Rochester MN's Seed Library is Now Open for the Season

It's about that time of year when garden plans start to take shape and planting will start soon. If you're planting a garden this year, did you know there's a way to 'borrow' seeds for free in Rochester, MN?

It's at the Rochester Public Library. Every spring, they open up their Seed Library, where you can grab seeds for free to start your own garden.

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Rochester, MN Seed Library

The Seed Library is on the second floor of the library downtown. You can grab up to 10 seed packets per person for your garden. Yes, it's free.

They also have resources that will tell you how to care for your plants as they grow. Hopefully, you'll end up with an amazing garden with delicious, fresh food right from your very own garden!

And really... it's that easy!

You don't even need to return anything. I had initially thought that you needed to gather the seeds from the food you've grown to then donate back to the library, but that's not a thing at all. They do suggest, however, that you collect the seeds for your own use next year.

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Why Would the Library Give Away Free Seeds?

Here are some of the reasons why the library offers this free Seed Library:

Empower community members to grow their own food by offering free seeds.
Support food security and improve access to the freshest, healthiest food possible.
Connect people to community resources for planting, growing, harvesting, and seed saving.
Learn how to save seeds for the next growing season and share with friends and family.

Seeds Available at the 2026 Seed Library in Rochester, MN

The seeds are available on a first-come-first-served basis, so not all of these may still be available, but here are the seeds that the library says they have available for this year: