The Seed Library was created to meet the needs of Mykolaiv residents for practical knowledge in gardening, vegetable growing, and floriculture, as well as to help them acquire new skills and experience.
Based on the principles of community action, initiative participants will be able to expand their seed collections with varieties of plant crops they need. They will also have the opportunity to communicate with like-minded individuals and exchange cultivation experiences. Joining the initiative will help participants gently navigate the emotions of wartime, reduce anxiety through the development of a personal hobby, and promote a healthy lifestyle.
The event was attended by community activists, library readers, and members of creative clubs. Attendees learned about the history of the seed library movement in Ukraine and the operational principles of such libraries. They also explored books dedicated to growing plants indoors, in home gardens, and at summer cottages.
The "Seed Library" at the Marko Kropyvnytskyi Central Library began with a gift of flower seeds from the Goethe-Institut in Ukraine, as this international partner institution actively promotes the idea among Ukrainian public libraries. Currently, the "Seed Library" features an exchange fund collected by readers, partners, and staff from the 2025 harvest. It also includes microgreen kits, gardening experiment sets for children, and the popular creative eco-toy "Blooming Pencil," etc.
A symbolic moment for the initiative’s development was the group planting of microgreens and learning the nuances of growing them on a windowsill.
Specialists from library branches No. 2 (Center for Environmental Information and Culture), 10, 13, and 14 also joined the event. These branches serve neighborhoods with residential garden plots, such as Raketne Urochyshche, Kulbakyne, and Shyroka Balka, and will spread the "Seed Library" practices among their local residents. To help kickstart the initiative, they also received microgreen cultivation kits.
All participants of the meeting received flower seeds as a gift. A special surprise awaited them — a giveaway of the "Blooming Pencil" eco-toy. Over a cup of tea, guests exchanged impressions and agreed on future meetings.
The presentation of the "Seed Library" educational initiative was held with the support of the Department of Housing and Communal Services of the Mykolaiv City Council as part of the XVIII Mykolaiv City Open Ecological Readings "Let's Preserve for Posterity," in partnership with the Charitable Foundation META "From Common Vision to Joint Actions."
