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Need Seeds? 

CLICK for Seeds available & growing instructions 
Guidelines for Getting Seeds​
  • Wear a mask
  • Know what seeds the location is providing ahead of time to minimize time at the location
  • Consider patronizing these community businesses while getting seeds.
  • Don't call them about availability.
  • Take what you need.
  • Take what you touch.
  • Plant what you take.
  • Learn about seed saving. 

Arlington Market
6462 Arlington Blvd.
8 AM - 9 PM Daily
  • Winter Squash, Delicata Honey Boat
  • Beets, Tall Top Early Wonder
  • Lettuce Mix
  • Dill

Joe's Market
95 W. Macdonald
7 AM-10 PM Daily
  • Winter Squash, Delicata Honey Boat
  • ​Beets, Tall Top Early Wonder
  • Lettuce Mix
  • Dill

Easter Hill United Methodist Church 
3911 Cutting Blvd. (located on S. 39th St. fence)
Open 24/7
  • Beets, Tall Top Early Wonder
  • Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck 
  • Winter Squash, Blue Kuri
  • Collards, Super
  • Lettuce Mix, ​5 Star Greenhouse ​
Picture
Easter Hill United Methodist Church

​Happy Lot Farm and Garden
104 1st St.
Open 24/7
  • ​​Zucchini - Costata Romanesco (can also dry and use as a winter squash for soups)
  • Yellow Crookneck Squash
  • Amaranth - Burgundy
  • Lettuce - 5 Star Greenhouse Mix
Picture
Happy Lot Farm and Garden, 104 1st St.

​La Loma Market
12899 San Pablo Ave.
7 AM - 6 PM Daily (closing hours vary)
  • Beans, Painted Pony 


The Latina Center
3701 Barrett Ave. (on fence 38th St.)
  • Beets, Tall Top Early Wonder
  • Amaranth, Burgundy
  • Winter Squash, Blue Kuri
  • Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck
Picture
The Latina Center, 38th & Barrett Ave.

​
La Raza
705 23rd St.
8 AM - 9 PM
  • Bean, Jade Bush
  • Fennel, Florence
  • Amaranth, Burgundy
  • Lettuce, Farmer's Market Mix

Nevin Community Center
598 Nevin Ave.
Zucchini, Costata Romanesco
Sweet Corn, Candy Mountain
Bush Beans, Jade

​Rancho Market
500 Market St.
9 AM - 10 PM Daily
  • Bush Beans, Jade
  • Winter Squash, Blue Kuri
  • Beets, Tall Top Early Wonder
  • Zucchini, Costata Romanesco
  • Lettuce, 5 Star Greenhouse Mix


Rich City Rides
1500 Macdonald Ave. 
12 - 5 PM M, W-Sat.
  • Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck
  • Cucumber, Marketmore 76
  • Marigold
  • Amaranth, Burgundy
  • Veggie Mix #1 - Yellow Summer Squash, Cucumbers, Lettuce Mix, Beets, Sweet Corn, Kale, Bush Beans
  • Lettuce - Farmer's Market Mix​
Picture
Rich City Rides, 1500 Macdonald Ave., a worker cooperative bike shop

​Richmond Grows Little Free Seed Library
624 31st. St. (between Roosevelt & Clinton Ave.)
Mondays-Fridays​
  • Zucchini, Costata Romanesco  - eat fresh or cut and dry for winter soups
  • Pole Beans, Great, Great Aunt Rosie's Italian Pole Beans
  • Bush Beans, Hidatsa Red - Soup bean
  • Lettuce, Farmer's Market Mix 
  • Summer Squash, Yellow Crookneck
  • Winter Squash, Delicata Honey Boat
  • Cucumber, Marketmore 76
  • Dill
  • Oregano
  • Beets, Bulls Blood
  • Purple Tree Collard Cuttings
  • Miscellaneous seed packets - older seed stock

Sheild-Reid Community Center
1410 Kelsey St.
Veggie Mix #4
  • Corn, Hickory King
  • Summer squash,Yellow Crookneck
  •  Beets, Early Wonder Tall Top
  • Lettuce, 5 Star Greenhouse Mix
  • Kale, Kalebration
  • Bush beans, Jade
  • Cucumber, Marketmore 76

New to Gardening? 

CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED.

Classes - Free, Online

Absolute Beginner's Gardening

Tuesday, July 22 1-3 PM Register
OR Tuesday, Aug. 4 6-8 PM Register
FREE, online 
Zoom link will be emailed an hour before class.
​
Join us for a class for absolute beginner gardeners. Learn about:
  • what to grow and when to grow it
  • sunlight requirements for different plants
  • how to start plants from seeds
  • how to build your soil
  • what plants do well in containers
  • how to properly plant seeds and starts
  • the basics of watering your plants
  • what to do if your plants aren't thriving
You will receive login information a few days before the class as well as a few minutes before the class.

Seed Saving in a Time of Crisis

Tuesday, July 14  3:30-5:30 PM Register
FREE, online
Zoom link will be emailed an hour before class

Learn how to save seeds from common vegetables such as beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, and cucumbers. 94% of commercial varieties that were available 100 years ago are gone and the biodiversity that we have left will be stewarded by community members like you. Explore how seed saving can enrich your life, save you money, and preserve biodiversity. Help save heirlooms of the past and breed heirlooms of the future. Create more resilience in your life and community by saving seeds!

Lettuce Unite! Newsletter


​Not from the Greater Richmond California Area?
It's easy to create your own seed lending library or locate a sister seed library.

What's a Seed Lending Library?

A seed lending library is a place where you can borrow seeds for free. You may be asking, “How can you ‘borrow’ seeds?” The basic is idea is that you plant the seeds, let some go to  seed, then return some of these next generation seeds for others to borrow. (Don’t worry. We don’t have fines if you don’t return seeds.)

We encourage home gardeners to save seeds from the "super easy" plants: tomatoes, lettuce, beans, and peas. Do not save seeds from plants in the "easy" or "difficult" drawer until you have more experience seed saving. Learn more about seed saving. 
​
Richmond Grows is a non-profit seed lending library located in the public library. We’re open whenever the public library is open. You do not need to have Richmond Public Library card to use the seed library, but we do ask people to watch our on-line orientation. We provide free classes on organic gardening and seed saving, and of course, you can also borrow books from the public library on these topics.


​Stories of Seeds 
Highlights from our Collection

Take a picture of a plant that you are saving seeds from. We want to hear your story of the plant you saved seeds from. Maybe let us know what dishes you made with it or share a favorite recipe using the plant. Each month we'd like to highlight something in our collection. You can submit your photos and a little write-up to RichmondGrows@gmail.com.

Envelopes - Grow Out Program

Return quality seed that is well labeled. Use our envelope labels (make a copy) or see if the variety you are growing already has a label pre-made on our Grow Out Program list. 
NOTE: Some plants readily cross pollinate, such as sunflowers, corn, and brassicas. If you are saving seeds from these plants and did not cage or hand-pollinate them, write "Crossed?" on the packet.

Help Us Grow Local Seed

Our intention is to grow more local seed for the benefit of the community. We're focusing on preserving varieties that have cultural significance or are rare or unusual while increasing food security and local resilience. What can you do to help?
  • Grow out seed - Never saved seeds before? We'll start you with "super easy" things you can save. Click on our Grow Out List plants and email us about what you'd like to grow. Pick ups of the seeds, seed saving instructions and return envelopes are at Richmond Grows.
  • Join East Bay Local Seeds - We're a group of individuals, seed librarians, public librarians and nonprofits working together to vision and create a network of local seed to be shared through and among seed libraries. Email us to get info about our next meeting.

Face-Place-Story

Video about Richmond Grows' Co-Founder Rebecca Newburn's garden

    A project of the Richmond Rivets
          In collaboration with the Richmond Public Library

A fiscally sponsored project of
Urban Tilth