{"id":227220,"date":"2025-03-31T07:33:32","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T11:33:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=227220"},"modified":"2025-04-01T14:31:46","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T18:31:46","slug":"sowing-the-seeds-of-a-new-community-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2025\/03\/sowing-the-seeds-of-a-new-community-resource\/","title":{"rendered":"Sowing the Seeds of a New Community Resource"},"content":{"rendered":"

A senior at UConn is making strides to combat food insecurity in Storrs with a free seed library.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood insecurity is kind of crazy high in all college student populations,\u201d says Iris Armstrong \u201925 (CAHNR<\/a>), who goes by Iris. \u201cAt UConn, as well as in our surrounding community, it\u2019s pretty significant. My first goal was to combat food insecurity through connecting people with the resources they need to grow their own food.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Countdown<\/p>\n

Iris, a landscape architecture<\/a> major, started the seed library during the fall 2024 semester thanks to an Environmental and Social Sustainability Grant (ESSG) from the Office of Sustainability<\/a>. It is located in the lobby of the Floriculture Building<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The seed library is open to anyone in the UConn community whenever the building is open, typically 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. It remains open during the summer months.<\/p>\n

There are a variety of seeds available, primarily for edible plants, mostly vegetables. \u201cWe also have some flowers. I\u2019m trying to get a good selection of native flowers because that\u2019s really important as far as the role of seed libraries in promoting biodiversity,\u201d says Iris. She secured donations from seed companies and is working with local farms to source more.<\/p>\n

Along with seeds, Iris collected supplemental resources. There is literature with information on seed saving, food justice, gardening, agricultural policy and food assistance programs including UConn Swipes and The Husky Harvest Food Pantries. \u201cI used some of the grant funding to buy some great books,\u201d says Iris. \u201cThey\u2019re kind of like the Bibles of seed saving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seed saving is the practice of saving seeds from plants you grow, so you can grow a new plant the following year. \u201cIt saves you money, it keeps you from becoming dependent on seed corporations and it helps you grow better plants,\u201d Iris says.<\/p>\n

\"A
(George Velky \/ UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

She is hoping that the seed library can continue to grow after graduation. \u201cI really want to see it grow as an educational space,\u201d says Iris. \u201cI\u2019d like to tie it more into the food justice and food sovereignty side of things, I want it to be more political.\u201d She says she also wants to make the space multi-lingual to increase accessibility.<\/p>\n

Iris has been working on setting up workshops at the Spring Valley Student Farm so people can learn how to save seeds with a hands-on approach. Another idea is to implement seed saving walks around campus. \u201cI\u2019ve taken a lot of seeds from perennial plants around campus. It\u2019s like an infinite plant hack,\u201d says Iris.<\/p>\n

When it comes to information on how to start a garden, Iris says, \u201cDon\u2019t come to me for advice, go to the UConn Home and Garden Center,<\/a> and UConn Extension<\/a>. They\u2019re amazing, everyone should go talk to them.\u201d These programs can help community members with any questions once they get started at the seed library. \u201cThey\u2019ll get you connected with soil testing, guides to growing and tons of cool information,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping that having a place on campus where you\u2019re able to get the seeds you need, the pots you need, and also connect with the other resources you need to grow your own food will help people become more familiar with the process of growing food, and raise awareness for food insecurity on campus,\u201d says Iris.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Keep up with the work of the seed library on Instagram: @UConnSeedLibrary<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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