Seeds! Free seed packets for the Midway and Frogtown area
Looking for Seeds in the Midway & Frogtown?
#OutplantTheOutBreak neighborhood seed distribution continues in 2022, though in a smaller scale than the previous 2 years. Each Saturday through early May, seeds that can be used at that time will be stocked. Stop by one of the locations listed below.
Here is the weekly schedule:
1) March 5: Winter or indoor Sowing: Hardy herbs
2) March 12: Indoor starting: Eggplant, Okra, peppers
3) March 19: Winter or Indoor Sowing: cold crops for a long season
4) March 26: Indoor starting: tomatoes
5) April 2: Direct Sowing: salad greens, peas & carrots
6) April 9: Winter or indoor Sowing: annual flowers (small seed)
7) April 16: Direct sowing: root crops
8) April 23: Winter Sowing Method: warm season crops cucurbits & beans
9) April 30: Direct sowing: warm season annual flowers (larger seed)
Where to find seeds in 2022
Seeds are available at 3 sites in Midway and Frogtown neighborhoods of St. Paul, Mn:
Little Free Florist cabinet at 1729 Englewood Ave between Aldine and Wheeler Streets in the Hamline Midway neighborhood
Frogtown Green’s little free cabinet at 843 Van Buren Ave
Lilypad Community garden at Dale St. and Lafond Ave
(If you live in this community (including Rondo neighborhood) and transportation is a barrier for you, you can reach out with requests for particular seed via this contact form.)
Where are the seeds from?
The seed sources are a smattering of commercial and locally saved seeds from recent seasons. If you get a packet from 2019, know that the germination might be a little less (ie 70%) so consider planting a little heavier to compensate. Some of the seed came in as donations to the Minnesota State Horticultural Society and the Como Community Seed Library and the seed’s history isn’t always known. An internet search can help you learn more about a seed variety. If you have less germination than you like, be sure to replant with more or different seed right away.
Reach of previous #OutPlantTheOutbreak
The 2 season #OutPlantTheOutbreak campaign of 2021 & 2022 put, in total, 14,600 packets of seed into the hands of community growers in the Midway, Frogtown, Rondo and Como neighborhoods of St Paul. These seeds were stocked at 13 different Little Free cabinets in the months of March to May. More details about the earlier seasons here.
How the seed distribution came to be
#OutplantTheOutBreak seed distribution was born with the onset of the global pandemic in reaction to the seed shortages that started appearing in winter 2020. With uncertainty high, gardening became a way for folks to find joy and health-supportive activity during lockdown days. #OutplantTheOutBreak was intended to help my community source hard to find seeds in a time of unknown futures.
This seed sharing campaign could not have happened without the attentive commitment from Como Community Seed Library (CCSL)’s organizer, Dawn Lamm and over 40 volunteers who helped pack seeds. Urban Farm and Garden Alliance and Frogtown Green has been flexible distribution partners. Also, thank you goes to Hamline Midway Coalition for a Minigrant to do this work, and Capitol Region Watershed’s sponsorship for a native seed saving project called MnSEED offered through the Minnesota State Horticultural Society (MSHS). MSHS has also been generous to supplement gaps in seed types over the campaign.