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The purpose of the Maricopa Native Seed library is to provide free, native seed to the community, as well as education and information to make it easy to incorporate native plants into your yards, patios and balconies. Anyone can include some native plants into their residences, whether you have a lot of space or a small apartment.
The benefits of gardening are numerous and well documented, both for people and for wildlife! Everyone can participate in conserving native plants and the pollinators and other wildlife that depend on them, even with a small amount of native plants. The Maricopa Native Seed Library invites you to join with us in creating a living landscape at home. You can also certify your habitat with our free Maricopa Pollinator Pathway certification.
Want to learn more about the seed library's origins and how seed is collected? Watch this interview with the seed library's founder, Danielle Carlock.
The Maricopa Native Seed Library is a service of the Maricopa Community Colleges and has several locations (see below). Anyone can visit the library and obtain seeds, no library card needed. To learn more about the seeds we offer, see our plant profiles and lists. Note that at all locations only 3 seed packets can be taken per month. See our FAQ for more information about the seed library.
Obtaining seeds:
Please check each location's website for operating hours and directions before your visit:
1. Gateway Community College Library
2. Scottsdale Community College, Center for Native and Urban Wildlife-seed packets are available outside the door of the CNUW Offices 24/7. For more information see the website.
3. Glendale Community College Library
5. South Mountain Community Library
We often also have pop up (temporary) locations, which are announced at the top of this page and on our social media.
Unlike many seed libraries, we do not purchase any of our seeds from seed companies. The seeds in the seed library come from the following sources:
1. Tonto National Forest-the majority of our seeds are wild collected under permit from Tonto National Forest at great time and effort, including sites in the Superstitions, Mazatzals, and Cave Creek/Seven Springs areas. The seeds we obtain are precious. If you take them please sow them.
2. Scottsdale Community College-some seeds are collected at the SCC campus, including and especially those for which large populations on the Tonto have not been located. Seeds are often collected in collaboration with the Center for Native and Urban Wildlife which helps coordinate student volunteers to help collect seed and hosts a seed library.
3. Home garden-some seeds are collected from the home garden of the seed library's founder, Danielle Carlock
4. Tempe Papago Preserve-we collect some seeds at the Preserve under a permit from the City of Tempe
5. Donations-we also accept donations from local gardeners. Interested in donating? Contact us!
Maricopa Community Colleges acknowledge the land our colleges are situated on today as the traditional land and home of the O'odham, Piipaash, Yavapai, and Yaqui peoples. There are 22 federally recognized tribes in Arizona and 574 across the United States. We acknowledge the painful history of genocide and forced removal from this territory, and we honor and respect the many diverse Indigenous peoples still connected to this land on which we gather. Without them, we would not have access to our education or the land we live, work, learn and commune on. We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land. We offer our respect to their Elders and to all Indigenous people of the past, present and future.
For more information please contact us at seedlibrary@scottsdalecc.edu
