Storm Lake Public Library Hosts Second Annual Seed Swap and Giveaway Saturday

Storm Lake Public Library will host its second annual Seed Swap and Giveaway beginning at noon Saturday, Feb. 7, providing local families free vegetable and flower seed packets while supplies last. The event is intended to give Buena Vista County residents a head start on spring planting and to connect gardeners with local resources.

Families may take home up to five free packets of seed. Gardeners who wish to trade may bring packaged and labeled seed or seed saved from their gardens; if swapping, please identify the plant type. A swap is not necessary to claim free seeds. The library will also display popular gardening books to provide inspiration and practical guidance for local growers.

Donations for the Storm Lake giveaway come from the nonprofit Nine Square Feet, Kathy Kapitan, and Boyer River Farm, organizers said. Nine Square Feet is a registered 501(c)(3) community organization based in West Des Moines that supports backyard food producers by facilitating the sharing of seeds, transplants and gardening resources and by teaching seed-starting, transplanting and seed-saving techniques to preserve seed biodiversity.

That organization has expanded its work this winter through library partnerships across Iowa. Nine Square Feet said volunteers repackaged bulk purchases of more than 100 plant varieties into more than 10,000 seed packets for library partners and expects to distribute free garden seed to more than 2,000 Iowa gardeners as part of the expanded effort. The group has listed a long roster of participating libraries that includes Storm Lake.

Reporting on the statewide effort shows a discrepancy in the count of participating libraries: Nine Square Feet said it partnered with 55 Iowa libraries for a simultaneous swap on National Seed Swap Day, Jan. 31, while a separate report listed 46 participating libraries. The difference was not explained in the available materials. Nine Square Feet has also announced a plant swap planned for April 26 in Des Moines.

For local residents, the Storm Lake event combines immediate material support with informal education and community networking. Free seed packets and a library display of gardening texts lower the barrier to starting a garden, while the swap element preserves locally adapted seed varieties and peer-to-peer knowledge transfer. Limits on packets are intended to stretch the donated supply among households.

Storm Lake Public Library’s event is a practical reminder that public libraries now serve as hubs for food-systems resilience as well as literacy. Residents planning to attend should arrive when the event begins at noon and expect distribution to continue only while supplies last; contact the library directly for any additional logistical questions.