets and information about the variety, level of growing difficulty and level of seed saving difficulty. Please note that supplies of seeds are limited and are available on a first come-first serve basis. 

Borrowing Seeds

The 2024 growing season will open on March 1, 2024, and is open to any Portage County resident, regardless of age. No library card is required to access the collection. There is, however, a short form to fill out each time a
patron removes or “checks out” seeds from the collection. Seed Library users may check out up to twenty (20) seed packets per household per yearly growing season, and ask that no more than five (5) packets per person be checked out at a time.

Returning Seeds

Experienced savers are encouraged to return seed to the collection, preferably twice the amount of seed they originally borrowed to sustain the collection long-term. Information on seed saving can be found both within the Little Seed Library Growing Guide and from PCDL library resources. Collected seeds should not be returned to the library unless the grower knows how to properly save them.

Want to Volunteer?

Interested in volunteering for the Seed Library? For information, please call 330-326-3145 or check the box on the Seed Donation Form.

Mission and Our Vision

The Little Seed Library at Portage County District Library’s Windham Branch will offer free fruit, vegetable, herb and flower seeds, as well as provide educational resources for home gardening, seed saving, and food preservation.

Home Gardening

Contribute to and support the efforts of community gardeners as well as support the other food and gardeningbased organizations operating within the Renaissance Family Center of Windham.

Seed Saving

Develop a source of open-pollinated, heirloom, and hand-pollinated seed varieties that are best suited to grow well in our region and climate.

Food Preservation

Prevent hunger, promote health and wellbeing, and offer tools for greater self-reliance and resilience.