
This spring, get a little dirty. (Gardening, that is.)
We asked some of the local farmers who helped build NPL's seed collection: What are you growing – and reading – this spring?
Has your green thumb been itching all winter? Good thing spring is here—it’s time to get back to your home, school, or community garden.
First, make sure you get free vegetable and flower seeds at the library, where first-time florists and blue-ribbon growers alike use NPL’s Seed Exchange to get local seeds, borrow books on growing, and swap secrets at library workshops.
The best part: it’s free. All you need is your free Nashville Public Library card.
Stephanie Oaks
Farm
No. 9 Farms (Ashland City, TN)
What do you grow?
“300 varieties of herbs, vegetables, fruits, and edible flowers, in addition to eggs from our chickens.”
What did you give?
Book Recommendation
Laura Bigbee-Fott
Farm
Whites Creek Flower Farm (Whites Creek, TN)
What do you grow?
“I grow almost exclusively flowers: annuals, biennials, and perennials.”
What did you give?
Book Recommendation
Jeff Poppen (a.k.a. The Barefoot Farmer)
Farm
Long Hungry Creek Farm (Red Boiling Springs, TN)
What do you grow?
“Eighty acres of organic vegetables, hay, and 40 head of cattle.”
What did you give?
Book Recommendations
15 Free Seed Spots
- Main Library
- Bellevue
- Bordeaux
- Donelson
- Edgehill
- Edmondson Pike
- Green Hills
- Goodlettsville
- Hermitage
- Inglewood
- North
- Old Hickory
- Richland Park
- Southeast
- Thompson Lane
Did You Know?
- healthy eating
- urban green spaces
- physical activity
- home cooking
- sustainability
- vibrant communities
2018: In Full Bloom
- More than 2,000 people “checked out” 14,718 packets of seeds
- NPL hosted more than 50 free gardening workshops
- The most popular seeds were:
- herbs (2,225 packets)
- flowers (1,969 packets)
- greens (1,144 packets)
- tomatoes (1,121 packets)
Expert Tips
Planting
Soil
Pruning
DIY Tomato Cages
Want More?
Peruse library-related features and event listings in our quarterly magazine, Unbound, available at your local NPL location or online here.