Waterville Seed Library opens just in time for spring

The Waterville Public Library announced the launch of the Waterville Seed Library on Monday, April 12.

“The Waterville Seed Library provides community members the resources to grow their own healthy, sustainable food at no cost,” the Waterville Public Library wrote in the announcement on their website. “The Seed Library helps to reclaim seeds as a public resource and fosters a culture where local growing knowledge is easily shared.”

The Seed Library features 12 different seed varieties, including tomatoes, pumpkins, green beans, summer lettuce mix, and more. While supplies last, those interested can place orders through the Waterville Seed Library website or by calling the Library at 207-872-5433. 

The idea to start the Seed Library wasn’t a new one. According to Ketty Stinson `21, who has worked with the Office of Civic Engagement and the Waterville Public Library on the Seed Library since fall 2019, there had already been a seed library in Waterville before. Unfortunately, the woman who ran it moved out of town, and the program became defunct.

“[The Waterville Public Library] wanted to revive the program,” Stinson said. “They reached out to [Caroline Wren `20], who then reached out to me and asked if I wanted to get involved. Together we built everything in order to make it happen.”

The Seed Library was originally supposed to open in March of 2020. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic brought the program to a grinding halt, leaving Stinson to build the library up from scratch. 

“We had all these seeds donated, and then we had to get rid of them,” Stinson said. “They weren’t good anymore, and Caroline graduated, and I had to start all over.” 

Fortunately, Stinson has had a crew of fellow Colby students to help her: Gabby Kim `21, Izzy Ward `21, Sophie Lee `22, and Torsten Brinkema `22. With their assistance, she was able to acquire all the seeds the library required — although not without some bumps along the way. 

“It was actually really challenging to get [the seeds],” Stinson said. “With [COVID-19], people are really excited about gardening and other outdoor activities, which is great for us because that means people will use the library. But when I was trying to order seeds, it was so hard to get them. I ordered from FedCo, a local seed company, and they would open ordering every day at noon. I’d be setting alarms at 11:58 every day trying to get my order in and it took me almost a week to get it.”

Stinson hopes that her labor makes gardening and getting outdoors just a little easier for anyone who is interested. 

“We want people to have access to growing resources and knowledge without having to pay extra to do that,” Stinson said. “Waterville, we don’t think of it as a city, but there’s a lot of people that do live in apartments or places that don’t have a lot of land, so I wanted to aim the library towards pots and small scale stuff.”

Aside from seeds, the launch of the Seed Library also includes various programs including a weekly Local Voices Storytelling Series on Wednesdays on the Library’s Facebook, a three-part live virtual lecture series with Will Bonsall, director of the Scatterseed Project, and a pollination-themed “Crafternoon” on April 27. To learn more about these events or to get your hands on some seeds, visit the Waterville Seed Library website at https://sites.google.com/view/watervilleseedlibrary/ or email them at watervilleseedlibrary@gmail.com. 

~ Sarah Warner `21