In this episode, we talk with Ciara O'Brien, Founder of the Prince Georges County Seed Library, all about seed libraries. The plant profile is on Cotton and we share what's going on in the garden as well as some upcoming local gardening events and this week's garden tasks in the What's New segment. We close out with the Last Word on Freezing Butternut Squash from Christy Page of Green Prints.
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If you liked this episode, you may also enjoy listening to:
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 88: Seed Swaps and Exchanges
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2022/01/gardendc-podcast-episode-88-seed-swaps.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 152: Heritage Seeds
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2023/06/gardendc-podcast-episode-152-heritage.html
~ GardenDC Podcast Episode 45: Seed Starting Tips
https://washingtongardener.blogspot.com/2021/02/gardendc-podcast-episode-45-seed.html
This episode is archived at: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/gardendc/episodes/Seed-Libraries-e2njo2t
SHOW NOTES: 00:39 - Kathy previews the episode 01:17 - Welcome Ciara O’Brien, founder of the Prince George’s County Seed Library 01:38 - Ciara discusses her childhood/family experience with gardening 02:56 - Ciara shares what type of gardening she personally engages in 04:00 - Kathy and Ciara talk about Prince George’s County, MD 04:49 - Ciara discusses her time with the Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps 06:07 - Ciara talks about the Pollinators and Produce program 06:59 - Ciara talks about her love of writing 08:11 - What is a seed library? 09:40 - Kathy and Ciara discuss seed returning/saving 10:25 - How did Ciara source the initial seed offering for the library? 12:12 - How did Ciara partner with the Prince George’s County Library? 14:10 - Who maintains the seed library on a day-to-day basis? 15:16 - Do you need to check in with a library worker to check out seeds? 15:44 - Where exactly is the seed library located? 15:58 - How are the seeds categorized in the seed library? 16:48 - Is there a limit to how many seeds you can take at a time? 17:42 - How are larger seed packets divided up into reasonable portions? 19:38 - Are seeds checked for quality/germination before being entered into the library? 20:31 - What kind of growing guidance is given with the seeds? 21:33 - What information is listed on the seed envelopes? 22:20 - Have you heard anything back from people who have used seeds from the library? 24:26 - Ciara talks about the seed library network 26:39 - Are there certain areas that have particularly high/low numbers of seed libraries? 29:54 - Ciara talks about the legal concerns around seed libraries 34:03 - Ciara discusses the scope of the current global seed market 35:32 - How can seed libraries make sure to access communities/populations that don’t normally have as much access to seeds? 37:04 - Are there specific kinds of seeds that people are requesting or are particularly interested in? 39:43 - Does the seed library include house plants? 42:00 - Kathy talks about how individuals can start their own seed libraries 43:51 - What advice would you give to someone looking to start their own seed library? 45:45 - Kathy and Ciara talk about how low-cost starting a seed library can be 47:00 - Ciara’s final advice for anyone interested in seed libraries in any capacity 47:58 - Where to contact Ciara? https://www.writtenbyciara.com/ 49:50 - Cotton Plant Profile 51:39 - What’s new in the garden this week? Roses starting to rebloom and peppers starting to mature 52:04 - Garden tips of the week: Seed starting for fall crops 52:22 - Upcoming local gardening events: DC State Fair, Urban Tree Summit, Garlic Planting Party, and more!Ciara’s book recommendations*: - Seed Libraries: and other means of keeping seeds in the hands of the people by Cindy Conner - The Seed Underground: A Growing Revolution to Save Food by Janisse Ray *Amazon affiliate links
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Host and Producer: Kathy Jentz
