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The seeds have been sown for a seed library at the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library in Brundidge.

Members of the Pike County Master Gardeners were at the Brundidge library this week to present a donation in the amount of $300 as seed money for Tupper’s seed library.

Theresa Trawick, library director, graciously accepted the generous donation and asked for the Master Gardeners’ advice and support as Tupper plows new ground with its seed library.

“This is a long-range project that we have wanted to initiate,” Trawick said. “Seed libraries have been popular and beneficial in other communities. When the Pike County Master Gardeners approached our library to see if Tupper would be willing to partner with them for a seed library, we didn’t hesitate to say yes.”

Trawick said the Pike County Master Gardeners will be a guiding resource as Tupper moves forward with its seed library.

Nell Haigh, president of the county’s Master Gardeners, explained that seeds for a library must be older than 1950 and are open-pollinated, meaning that they have been pollinated by natural means, including insects, birds or wind.

Heirloom seeds, the Master Gardeners said, like family heirlooms, have been saved after the harvest and passed along to other gardeners. The heirloom seeds can be the carrying forward of herbs, vegetables, grains and flowers. The master gardeners said a seed library often renews interests in family and community as seeds and stories are shared in the building of a seed library.

Tomatoes seeds are the most popular entries to local seed libraries with corn a close second.

The fact that the Trawicks’ family’s Indian Corn came to America from Europe lends importance to the historical aspect of the local seed library.

Dixie 18 corn, Thomas Jefferson beans, John King beans, Hog Brain field peas and Mr. Grover Poole’s orange meat watermelon seeds are reason for gardeners to scramble to “check out” local seed libraries, the Pike County Master Gardeners said. 

The staff at the Tupper Lightfoot Memorial Library is excited about and committed to Tupper’s seed library.

Karis Nicholson will be helping get seeds for Tupper’s garden and Amber Brantley will order seeds for the garden.

Those who have heirloom seeds are encouraged to visit the library and share the seeds and their history and help enrich Tupper’s seed library.