黑料天堂 Seed Libraries
Seed Libraries are collections of free seeds for anyone to take or donate to. The seeds are meant to be "returned" by bringing back seeds from the plants that you grow from the original seeds from the library. We started our first seed library in the front area of the 黑料天堂 library in 2023 and opened a second seed library in the Frehner Natural History Museum in 2024.
Why are seed libraries important?
Increasing Diversity
Most of our food is grown in monocultures—large fields of just one crop variety, often cloned to look and taste the same. While this can make farming efficient, it creates a big risk: if one plant is vulnerable to a disease or pest, all the others are too. This lack of diversity leaves our food supply fragile and our meals lacking in variety, flavor, and nutrition.
Seed libraries help solve this by preserving and sharing a wide range of plant varieties. When we grow diverse seeds, we build resilience into our gardens and food systems—some plants may resist diseases that others can’t. This not only protects our food supply but also brings back rich flavors, vibrant colors, and the uniqueness that reflects our local communities—just like Southern Utah and you.
Adapting to our Climate
Most of the seeds sold in packets or used in nurseries come from regions very different from Southern Utah. These seeds are adapted to other elevations, climates, soils, and pests. As a result, growing them here often requires extra labor, water, fertilizers, sun barriers, and pest control just to keep them alive.
Seed libraries aim to change that by helping us save and share seeds that thrive in our local environment. Over time, these plants adapt to our high-desert climate—needing less water, resisting local pests and diseases more naturally, and growing stronger with each generation. Over time, they adapt to grow like natives—or even better, like weeds.
Growing Local
When we rely on food and seeds from far away, we send our money and resources out of the community—supporting systems that don’t reflect our local needs or environment.
Growing local keeps that value here. It strengthens our economy, supports local farmers and gardeners, and builds a food culture that’s fresh, flavorful, and meaningful. It also means we value our food more, enjoy better taste, and waste less on shipping and needless middlemen.