Whether you're growing your own food, practicing mindfulness in the garden, or learning fun new skills, Madison Public Library wants to support your gardening journey! Each year, we give away thousands of FREE herb, produce and flower seeds through our Seed Library, but we also offer free gardening programs throughout the year to help you expand your knowledge of plants, conservation and horticulture. See below for a list of upcoming programs.
Volunteer Seed Packaging
In 2024, we gave away more than 45,000 seed packets during our spring garden seed distribution! Currently, we're looking for volunteers to help package seeds ahead of this year's giveaway in March. Seed packaging events are planned at most libraries beginning mid-February and continuing through March. Sign up for one or several to help us get ready for one of the biggest events of the year!
Upcoming Gardening Events
Alicia Ashman Library
Goodman South Madison Library
Hawthorne Library
Lakeview Library
Pinney Library
Seed Library
If you're interested in starting your own garden, you can use Madison Public Library's Seed Library to get started. Each Spring, we restock at our participating libraries with FREE herb, flower and produce seeds, then in the fall and winter, we introduce Native Wisconsin Seeds.
Madison Public Library's Seed Library began as a larger project called the Dane County Seed Library, which was started in 2014 with a $5,000 grant provided by the John A. Johnson Fund and an anonymous donor through the Madison Community Foundation. The Seed Library is currently funded by multiple sources, including the Friends of Madison Public Library and Madison Public Library Foundation.