The library
A seed library run by members in Brackwater. Seed is lent, grown in local gardens and allotments, and returned.
Rules
- Membership is free. One card per household.
- Five packets per member per season.
- Open-pollinated varieties only. No F1 hybrids, no treated seed.
- Return seed, or the unused packet, by 30 November.
- Hard varieties are grown as pooled lots — ask first.
Figures, 2026
- Varieties
- 53
- Members
- 612
- Packets lent
- 1,148
- Lots returned
- 403
Years
- 2018
- First shelf in the Weighhouse. 22 varieties, 40 members.
- 2020
- Germination testing on every returned lot.
- 2022
- Post lending for members who cannot collect.
- 2024
- Pooled lots for hard varieties: sweetcorn, carrot, onion.
- 2026
- 53 varieties, 612 members.
Visit
The Old Weighhouse, 4 Tallow Lane, Brackwater. Ground floor, step-free.
- Wednesday
- 16:00–19:00
- Saturday
- 10:00–13:00
- First Sunday
- 11:00–14:00 (return day)
Seed we accept
Seed you saved from a packet borrowed here, or from an open-pollinated variety grown in Brackwater for at least two seasons. Bring it with a label; we test before listing.