ROCHELLE — The Flagg-Rochelle Public Library and the Ogle County Master Gardeners will host a Seed Swap Day at the library on Saturday, Jan. 25 from 2-4 p.m. The event will serve as the 2025 kickoff for the seed library at the location, which is free and available to the public each day in its second year since its inception.
At the Jan. 25 event, attendees can bring seeds to swap with local gardeners or browse the library’s seed catalog to get growing for spring. The event will include gardening activities, giveaways and more, including an introduction to the seed library, a winter sowing activity, seed treatments for native plants, information on garden tool maintenance, and creation of a recycled bottle herb garden and decorating metal garden stakes.
“It doesn't matter if you're a rookie gardener and you've planted anything or if you're an experienced master gardener,” Library Outreach Clerk Ashley Capes said. “We'll have different activities and lots of planting activities and things for kids to do. The whole family is welcome to come to Seed Swap Day.”
Capes said the seed library has elicited a good response in its first year, with people coming in to check out seeds and some coming in to drop off seeds or cuttings from their gardens. The seed library has also included gardening programming for 4-H kids and adults.
The library hopes to see more growth in its seed library and gardening programs in the coming year.
“We look at this as a way to start something that people can come to and learn about gardening and grow something to help feed their families or themselves,” Ogle County Master Gardener Sarah Pohl said. “I think that's a very powerful thing, growing your own food. We try to do programming that runs the gamut of saving seeds, and how to plant in all situations.”
Seeds in the seed library have been donated by local businesses and national companies. Seeds have even made their way from the library to Haiti, due to a family in Rochelle that helps with a nonprofit in that country.
“They took seeds from the seed library to grow things over there,” Capes said. “That's a positive thing. We want to get the word out that this is here at the library. It's free. All of our programming is free. You don't have to have a library card and you don't have to pay for the seeds. You don't have to know a lot about gardening at all. This is for everybody.”
Ogle County Master Gardener Sarah Chisamore said she’d like to make the area more aware of the seed library and programs that come with it. To become an Ogle County Master Gardener, you have to undergo training and complete 60 volunteer hours as an intern over two years. Then, you do 10 hours of continuing education each year along with volunteer hours.
On Jan. 15, the Ogle County Master Gardeners were at the library restocking the seed library ahead of Seed Swap Day.
“I think it's very satisfying for us as Master Gardeners to see people responding to the thing that we love,” Pohl said. “We're all gardeners. We get real nerdy about something like this big pile of seeds here. To see other people getting excited is great. Last year at the Seed Swap Day people were super excited. To see that is really satisfying. And to work together to feel like some community folks are responding is really cool.”
Capes said during 2025, the library and Master Gardeners will host programs such as Rookie Gardening, a three-session basic gardening 101 course where people can plan their garden plots and learn pest and weed management and fertilization. The library also hopes to partner with the University of Illinois Extension office on a 10-week Healthy Homegrown program, which shows people how to grow food and cook with it. Both of those programs would be free and would not require a library card.
The library has enjoyed its partnership with the Ogle County Master Gardeners, Capes said, and the seed library has allowed community members to grow and eat their own food at a fraction of buying it at a store, along with education.
Pohl and Chisamore said they want people to realize they can grow their own food and be more self-sufficient, especially with higher recent grocery prices.
“Fresh is best,” Pohl said. “To get more people to experience that and understand where their food comes from is really important. As the generations and time goes by, we're more removed from where we grow and raise our food and we lose something when we don't know that and know how to do that. Gardening doesn't cost very much to get started if you can come get free seeds. They can find a container and they're just out some potting soil. That's a great way to try it.”
