Questions to consider 🤔
Seed libraries come in all sizes and are designed to meet the needs of your community. These ideas listed here are suggestions on how to keep the seed library going smoothly to make it easy to run work parties or if there is a change in staffing or loss of key volunteers. Here is a SAMPLE Work Party Checklist. Feel free to make a copy and adapt it to meet your needs or create a document that best suites your situation. Below are some general ideas.
Monthly Tasks
These are some things that you may want to do monthly:
- What tasks do you do monthly? Seasonally? Annually?
- What documents do you have or can you make that will make it easier for others to do tasks or if needed, to transfer duties?
- What will you do with older seeds?
- Can you set up repeating calendar reminders so that tasks regularly get done?
Seed libraries come in all sizes and are designed to meet the needs of your community. These ideas listed here are suggestions on how to keep the seed library going smoothly to make it easy to run work parties or if there is a change in staffing or loss of key volunteers. Here is a SAMPLE Work Party Checklist. Feel free to make a copy and adapt it to meet your needs or create a document that best suites your situation. Below are some general ideas.
Monthly Tasks
These are some things that you may want to do monthly:
- Restock seed saving brochures.
- Post a list of seeds that can be planted this month. You can also do an annual chart. Here is one that includes planting times, when to plant for seed saving purposes, seed saving information, and where it is located in the seed library. (NOTE: This is planting instructions for cool coastal California.)
- If you use jars, remove or refill empty jars.
- If you do paper memberships, update spreadsheet.
- Contact new members who said they were interested in volunteering.
- Social media: Pick a Seed of the Month to feature or highlight seeds that people can plant this month. Include seed saving information, if possible.
Napa County Seed Library in Napa County, California, USA has a monthly, bilingual post that says what can be planted. This post had several images including herbs, cover crops, and natives.
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Seasonal Tasks
These tasks can be done less frequently and you.r climate or location may have special considerations or tasks.
These tasks can be done less frequently and you.r climate or location may have special considerations or tasks.
- Clean the seed library. This might include taking seed packets out and dumping loose seeds in cabinets out. Refilling stock.
- If you are in an outdoor location, there may be additional tasks for closing down the library for certain time periods due to excessive heat or moisture or because it's too cold to plant seeds.
- Plan programs around gardening and seed saving. Here is the Seed Saving in Community class that you can use.
- Reach out to local seed savers, such as garden clubs and seed saving clubs, to remind them to save extra seeds and share with the library
- Change signage to include mini-posters on how to save things that can be saved at this time. Visit our Seed Returns page for our “How to Save” series, ex. peas, beans, tomatoes.
- Host a tasting. Check out our Tomato Festival resources or maybe try a squash or bean party.
- Host a One Seed, One Community program
- Organize a Grow a Row Program
Annual Tasks
- Write a request for seed donations to seed companies. Create a letter that explains your project, who will benefit, and how you will acknowledge the donation. If you are a non-profit or nongovernmental organization, include that information as well. This is best done at the end of the year when seed companies are required to discard any seeds that are stamped and dated for that year.
- Do a thorough cleaning of the seed library.
- Evaluate if seeds are old. Here is a Seed Chart.
- Do germination testing of old seeds or if you don't have the capacity, discard or mark "Low germination". Here is an overview of how to do a germination test from Southern Exposure Seed Exposure. and here is a video from Native Seed/SEARCH.
- Evaluate programs.
- Create a budget.
Volunteers
Your seed library might be run by volunteers or rely on volunteers to maintain it. When you create your membership form (see the Google Form and paper versions), you may want to have questions related to volunteering. In general, it is easiest to have some core volunteers and then have some specific events, such as seed cleaning parties, where there are more drop-in volunteers. Having a checklist with how to do repeating tasks as well as repeating calendar reminders wit core folks linked is helpful
Most people continue to volunteer when they feel they are contributing to others, are valued, and are connected. We'd love to hear how you engage and enliven your volunteers. Email us at [email protected] and we'll add your ideas to this page.
Your seed library might be run by volunteers or rely on volunteers to maintain it. When you create your membership form (see the Google Form and paper versions), you may want to have questions related to volunteering. In general, it is easiest to have some core volunteers and then have some specific events, such as seed cleaning parties, where there are more drop-in volunteers. Having a checklist with how to do repeating tasks as well as repeating calendar reminders wit core folks linked is helpful
Most people continue to volunteer when they feel they are contributing to others, are valued, and are connected. We'd love to hear how you engage and enliven your volunteers. Email us at [email protected] and we'll add your ideas to this page.
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