NCC Seed Library: Come See What You Can Grow
Out with the old and in with the new, the campus library at Nash Community College is following a “growing” trend of seed lending by re-purposing its card catalogs to house over 100 varieties of commercial, organic and heirloom seeds. The seed categories being offered include vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers and ornamentals. College students, staff, faculty and community members may browse the growing seed collection, supplied by residential and business donations. The seed library at Nash Community College offers garden favorites like cabbage, broccoli and carrots but also offers some special varieties such as famous Hatch New Mexico “Big Jim” chilies, white stemmed pac choy, lemon cucumbers, flint corn for making cornmeal, Cherokee Purple tomatoes and Long Island Cheese pumpkins. For those interested in ornamentals to spruce up spring landscaping, an array of flowers and specialties such as palm trees and rare black bamboo can also be found in the card catalog drawers.
“A person has control of his or her food source when grown at home. A lot of the information our grandparents knew about farming, horticulture and self-preservation has been lost. We hope the seed library at Nash Community College will allow those interested to harvest a horticultural education through the use of our many campus and local resources and cultivate a knack for gardening and its benefits, ” stated Amanda Young, Learning Resources and Communication Specialist at the College.
Those interested may visit the NCC library and browse through the seed inventory book or the card catalog drawers and simply take the seeds they want after completing a check-out sheet. Then save some seed from what is produced and return it to the NCC seed library. Three seed packets per visit may be checked out. There is no fee for seed check-out.
The NCC library puts forth many resources to help with becoming a “green thumb.” Several gardening books on a variety of topics are on display in the library. Nash Community College also has a LibGuide page accessible via www.nashcc.edu/library, providing more information about the seed library. The webpage features planting instructions, seed saving tips and instructions for gardening in a variety of conditions.
For more information about the Nash Community College Seed Library or to provide a seed donation, please call 252-451-8248 or email ayoung@nashcc.edu.
