What is a seed library?

A seed library is a community resource — usually housed in a public library or community center — where gardeners can borrow seeds for free, grow them out, and return a portion of the harvest at the end of the season. They operate like a lending library for plant genetics, keeping heirloom and open-pollinated varieties alive in local communities.

How do I find a seed library near me in Michigan?

The best starting points are your local public library (many have added seed programs in recent years), MSU Extension county offices, and local master gardener associations. Calling ahead is always recommended since seed programs vary widely and availability changes seasonally.

A seed swap is an event where gardeners bring seeds they've saved and trade with others. Michigan hosts seed swaps each year, typically in late winter and early spring before planting season. They're great places to find rare heirloom varieties not available in catalogs. Local garden clubs and library event calendars are the best way to find them.

What seeds should I save for a Zone 6a seed swap?

Tomatoes, beans, squash, and peppers are the most common seed swap currencies because they're easy to save and dry well. In Zone 6a Michigan, short-season varieties are especially valued — things like early tomatoes, dry beans, and winter squash that reliably mature before first frost in early October.

Michigan Seed Libraries & Seed Swaps — How to Find Them

Seed libraries and seed swaps are one of the best-kept secrets in Michigan gardening. Free seeds, rare heirloom varieties, and a community of people who care about keeping old genetics alive. Here's how to find them and what to expect.

Where to Look First

Your Local Public Library

Many Michigan public libraries have added seed lending programs over the past decade. Call your branch and ask — these programs often aren't well-advertised online. Spring is when they're most active.

MSU Extension County Offices

Michigan State University Extension operates in every county and connects growers with local resources. Their Master Gardener program runs or knows about most community seed initiatives in your area.

Local Garden Clubs

Garden clubs frequently organize annual seed swaps, often in January or February before the catalog rush. Check with clubs in your county — they're usually easy to find through the Michigan Garden Clubs organization.

Community Centers & Co-ops

Food co-ops, community gardens, and urban farming organizations often host or know about seed swaps. In mid-Michigan, these tend to cluster around larger cities and college towns.

💡 Best approach: Search "[your city] seed library" or "[your county] seed swap" and check local Facebook gardening groups. Many of the best seed swaps are organized informally and only show up in local community spaces.

How Seed Libraries Work

Visit the program and browse seed packets — usually free to library cardholders

Grow out the plants using open-pollinated varieties so seeds stay true to type

Save seeds at harvest — dry, label, and store in a cool dark place

Return a packet or two in fall to replenish the collection for next year

What to Bring to a Seed Swap

Seed swaps run on reciprocity. The more you bring, the better your access to rare varieties. For Zone 6a Michigan gardeners, the most traded and valued seeds are:

Heirloom tomatoes — especially early-ripening varieties that beat the October frost. Ferment seeds, rinse, and dry on paper plates.
Dry beans — easiest seeds to save. Let pods dry on the plant, shell, and packet. Incredibly popular at swaps.
Winter squash — scoop, rinse, dry fully. Short-season varieties are especially valued in northern Michigan.
Peppers — scrape seeds from ripe peppers, dry for two weeks, packet with variety name and year saved.
Zinnias and marigolds — easy to save, always welcome. Let seed heads dry on the plant before harvesting.

Always label your packets with variety name, year saved, and your location. Locally-adapted seeds from Bay City or Saginaw are more valuable to mid-Michigan gardeners than seeds from a catalog.

Key Resources for Michigan Seed Savers

MSU Extension — Gardening in Michigan: canr.msu.edu — County-by-county resources, Master Gardener contacts, and seasonal guidance.
Michigan Garden Clubs: michigangardenclubs.org — Find local clubs that organize swap events and seed saving workshops.
Seed Savers Exchange: seedsavers.org — National nonprofit dedicated to heirloom seed preservation. Membership gives access to their variety catalog and grower network.
Open Source Seed Initiative: osseeds.org — Focused on keeping seeds freely available and unpatented. Good resource for understanding open-pollinated vs. hybrid distinctions.

Heirloom vs. Open-Pollinated — What to Save

Only open-pollinated or heirloom seeds are worth saving for a seed library or swap. Hybrid seeds (marked F1 on packets) will not produce plants true to the parent — offspring revert unpredictably. Open-pollinated varieties, saved properly with adequate isolation from other varieties, will produce plants identical to the parent year after year.

In Zone 6a, this matters especially for tomatoes and peppers, where growing season length already limits your options. Saving seeds from plants that performed well in your specific microclimate — your soil, your rainfall pattern, your frost dates — builds locally-adapted genetics over time that no catalog can replicate.

Freighter View Farms — Bay City Heirloom Garden

My own heirloom seed garden on Saginaw Bay. Documenting open-pollinated varieties suited to Zone 6a since 2014.

Visit Freighter View Farms ↗

Written by Chris Izworski, Bay City MI. Last updated March 2026. If you know of a specific Michigan seed library or swap worth adding here, reach out via Freighter View Farms.