Seed Library

A seed exchange box is available in the sustainability corner of the Emil Figge Library. Seeds can be dropped off for exchange or donation, and new varieties can be taken home for personal cultivation. Please take only the amount of seeds that can be grown in the available garden space. Those new to gardening or without seeds of their own are welcome to borrow some to get started and, after the season, return freshly harvested seeds where possible. Home-saved seeds can be exchanged on a 1:1 basis or donated. Seed packets should be brought along or made independently; folding instructions are available. A stamp next to the box can be used to label packets with the variety and relevant growing information.

Due to current legislation and the heavy use of nature by humans, biodiversity is being increasingly thinned out. This also affects the diversity of crops that we eat every day. Increasingly, crop varieties are being lost, as well as knowledge about cultivation and seed conservation. By exchanging seed-proof seeds, we jointly contribute to the preservation of knowledge and biologically valuable varieties and diversity. 

All TU members are invited to swap seeds with each other, borrow seeds, grow seeds, or garden together.

Literature and information on seed collection can be found on the shelves next to the seed exchange box. We’d be happy if you’d return the seeds you’ve collected to the seed library for exchange after the harvest. Did the crop fail, or are you unable to return any seeds? Don’t worry - there’s no loan receipt. The lending system is based on trust and the idea of sharing and gardening together.

The (propagated) seeds can be packaged, for example, in homemade seed packets. Instructions for folding the seed packets are available in the seed library.

In the exchange box, only seeds that are seedfast are to be exchanged. "Samenfest" is the name given to varieties that can be propagated by traditional methods such as pollination by wind or insects. In doing so, they retain their variety-specific characteristics such as flavor, size or color. Seedfast seeds can be used again and again if propagated correctly and produce the same plant.

Unlike seedfast varieties, most varieties on the market are "hybrids." These are bred by inbreeding in one's own line and subsequent crossing. This gives them special properties, for example particularly large fruits or pest resistance. The resulting daughter generation is also called F1 hybrid. It has the desired properties particularly pronounced. However, the effect is lost in the following generation, the variety diverges again, it is not stable in its properties. So it can happen that the fruits of seeds of a F1 hybrid have different colors, sizes and tastes.

Hybrid seeds can often be recognized by the imprint on the package, marked by "F-Hybrid" or "F1". Seedfast seeds are usually not specially marked.

Plants take up different amounts of space and also yield very different amounts of harvest. Depending on the type of plant, in a vegetable garden the seeds tend to be grown individually, in rows or mti other methods. Some pointers so that after sowing does not remain kilos of seeds:

• Tomatoes and peppers: 3-4 plants per m^²
• Bush beans: 15 seeds per meter (row sowing)
• pole beans: 8-10 seeds for one thick pole
• Carrots: 50 seeds per meter (row sowing)
• Broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, kale: 4-6 plants per m²
• Parsnip and beet: 7-10 plants per meter (row sowing)
• Garlic and onions: 6-10 plants per meter (row sowing).

Crop yields are extremely variable. So it's worth considering beforehand how much space you have in your garden or on your balcony and what plants you want to put there. Seeds lose their germination power after some time, in some plants after only one year. Therefore, smaller seed quantities are more suitable, because they are actually used up. It also leaves more to swap and share.

The optimal sowing times vary depending on the variety. You should also check whether the seeds need to be started indoors in a pot or whether they can be sown directly in the ground.

For a safe seed harvest, please note the following:

• Seed bags should be labeled as accurately as possible (with species and variety) - every recipient is happy to receive sowing instructions and tips.
• Only seeds that have been grown without the use of pesticides, pesticides and artificial fertilizers should be used.
• The seeds should be cleaned from plant residues and dried well for a few days in the open.
• Only seed-proof (organic) varieties - no offspring of F1 hybrids should be used. F1 hybrids are targeted crosses that cannot be grown as pure varieties.

• Seed swap and the seed swap box is a non-profit and non-commercial action.
• It is not allowed to exchange varieties that are noted as protected by the Federal Office of Plant Varieties.
• It is forbidden to sell the results (crops and seeds) from the exchange.
• Everything is done at your own risk - only what is absolutely safe and edible should be consumed.
• Some vegetables are not suitable for raw consumption. Beans, for example, are poisonous raw.
• Seeds of unprotected cucurbits (cucumber, pumpkin, zucchini) must not be exchanged. If unintentional crosses occur, they may be unpalatable or toxic.