Darien Seed Library
Whether you're a long-term gardener or new to the craft, we offer you the opportunity to try out new seeds. The Seed Library is just to the right of the Welcome Desk near the Post Road entrance to the Library.
Share your garden with us on social media! Just tag us at @darienlibrary on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
How to Borrow
Choose one of our Mini Seed envelopes and use a different envelope for each variety of seed you wish to borrow.
Label your envelope with what you’re borrowing.
Put seeds in your labeled envelope. Take 2-3 seeds for every plant you intend to grow this season. For example, if you want 5 tomato plants, take 10-15 seeds.
Please let us know what you’re borrowing in the guest book.
Thank you and happy gardening!
How to Donate
You may donate seeds you grew or ones you purchased. Before donating, please review the Seed Protocol and Guidelines for Returning Seeds.
If donating hybrid seeds, please label them clearly as being a hybrid.
Enter the returned or donated seeds into the envelope and then add them to the guest book.
Put seeds in the appropriate drawer. Seeds are organized by type and alphabetical.
Seed Library Index
Annuals
- Black-eyed Susan Vine
- Cosmos – Double Click Bi-color Pink
- Cosmos – Seashells Mix
- Edible Sunflowers
- Flax – Scarlett
- Giant Coral Zinnia
- Giant Sunflowers – Heirloom Titan
- Lupine – Pixie Delight
- Lemon Queen
- Marigold – Queen Sophia
- Sunspot
- Tip Top Nasturtium
- Torch
- Zinnia – Paintbrush Mixed Colors
Biennials
- Hollyhock – Charter’s Double
- Hollyhock – Happy Lights
- Hollyhock – Indian Spring
- Sweet William – Lace Mantle
Perennials
- Black Berry Lily
- Butterfly Weed / Milkweed – Asclepias tuberosa
- Catnip
- Coreopsis – Double Sunburst
- Delphinium – Pacific Giant Mix
- Dianthus – Ipswich Pnks
- Echinacea – Purple Coneflower
- Lupine – Russell Blend
- Shasta Daisy - Alaska
- Verbena – Brazilian Vervain
- Anise
- Basil (Genovese)
- Basil (Sweet)
- Chamomile - Bodegold
- Cilantro/Coriander
- Dill (Bouquet)
- Fennel (Florence)
- Lamb’s Ears
- Lavender Lady – Lavendula angustifolia
- Lemon Balm
- Marjoram - Sweet
- Oregano – Ferry Morse
- Oregano – Origanum vulgar hirtum
- Parsley – Big Italy
- Parsley – Green Pearl
- Parsley – Triple Curled
- Pepper Cress (Lepidium sativum)
- Rosemary
- Sage (Common)
- Thyme (Common)
- Thyme (Summer)
Artichoke
- Green Globe
Beans
- Bush Filet – French Filet
- French Long Podded Shelling Beans
- Garden Bean- Heavy Harvest
- Garden Bean – Kitchen King
- Garden Bean – Tendergreen
- Windsor Fava Bean
Beets
- Chioggia
- Dutch Baby Ball
- Detroit Dark Red
- Early Wonder
- Gourmet Blend
- Jewel-toned, Red Gold, & Candystripe
- Red Baron
Bok Choy
- Tatsoi – Rosette
- Waltham 29 Broccoli
- White Stem
Broccoli
- Di Cicco
- Long Harvest All Season Blend
Broccoli Raab
- Rapini
Brussel Sprouts
- Hestia
- Long Island Improved
Cabbage
- Aubervilliers
- Chinese Michihili
- Copenhagen Market
- Mammoth Red Rock
- Pak Choi
- Red Acre
Carrots
- Carnival Blend
- French Baby
- Little Finger
- Long Sweet Carrots – King Midas
- Purple Sun
Cauliflower
- Amazing Taste
- Early Snowball
Celery
- Tall Utah
Chard
- Garden Rainbow
- Italian Silver Rib
Chives
- Garlic
Corn
- Bodacious (Sweet)
- Buttergold (Sweet)
- Casino (Sweet)
- Delectable (Sweet)
- Earth Tones
- Strawberry
Cucumber
- Burpless Beauty
- Bush Champion
- English Chelsea Prize
- English Telegraph
- Marketmore
- Persian Baby
- Persian Baby – Green Fingers
- Spacemaster
- Sweet Armenia – Heirloom
- True lemon
Eggplant
- Black Beauty
- Italian Trio
- Listada de Gandia
Ebdive
- Green Curled
Escarole
- Broadleaf Batavian
Kale
- Dwarf Blue Curled
- Italian Lacinato
- Portuguese
- Scarlet
Leek
- American Flag
- King Richard
Lettuce
- Australian Yellowleaf
- Black Seeded Simpson
- Buttercrunch
- Chef’s Medley
- Gala Mache
- Heirloom Arugula – Rustic Style
- Iceberg
- Mesclun
- Mesclun – Asian Baby Leaf
- Oak Leaf Blend
- Romaine – Little Gem
- Romaine - Freckles
- Rouge d’Hiver
Melon
- Cantaloup – Hearts of Gold
- Early Silver Line
- Hale’s Best Jumbo
- Honeydew Green Flesh
- Tuscan Melon -Napoli
Mustard
- Myers Family Heirloom
Okra
- Clemson Spineless 80
- Jumbalaya
- Red Burgundy
Onion
- Heirloom Torpedo Onions
- Yellow Granex
Parsnip
- All American
- Hollow Crown
Peas
- Dwarf Gray Sugar
- Shelling Peas -Sabre
- Snow Pea – Purple Podded
- Super Sugar Snap
Peppers
- Ancho Gigantea
- Georgia Flame
- Heirloom Italian Sweet Peppers Sunset Mix
- Jalapeño, Traveler Strain
- Red Habanero
- Sweet Chocolate Pepper
- Sweet Pepper – Emerald Giant
Pumpkin
- Cinderella’s Carriage
- Early Sugar or Pie
- New England Pie Pumpkin
Radicchio
- Early Treviso
- Palla Rossa Mavrik
Radish
- Cherry Belle
- Crimson Giant
- Easter Egg II
- French Breakfast
- Garden Party- Five Color
- Pink Punch
- Sparkler
- Watermelon
Rutabaga
- American Purple Top
Squash
- Acorn – Table King
- Butternut, Waltham
- Cocozelle – Summer
- Crookneck – Early Summer
- Patisson Panache
- Straightneck, Early Prolific – Summer
- Winter
- Zucchini, Black Beauty – Summer
Spinach
- Bloomsdale
- Bloomsdale – Longstanding
- Catalina Baby Leaf
- Malabar Climbing Red Stem
- Monstreux de Viroflay
- New Zealand
Swiss Chard
- Five Color Silverbeet
- Fordhook Giant
- Ruby Red
Tomato
- Beefsteak – Big Beef
- Black Cherry
- Red Brandywine
- Cherry - Black
- Cherry – Camp Joy
- Cherry- Litt’l Bites
- Cherry- Orange Sungold
- Cherry – Tri- Color Garden Candy
- Chianti Rose
- Italian roma - Bush
- Jubilee
- Lemon Drop
- Marglobe
- Marvel Stripe
- Moneymaker - Pole
- San Marzano- Pole
- Speckled Roman
- Stupice
- Summer Feast
- Supersweet 100
- Wapsipinicon Peach
Tomatillo
- Purple De Milpa
Turnip
- Purple Top White Globe
Watermelon
- Charleston Gray
- Crimson Sweet
- Jubilee
- Mountain Yellow Sweet
- Sugar Baby
Seed Protocol
We want people who take seed to get what was on the label and we want to protect from passing on disease. The following is our basic seed protocol.*
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Save from healthy plants. Even if a disease does not get passed on through the seed, we do not like to have some selection for disease resistance by only saving from healthy strong plants.
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Save from a number of plants so that the seed has some genetic diversity in it. The quantity that is optimum depends on the type of plant. For self-pollinating plants, a minimum of 6 plants is necessary. For cross pollinating, you want to save from a much larger population.
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If the plant cross pollinates, you want to make sure you keep it isolated so it stays “true to type." Check with a seed saving chart or book to get isolation distances.
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When you bring seeds to share, please label with as much information as you can.
* The Seed Protocol is from the West County Seed Exchange
Guidelines for Returning Seeds
Please do not share hybrid seeds. Hybrid, F1 or VF plants will not produce plants like the parent plant. They may produce something somewhat or very different, or they may produce nothing at all.
Do not return seeds from the brassica (e.g. Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale, Brussel Sprouts & Cabbage) or cucurbit (e.g. cucumbers, squash, melons) families unless you have taken appropriate steps to prevent cross-pollination.
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Dry: Make sure seeds have dried completely
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Clean: Have seeds reasonably cleaned by removing as much of the chaff as possible.
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Properly saved: Only return seeds that you know how to save properly. Super easy seeds like tomatoes, beans, peas and lettuce can be fairly reliably saved without cross-pollination and unintentional hybridization.
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Label: Write as much information on your returning seed packet as possible. Next year’s borrower only has what you have written on the envelope to help decide whether to plant or not. The more information the better!!
* The Guidelines for Returning Seeds are from the Richmond Grows Seed Lending Library