PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum hosted a ribbon cutting for the seasonal opening of its seed library on Saturday.

 

The athenaeum has had a seed library since 2018 and last year had 217 program members.

 

"It always gets really great membership," Adult Services and Programming Supervisor Olivia Bowers said, "but we really want to advertise that it's available. It's a resource for free seeds to grow healthy vegetables, grow flower gardens and really enjoy nature in the Berkshires."

 

The seed library is funded by the volunteer organization Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum, which raises funds for the library programming and needs.

 

People who want to get seeds must have a library card to sign up. 

 

Members are able to sign out up to 10 seed packets for the season but are also encouraged to exchange seeds from what they grow or get.

 

"The idea is that, yes, it actually is a library, you can take things but we also encourage you to bring seeds back to us and we can use those again for next year," Bowers said.

 

The seed packets have all the information on when you should plant it and how.

 

The seed library starts at the end of March and lasts until September or until it runs out of seeds.

 

Bowers says the library wants to help support members of the community through this program.

 

"Pittsfield is an area with a robust community support and we think that's really wonderful, but we really want to encourage that community support beyond the library's walls and feel the impact of the library in their homes as well not just with books and DVDs and other things you would expect to check out from the library, but in their gardens," Bowers said.

 

She also explained that this helps people who may want to grow their own food and have sustainable practices.

 

"We really want to support the need for food around here as well, the need for sustainability," Bowers said. "So, this also opens the door for people to plant and grow their own food and also grow gardens to look at, you know, flowers and that kind of thing. 

 

"And so that really encourages people to integrate themselves into self-sustainability, and we think that's really important here at the library as well. And it's completely free which is great as well, that can be a barrier for a lot of people for growing gardens."

 

Bowers said the library tries to remind people that you can plant seeds no matter where you live.

 

"We try to remind people that you don't always need land to grow gardens. I actually rent myself and I get seeds every year and I have just a little window box, but I grow all my own herbs, I never buy herbs," she said. "It's a really nice program and I don't have to pay to buy dry herbs, I can just pick it straight from my garden."

 

Bowers suggests people who want seeds to come early as they tend to run out and if they do, there won't be any more until next season.

 

The library takes seed donations as well.

 

The library also encourages patrons to send in photos of the produce and flowers grown from the seed program. You can send photos to info@pittsfieldlibrary.org.