The Agriculture Resource Library · Find places

Seed libraries, state by state.

Free seed you borrow like a library book. 1,016 seed libraries, each one checked against the library's own page, with the season, the limits, whether you need a card, and what they ask you to bring back. Tennessee first; every state below.

Seed libraries listed
1,016
Checked
September 2026
Cost
Free, no account

A seed library lends seed the way a library lends books. Take a few packets, usually free, grow them, and if some plants do well, save seed and bring a share back so the next gardener can borrow it. Bringing seed back is encouraged, never required. Most seed libraries are in public libraries, and most need no library card.

How to borrow seed.

  1. Find one near you below, and check its season: many run from late winter into summer.
  2. Take what you will plant. A few packets per visit is the usual limit.
  3. Grow it, and sow a little extra; donated seed is not lab-tested.
  4. Save seed from the easy crops (beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes) and bring some back, labeled with the variety, the year and your town.

Tennessee seed libraries.

Tennessee has more verified seed libraries than all but a handful of states, from Memphis to Mountain City. For the county filter, the map and every library's own page, open the full Tennessee list.

Nashville · 20 locationsNashville Public Library Seed Exchange MaryvilleBlount County Public Library Seed Library ClevelandCleveland Bradley County Public Library Seed Library (Growing Things Seed Exchange) PulaskiGiles County Public Library Seed Library ClarksvilleGovs Seed Library MurfreesboroJEWL Seed Library (James E. Walker Library) Mountain CityJohnson County Public Library Seed Library KingsportKingsport Farmers Market Satellite Seed Library KingsportKingsport Public Library Seed Library MemphisMemphis Public Libraries Seed Library NorrisNorris Seed Library Oak RidgeOak Ridge Public Library Seed Library KnoxvillePellissippi State Libraries Seed Library PortlandPortland Public Library Seed Library SewaneeSewanee Seed Library (duPont Library) ChattanoogaThe Chattanooga Seed Exchange at the Downtown Public Library ErwinUCPL Seed Library (Unicoi County Public Library) KnoxvilleUniversity of Tennessee Libraries Seed Library KnoxvilleUT Libraries Seed Library (Hodges and Pendergrass) KnoxvilleUT Libraries Seed Library - Hodges Library White HouseWhite House Public Library Seed Library

By state.

4 listedAlabama 1 listedAlaska 32 listedArizona 3 listedArkansas 108 listedCalifornia 13 listedColorado 23 listedConnecticut 6 listedDelaware 26 listedFlorida 12 listedGeorgia 1 listedHawaii 8 listedIdaho 100 listedIllinois 48 listedIndiana 16 listedIowa 4 listedKansas 20 listedKentucky 10 listedLouisiana 14 listedMaine 9 listedMaryland 48 listedMassachusetts 61 listedMichigan 21 listedMinnesota 1 listedMississippi 9 listedMissouri 2 listedMontana 3 listedNebraska 19 listedNew Hampshire 22 listedNew Jersey 6 listedNew Mexico 52 listedNew York 22 listedNorth Carolina 2 listedNorth Dakota 23 listedOhio 1 listedOklahoma 29 listedOregon 27 listedPennsylvania 6 listedRhode Island 15 listedSouth Carolina 3 listedSouth Dakota 40 listedTennessee 38 listedTexas 14 listedUtah 13 listedVermont 29 listedVirginia 17 listedWashington 9 listedWest Virginia 22 listedWisconsin 3 listedWyoming 1 listedDistrict of Columbia

What 1,016 seed libraries told us.

We read every listing's own page. Here is what they say, as of September 2026.

Read the full report

Guides.

Borrowing, bringing seed back, and why librariesHow seed libraries work Easy crops first, isolation, cleaning, labelsSaving seed to bring back Cool and dry, by the numbers; testing old seedStoring seed For librarians and organizersStarting a seed library Every state, including TennesseeSeed libraries and the law From 1975 to the pandemic surgeA short history of seed sharing What 1,016 verified libraries tell usState of US seed libraries, 2026

Frequently asked questions.

Is there a seed library near me?

Very likely, if you live in or near a town with a public library. Pick your state above for a searchable list and map of verified seed libraries, each with its season, limits and card policy. Only about half of Americans live in a county that has one, so the nearest may be a drive.

How does a seed library work?

You take a few packets of seed, usually free, grow them, and if you can, save seed from your best plants and bring some back for the next borrower. How seed libraries work covers the details.

Do I have to return seeds to a seed library?

No. Returning seed is invited, not required: of 534 seed libraries we checked that state a policy, only 4 require it. The model state seed law says a seed library may not expect seed to be returned.

Do I need a library card to borrow seeds?

Usually not. Of 337 seed libraries that say either way, 203 need no library card. Each listing says which, where the library states it.

Are seed libraries legal?

Yes. They operate openly in nearly every state. A few states exempt seed sharing by law and others follow model rules, while some, including Tennessee, have seed laws that never mention sharing. Seed libraries and the law covers every state.

How do I start a seed library?

Find gardening partners, gather open-pollinated seed, set up a cabinet, label every packet and post a simple sign. Starting a seed library walks through it.

Where this list comes from.

This directory began with the Seed Library Network's census, the map most seed libraries register on, founded by Richmond Grows co-founder Rebecca Newburn. We added state and regional lists, then searched thousands of library websites for seed libraries that are on no list at all, and checked every listing against its own page. We list only what we could verify; seed libraries in private homes and all personal contact details are left out. Know one we missed, or run one? Register it on the Seed Library Network's map, and tell us here.

Register on the Seed Library Network map Add or correct a listing