The Haberfield Street Seed Library opened on Thursday 11 April. Seed saving is a well established practice among gardeners: some plants are left to go to flower and go to seed exactly to collect, save and plant them again. This way some plants travel through generations of gardeners and spread in different streets and suburbs. Seeds generate their own networks and commoning practices, and swapping seeds is one of the ways gardeners use to add diversity to their plantings. Small gifts of seed packets are acts of kindness from one gardener to another, while at the same time giving seeds is an example of a small and slow solution that contributes to greening our cities, adding to biodiversity, and preserving heritage plants.

Street libraries are another example of urban commoning: people build or repurpose tiny sheds on street corners and fill them with books to give away. Others bring their books and a circular book swapping ensues.

Seed swapping and street libraries are brought together in this edge at the front of Haberfield Library, 78 Dalhousie Street. Unlike other types of seed libraries and seed swapping this one is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and works on the principle of reciprocity.

The Street Seed Library is the brain child of Angie Gallinaro (you can read her garden story in this conversation), who thought that Haberfield as ‘the first planned model garden suburb’ should have a seed library.

This project runs with the help of the Haberfield library staff and finds an enthusiastic ally in Angelina Myatt, who also manages the community garden attached to the library. The project was supported by an Inner West Council Grant, and by the Haberfield Association.

The Street Seed Library has a simple and beautifully efficient design. A shed/shelf (painted in a no doubt a heritage approved green by Leichhardt Men’s Shed) houses two boxes to protect seeds from humidity, sun, and pests. One box is for half used packets of seeds, and one contains a set of small jars, envelops and labels. You can drop off your half used packets languishing at the bottom of your seed box – or at least there are several in my random seed archive, you might be a tidier gardener – or bring the seed you saved from your own garden, store them in one of the small jars, and label it. In return you can take away seeds you may need in the provided envelopes.