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Seed Library of Los Angeles, sharing free plants and protecting personal food supplies

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The Seed Library of Los Angeles has opened with some lofty goals: Members not only provide free seeds to fellow gardeners but also want to become a preserve of local agricultural diversity. Across the country, like-minded people are doing similar work. Seed library members borrow seeds, grow plants and allow a plant or two to go to seed at the end of the season. In L.A., those seeds are returned to the library, which will grow 10 of each batch to confirm purity before distributing the rest.

‘People are drawn to seed libraries because they feel a certain powerlessness over their food supply,’ said David King, who is garden master at the Learning Garden at Venice High School and founder of the seed library. Members also seem drawn to playing a role in the cycle of life that’s at once romantic and DIY-inspired. ‘What could be more poetic and life-sustaining than a seed library?’ asked founding member Sarah Spitz, a founding member of SLOLA, which members pronounce SLOW-lah. (Above right, that’s Albert Chang and Lucinda Zimmerman looking at seeds available for members to check out from the L.A. library.)

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You can read Times staff writer Mary MacVean’s full article on the seed library movement.

For more photos from the new Los Angeles seed library, keep reading ...

Seed library member Linda Preuss pours out bean seeds to be weighed.

Dried flowers and seeds at the library, which is located at the Learning Garden by Venice High School.

The Learning Garden was the subject of an early post on community gardens.


Megan Bomba talks about gardening practices and the seed-saving process at a recent meeting of the Seed Library of Los Angeles.

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Seeds, ready for ‘borrowing.’


The collection, ready to check out.

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