Quick Navigation
Main Navigation
About Us
Education & Events
Ways to Give & Membership
Preservation
Shop
Stewardship account
Article by Jeff Quattrone
Jeff Quattrone In His Own Words
There ’s the main road , there ’s the route less traveled , and there ’s the route you create yourself . An creative person by stroke , an advocate by choice , I expend my creativity and decade of communication theory and selling experience to utter about the state of seeds and advance the great unwashed to join the conversation .
I ’m a photographer , graphic designer , blogger , and self - published writer . I founded the Library Seed Bank in 2013 and found two seed libraries in 2014 , the first in Pitman , New Jersey , and the 2nd in Woodbury , New Jersey , with a third online in 2015 in Gloucester Township , New Jersey . My website iswww.libraryseedbank.info .
Starting from Seed
grow up , I was rosy to spend time in a ejaculate elbow room at Orol Ledden and Sons , a sodbuster supplying company in Sewell , New Jersey . From the clock time I was six into my teens , I would take a drive with my parent anytime we call for horticulture supplies . Our suburb was in the midriff of farm terra firma , and Ledden ’s was the only place that had what we needed .
This germ room was full of wonder for me . Once we go far , I would always run off to gaze at the wag catalog with ejaculate software in them and the full barrels of onion and murphy sets . And nonchalantly , or so I thought , I would stand by the counter .
At this counter was a scale where farmers would exchange surd currency with the store proprietor for their leverage and commute that nonphysical story currency with each other about their twenty-four hours , their season , or that pest that pay a late visit to their field of glory .
Community seed is serious business. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
My intuitive feeling of wonder auspicate my future role as a seeded player advocate , andwhat I learned at the Orol Ledden and Sons seed room was the foundation of my current work .
SSE has asked me to deal some of the insights I ’ve plunk up along the way to encourage folk who may be just set forth out in their community seed endeavors .
Seeds and Their Stories
Storytelling is a powerful medium and was instrumental in the creation of source library .
Ken Greene , the originative manager and founder of the Hudson Seed Library was a bibliothec who used little parcel of local heirloom seeds to encourage citizenry to read the local report that went along with the seeds . While researching seed depository library before I start Library Seed Bank , I came across the Hudson Valley Seed Library . As an artist , I was immediately drawn to the art battalion and found the human relationship between seed , art , and storytelling an inspiring mate for my creative aesthesia .
I met Ken at the 2014 Philadelphia Flower Show when I serve him break down his stall . I expect him about how he got started and he told me the chronicle about when he was librarian and he used small parcel of local heirloom seeds to give interest in the stories associated with the seeds .
Community seed is serious business. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
As I listen to Ken assure his story , and looked around the booth with plants , art , and seed multitude , it was suddenly the exhibit that was the storyteller instead of the James Leonard Farmer at Ledden ’s when I was untried .
Stories are a dandy mode to start a dialogue with hoi polloi about seed . Most citizenry have family stories . My kinsfolk story is about my sept tree , which is a common fig tree tree diagram from Italy . I use that to relate to people how I use heirloom seeds to grow plant that that assure the story of my family with a Family Garden Quilt .
If you know the stories of plants , and know the germ for seeds , you’re able to use plant life to tell story . The fig tree tells a story about my family . I advance people to grow a folk garden , save the seeds to communicate down through the generation with each generation adding their own plant . Talk about a honest kin heirloom .
A Catalog Cover from Orol Ledden & Sons (Courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
The Art of Seed Saving
I use art to engage people about seeds . TheHudson Valley Seed Library ’s artistic production packsare a groovy example . The artistry mob entrance the essence of the works that hold them — a little story told through an artist ’s oculus using grain and color to shine what will grow from the gem at heart .
For the opening of the first seed library I helped make , I worked with an elementary school day art teacher on an art contest for the front of the # 10 envelope that germ library patrons would leave the library with . The kids get word about the purpose of the semen subroutine library and had some sport being creative . The loot for the art contest came from a hobby shop class across the street from the library , which contribute a local business into the fold . It was a rattling community outreach exercise .
I mould with an art school in Philadelphia , PA , twice : once to produce seed carving for the kids , and once with adults to make come turkey — small corpse balls coated with germ and some kind of plant medium or George Sand — at a seminar about using native plants to strip up the environment .
Incorporating Art into Community Seed (Photo Courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
I want shaver to learn about cum , so as they farm up they will know seeds ’ value . Instead of spitting all the watermelon seeds during their summer interruption , perhaps they will save some to plant in their garden the following year .
Joining the Community
Seed libraries can be house at any community - based administration . I ’m about to launch one at an arts - based community organization in Gloucester Township , New Jersey . Not only will this be outside the public library system of rules , the county depository library organisation does n’t need to participate in seed libraries . Instead , this seed library has the full support of the mayor , who wants it to serve as a finish for the township and the business there . Exciting material !
There are many angles to take for amplify the conversation about semen . Farmer ’s markets are a mode to reach out . deliberate an occasional board at your local farmers market place .
Creative placemaking is another boulevard for reaching mass . Creative placemaking is the function of art to drive community and business development . Take a look at your local community and see if there are artists influence together . come near them and see how you could team up up .
Making seed bombs means making a mess to clean up the environment. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
I work with a coalition of artists , historians , and sustainable pattern professional that use this concept . The people in the coalition and the audience they run are a raw fit for seed delivery .
Look at sustainable community of interests organization and forge a partnership . Find chef who work with local farmers and who can give cookery demonstrations using the seeded player in your subroutine library . I ’m pursuing this selection now and want to complete the circle .
Many corporations have community outreach program for their employees to volunteer and give back to the community . I have passionate musical accompaniment from the environmental meshwork of a society .
Seed bomb destruction (Photo Courtesy of Jeff Quattrone)
Not everyone can garden ( or wants to ) however , they can be aware and engaged in the conversation . Remember , the more people in the conversation , the better it is at every level .
I ’m fortunate to have had such a enormous reaction . At this time last year I was just about to launch the first seed library with a undivided insistence passing . Now , my travail have been advertise everywhere , from local TV insurance coverage to NPR .
Opportunity Knocks
I have an opportunity to develop a municipal - degree seed library as a regional name and address , and I ’m write about it all through SSE to inspire you to do your best in your community .
There ’s chance out there , and my advice to you isstay open to all the possibilities .
in the first place published on January 22 , 2015 by Jeff Quattrone . update April 6 , 2025 .
Keep Exploring
When you make a purchase from Seed Savers Exchange , you help action our nonprofit mission to protect our food and garden heritage . Do even more good by take a contribution to help us maintain and portion out even more heirloom varieties !
3094 North Winn RoadDecorah , Iowa 52101(563 ) 382 - 5990
right of first publication © 2025 Seed Savers Exchange . Images on this situation are protect by copyright — unauthorized use is not permitted .
Seed Savers Exchange is a tax - exempt 501(c)3 non-profit-making system commit to the preservation of heirloom seeds .
