SUU Seed Libraries
Seed Libraries are collections of free seeds for anyone to take or donate to. The seeds are meant to be "returned" by bringing back seeds from the plants that you grow with the original seed from the library. We started our first seed library in the front area of the SUU library in 2023 and opened a second seed library in the Frehner Natural History Museum in 2024.
Why are seed libraries important?
Increasing Diversity
Most of our food production focuses on monocultures of crops cloning the same variety making most of our food look and taste a very specific way. But monocultures are very susceptible to disease, if one plant is susceptible they are all susceptible to the same diseases.
With the seed libraries we want to diversify our food, so that if one variety of a plant is susceptible to disease there is increased likelihood that another plant will be resilient to the same disease. This will also increase the diversity of flavors, nutrition, colors and much much more so we have options and our food doesn't all taste and look the same. Making plants as unique as Cedar City and you!
Adapting to our Climate
Almost all of the seeds we buy in packets or are used in nurseries originate from outside Southern Utah. These places are at different elevation, have different soil, weather, pests, etc. Increasing our use of labor, water, fertilizers, sun barriers, pest controls, etc. to keep them alive.
With the Seed Libraries we hope to breed more resilient plants adapted to our dry high desert climate and grow like weeds in Cedar City. Successively needing less water, and naturally becoming more efficient at fighting off local pests and diseases.
Growing Local
Growing local means less of our valuable money and resources goes somewhere else and we are supporting our local economy, culture and agriculture. This also means we value our food more, get much fresher and tastier food, and waste less on shipping and needless middlemen.