Seed Library and Gardening Resources

Cal State LA and local community members are welcome to take seeds from the collection. We hope that access to this collection will help foster plant biodiversity, food and climate justice, and food and seed sovereignty.

Purpose: The mission of the Cal State LA Seed Library is to provide free and easy access to vegetable, herb, and flower seeds to the Cal State LA Community and to support Cal State LA courses, research, and projects related to food justice, seed saving, community and urban gardening, and native and Indigenous plants. Seeds that are culturally relevant and adapted to the growing conditions of Los Angeles County and urban environments will be prioritized whenever possible.

Creators: Tiffanie Ford-Baxter, Kendall Faulkner, and Adele Dobry

Thank you to Carolyn Caffrey, who guided us in the proposal and development of our seed library. Her research guide for CSU Dominguez Hill Seed Library informed this research guide. 

1. Pick Your Seeds: Seeds are shelved in the cabinet alphabetically by plant name. We ask borrowers to try and take no more than six packets per season to allow other folks to borrow seeds.Our inventory will change throughout the year based and is dependent on donations from our Seed Companies and Seed Library Users.
2. On the "Seed Library Log," add your name and Cal State LA email address. Write down which seeds you'll be taking home to grow. We'll use this log to track which seeds are most popular and re-stock!
3. Grow your seeds. Feel free to share what you grow by tagging the Cal State LA Library.

We encourage you to consider collecting and donating seeds from your garden when your plants "go to seed." Seed donations help us keep the seed library filled. Please note we can not accept donations of patented seed varieties. If you would like to donate seeds to our seed library, please contact Tiffanie Ford-Baxter at tfordba@calstatela.edu.

If you're new to seed saving, check out one of our seed-saving books or visit these resources to learn more about how to start seed saving!

• Seed Saving by the Center for Agriculture, Food, and Environment at the University of Massachusetts Amherst
• Seed Saving by the Seed Savers Exchange
• Saving Vegetable seeds by University of Minnesota

1. Complete the Cal State LA Seed Library Donation Form online or in-person at the Service Desk on the first floor of Library North.
2. Drop off the seeds at the Service Desk.