Tag: Community Seed Library

Seed Sorting Fun for All

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Linda Burgess

Volunteers of the El Camino Real Master Naturalists and the Little River Basin Master Gardeners met together Tuesday to collaborate and fill the card catalog drawers of the Sow & Grow: Milam Seed Library (located in the Cameron Public Library).

Hard working seed sorters

We meet monthly to provide Milam County residents with free access to native seeds. We also stock a free-standing seed library at the Milam Wildscape. We will be expanding and adding a second seed library at the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library (Rockdale) later this month. This allows Millam County residents the opportunity to support pollinators and create their own natural habitat at home.

With fall approaching, it’s a great time to get your seeds in the ground to produce beautiful blooms in the spring. Just like nature does it, flowers drop their seeds onto the ground at the end of their blooming season. The seeds rest in the soil all winter and use a natural chilling process called cold stratification so the seeds sprout easily once spring arrives and the soil warms up. That’s how we get beautiful wildflowers in the spring!

Come get your seeds today!  Planting native maximizes wildlife benefit, conserves water, and creates essential pollinator habitat directly sustaining the food supply and our quality of life.

Cameron Public Library hours are Monday – Thursday, 10 am – 5 pm.

Exciting Grant News!

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

By Linda Burgess

We are excited to announce our participation in the Pollinators for Texas Initiative! Our chapter’s project was selected to receive financial support to enhance native pollinator conservation in our area! Our project, Sow & Grow: Milam Seed Library, aims to expand by adding two additional locations to provide Milam County residents with free access to native seeds and to teach about the importance of pollinators through educational programming. By providing free access to native seeds in various locations, all residents of Milam County will have the opportunity to support pollinators and create their own natural habitat at home, making a lasting impact on pollinator conservation.

A big thank you to H-E-B for their generous support in this initiative and their continued partnership with the Texas Master Naturalist program. Together, we’re working to safeguard and enhance native pollinator populations across Texas. For more information about the Pollinators for Texas Initiative, visit https://txmn.tamu.edu/pollinators-for-texas/.

Our announcement

The two new locations for expansion will be a seed library inside the Lucy Hill Patterson Memorial Library (Rockdale, TX) and a free-standing seed library to be placed outside at the El Camino Real City Wildscape ( All Saints’ Episcopal Church, Cameron, TX).

Our project wants to raise awareness of pollinator decline and its threat to one-third of the U.S. food supply, offer educational programs on native pollinators and ecosystem services, and launch a Native Wildscape Yard of the Month (April – September 2027, county-wide) to inspire residents to create beautiful native landscapes, dispel the “messy garden” stigma and encourage seed donation back to our libraries and sustaining our seed stock while building lasting habitat improvements throughout the community.

I’d like to recognize Catherine Johnson and Patsy Coombs for all their knowledge, encouragement and expertise as they supported me. Also, Elena Berkes, the head Librarian at the Cameron Pubic Library, totally embraced our Chapter’s installation of the seed library and has continued to support our efforts. Also, many thanks to the Little River Basin Master Gardeners who have partnered with us in supplying and packaging seeds for our project.

And of course, many thanks to our El Camino Real Chapter members for supporting my idea and continuing to come monthly to package seeds!

Seed Harvesting Time

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

by Linda Burgess

We had a great turnout today for our Sow & Grow: Milam Seed Library seed packaging event. There were 12 volunteers, comprised of Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners……thank you all so much!

We had lots of native wildflower seeds to package, and we are able to keep the Library very well stocked.  We also provide seeds for our free-standing seed library located at the Milam Wildscape at the Bird and Bee Farm. Soon we will be installing another free-standing seed library to be placed at our El Camino Real Wildscape at the All Saints’ Episcopal Church. And in the near future, we will be expanding and adding yet another seed library at the Lucy Hill Patterson Library in Rockdale.

We are thankful to Cameron’s head librarian, Elena Berkes and her staff, for all their support since January 2025. And we look forward to working with Elizabeth Kelley at the library in Rockdale. We are so appreciative of the Master Gardener volunteers. Thank you to Monica Schiller and Lynne Yarbrough for making this such a successful partnership.

Surprisingly, as summer winds down, it’s not too late to add new plants to your garden. Late summer and early fall are excellent times to plant perennials, as the cooler temperatures and warm soil help new roots become established which helps them survive the harsh winter and come back in the spring. Many perennials will grow and thrive this fall. Here are a few suggestions:  Black-Eyed Susan, Echinacea Purpurea (Purple Coneflower), Salvia, Coreopsis, Asters, Goldenrod, and Hostas.

Many native flower seeds need cold stratification to germinate: a chilling process that occurs naturally over winter that breaks seed dormancy.  Exposure to cold, moist conditions naturally breaks seed dormancy, allowing the seeds to sprout when temperatures warm in spring. Simply scatter the seeds over prepared soil, gently press them into the surface, and let winter provide the cold period they need. This natural process can lead to beautiful, healthy wildflowers the following spring and summer.

So fall is a good time to get these seeds in the ground. Take advantage of Milam County’s free seed library and go by the Cameron Public Library to get some seed packets that will support our pollinators and beautify your yard and garden.

Seeds and more seeds

Sue Ann (Suna) KendallLeave a comment

By Linda Burgess

This past Tuesday, the El Camino Real Master Naturalists and the Little River Basin Master Gardeners came together to contribute to a shared volunteer opportunity. We meet the third Tuesday of each month to package native and adapted wildflower seeds, herb and garden seeds, and some landscaping plant seeds…..all for the Free Seed Library located in the Cameron Public Library.  

We are sharing stories, getting to know one another, and providing free seeds to the residents of Milam County. It’s become a great opportunity to learn and grow from each other’s expertise….. and there’s a wealth of knowledge in these two organizations!

Seed Packaging Is Going Great

Sue Ann (Suna) Kendall2 Comments

by Linda Burgess

WOW! On Tuesday afternoon, 17 volunteers working together (Master Naturalists and Master Gardeners) enjoyed our united project and friendship as we packaged seeds for the Seed Library (located in the Cameron Public Library).

I know it’s been cold, but this next week’s weather will get us excited as we plan for Spring planting.

We have free seeds available to the public at the library, and also don’t forget about the Master Gardeners’ Plant sale coming up on Saturday, March 1st.