Skip to page navigation Translate My Account Browse Locations & Hours Calendar Kids Teens Services About Us En español About Seed Library Staff Picks Thursday, November 25 - Friday, November 26, 2021 is Thanksgiving × In observance of Thanksgiving all Phoenix Public Library Locations will be closed Thursday, November 25 - Friday, November 26, 2021. Skip to footer Phoenix Public Library > Services > Unique > Seed Library Seed Library Person holding handful of soil Phoenix Public Library offers a variety of fruit, vegetable and perennial seeds available for check out to Phoenix Public Library customers. Customers may check out up to 3 seed packets at one time per card, every 3 weeks. Checked out Seed Library items will be removed from customer accounts automatically. Limited seed packets are available for checkout. Visit Phoenix Public Library locations for availability. Sweet Basil The classic herb, used in tomato sauce, pesto and salad. A favorite seasoning fresh or dried for poultry, meats, game, fish, eggs, soups and sauces. Annual. Height 12-18 inches. SOW in average soil in full sun after danger of frost. Sow seeds about 6 inches apart and cover with 1/4 inch of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days. Harvest when buds begin to form up until frost. Show More Beefsteak Tomato Luscious, red fruits average 17 oz with smooth shoulders and small blossom end scar. Indeterminate. Harvest about 80 days after transplanting. START INDOORS in a warm, well-lighted area 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep into individual containers filled with seed starting formula. Keep moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days at 70-75 degrees F. Before transplanting, move to a sheltered area outside for a week. SET PLANTS 3-4 feet apart in a sunny location after last frost in spring. Show More California Poppy Single flowers in bright colors from cream through red cover bushy, spreading plants of finely-cut foliage. Blooms from late spring into summer. Grows as annual. Height 12 inches. SOW outdoors in thoroughly warmed, well-drained soil in full sun, late spring to summer. Sow seeds thinly and evenly and barely cover with fine soil. Seedlings emerge in 10-20 days at 55-70 degrees F. THIN to stand about 12 inches apart when seedlings are 2 inches high. Blooms in summer. Show More Short and Sweet Carrot Sweet-flavored, shorter roots are bright-orange to the center, 4 inches long. Good in heavy or shallow soil. Harvest in about 68 days. SOW in deep, well-worked, stone-free soil after danger of heavy frost. Sow seeds thinly in rows 12 inches apart. Cover with fine soil, firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Do not transplant as crooked roots may result. Show More Cherry Tomato Cherry tomatoes range in size from a thumbtip up to the size of a golf ball, and can range from spherical to slightly oblong in shape. Indeterminate. Harvest about 80 days after transplanting. START INDOORS in a warm, well-lighted area 6-8 weeks before planting outdoors. Sow seeds 1/4 inch deep into individual containers filled with seed starting formula. Keep moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days at 70-75 degrees F. Before transplanting, move to a sheltered area outside for a week. SET PLANTS 3-4 feet apart in a sunny location after last frost in spring. Show More Slo-Bolt Cilantro It's best to sow seeds directly into the garden in May or after the danger of frost has passed. You can also replant in early fall. Remember that cilantro is a cool weather plant; once temperatures reach 75°F, it will start to bolt (go to seed). Once your bed is prepared, make a 1/4 inch depression into the soil and plant seeds 1 inch apart. Cover with a layer of fine soil, pat gently and water. Show More Mammoth Dill Foliage, flower heads and seeds are used fresh or dried to flavor fish, sauces, vegetables, cheese, eggs, salads, soups, poultry and pickles. Annual. Height 3 feet. SOW in full sun, after danger of frost in spring. Cover with 1/4 inch of fine soil. Seedlings emerge in 10-21 days after sowing. When harvesting seeds is the goal, thin seedlings to 12 inches apart when 1-2 feet tall. Sow in clumps, rather than single plants when growing for leaf production. Show More Jalapeño Peppers Capsicum annuum take a bit of effort to grow, as they must be started from seed. The fruit is ready for harvest after about 120 days. Start Capsicum annuum seeds indoors eight to 10 weeks before the final frost. Fill small peat pots with a high-quality seed-starting mix. Plant the seeds ¼ inch deep in the soil, and then place the pots in a sunny location with a consistent temperature of between 70 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Water the Capsicum annuum seeds immediately after planting to settle the soil. Continue to water once per week or enough to keep the soil consistently moist until growth emerges. Reduce watering to once every two weeks after germination to harden the plants and prepare them for transplanting. Plant Capsicum annuum seedlings outdoors two to three weeks after the last frost when the soil has warmed. Choose a planting location with full sun and rich, well-drained soil. Dig planting holes of equal size to the peat pots, and then set the pots directly into the ground. Space plantings 12 to 24 inches apart. Show More Yellow Onion Exceptionally sweet, mild onion made famous in Vidalia, Georgia and Maui, Hawaii. Good for rings, baking, salads and sauces. Short-day onion. Harvest in about 162 days. SOW in average soil in full sun after danger of frost in spring. In frost-free areas, sow in fall. Sow thinly in rows 12 inches apart and cover with 1/4 inch of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days. THIN to stand about 3 inches apart when seedlings are 1-2 inches high. Show More Space Hybrid Spinach This is a true three season spinach: heat-tolerant and slow bolting, yet also resistant to the mildew that makes fall spinach so chancy. Upright habit with smooth, rounded, dark-green leaves. High nutrition crop that freezes well, blanched and packed in airtight bags. SOW in average soil in early spring for first crop, again in late summer for fall crop. In the South, sow in fall. Sow thinly in rows 1.5—2 inches apart. Cover with 1/2 inch of fine soil; firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-14 days. Show More Black Beauty Zucchini Squash Gorgeous, deep-green fruits are juicy and delicious. Great to eat any way you cook it. Matures early and produces over an extended season. Bush-type plants require minimum space. Harvest in about 90 days. SOW in rich, fertile soil after danger of frost. Sow 1-2 seeds about 36 inches apart and cover with 1 inch of fine soil. Firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 10-14 days. Harvest often and when fruits are small. Show More Sweet Bell Pepper Large, 4-6 inch, bell-type, dark-green to red fruits grow on 24 inch tall plants. First introduced by W. Atlee Burpee in 1900. Harvest about 80 days after transplanting. START INDOORS in a warm, well-lighted area about 8 weeks before planting outdoors. Sow seed 1/4 inch deep into individual containers filled with seed starting formula. Keep moist. Seedlings emerge in 10-21 days at 75-80 degrees F. Before transplanting, move to a sheltered area outside for a week. Show More Crimson Sweet Watermelon Round melons averaging 25lbs are light-green with dark-green stripes. Flesh is dark-red, firm and fine textured. Resistant to fusarium wilt and anthracnose. Harvest in about 80 days. SOW in thoroughly warmed soil in full sun in spring after all danger of frost. Sow 4-6 seeds about 3 inches apart in hills 5-7 feet apart. Cover with 1 inch of fine soil; firm lightly and keep evenly moist. Seedlings emerge in 7-10 days. Show More Staff Picks © 2021, Phoenix Public Library, City of Phoenix.