Planting the seed for sustainability

March 8 marks the official launch of the 2025 Brown County Seed Library, a collaborative project by the Green Bay Botanical Garden, New Leaf Foods, UW-Green Bay, Brown County Library, UW-Madison Extension Brown County and Northeast Wisconsin Master Gardeners.

The Seed Library was started in 2023 with the goal of making a collection of seeds for primarily edible plants suited to grow in Northeast Wisconsin available to members of the community at no cost, along with providing education, encouragement and resources to empower individuals to grow nutritious food and pollinator-friendly plants.

“Ultimately, the Seed Library’s goal is to provide free seeds to the Green Bay community,” said Lauren Knisbeck, communications coordinator for New Leaf Foods. “We provide free seeds, resources and education in the hopes of bringing the community together to foster the self-reliance of growing food and also growing pollinators as complementary plants. We’re looking to do something good for the community and for the environment and help sustain the current and future food system.”

By opening up the opportunity for members of the community to grow their own food, Knisbeck said New Leaf is able to make progress in its mission of promoting healthy food access throughout Northeast Wisconsin.

“New Leaf is really focused on promoting the health and well-being of the greater Green Bay area,” she said. “When you have people who are able to have access to healthy seeds — seeds that will eventually grow healthy foods — that’s just one of the many pillars that upholds our mission. We’re all about food for good health, now and for generations. Helping people learn today how to grow these seeds so they can hopefully teach their kids in the future or just teach anyone in general, that will have a lasting impact for generations.”

But providing access to seeds isn’t the only purpose the Seed Library serves.
“The Seed Library is more than just seeds,” she said. “We’re trying to bring people together. It’s one thing to grow seeds, but it’s another thing to grow community along with it. We really want people to come out and learn. You don’t have to be growing XYZ plants to be involved in the community, just see what’s out there and learn what other nonprofits and organizations are doing in the community to really help and make a difference.”

The Seed Library is housed in the Brown County Library’s Central Branch in downtown Green Bay and is available to the public and anyone who is interested in planting vegetables, fruits and pollinator-friendly plants.

Those looking to get a garden of their own can also take advantage of New Leaf’s Bountiful Branches sale, which is accepting orders now through May 10.

“It’s a sale where community members of Northeast Wisconsin can buy fruitbearing and nutbearing plants from us and we keep it really affordable because we want it to be as accessible as possible,” Knisbeck said. “The Bountiful Branches sale is another way of promoting that health aspect in Green Bay and fostering self-reliance because people can grow fruits and nuts in their own yards. It’s giving people the ability to grow on their own.”

In addition to providing the seeds necessary to growing your own food, New Leaf and the other Seed Library Partners are committed to also providing the education needed for community members to be able to maintain a successful garden.

For those participating in the Bountiful Branches sale or just interested in learning more about what it takes to maintain a garden, a mini class will be offered in April.

“A lot of people who might be buying plants may not be super familiar with what goes into maintaining them so that they’re successful for years and years down the road,” she said. “So we teach a class in April for anyone who is purchasing plants or if you’re just a curious person who wants to learn about growing… NWTC Sustainable Bounty Garden Manager Dillon Weist is going to come in and teach a whole class on the basics of planting — fertilization, harvesting, all the basics — so that people can hopefully have some sort of idea what they’re doing before they go to plant.”

Learn more about the Brown County Seed Library and New Leaf Foods’ other programs at newleaffoods.org.