Off the Shelf: Garden & Seed Library Updates
By Angela Spatafore on August 12, 2026 from Off the Shelf
One of the special things at our library that I love to talk about is our community garden.
We started with five raised beds back in 2023, and every year since we have added new things to the garden space such as a bird feeder and a compost bin.
This year, we took out the raised beds due to their age and condition, and we replaced them with grow bags.
This change allows us to move grow bags around the garden to get more or less light depending on the plant's needs, and it allows for greater accessibility because grow bags can be placed on the garden's workbench, which allows gardeners to work without straining their knees or back.
The changes we made to the garden proved to be the right move. Not only have we been able to add more plants than ever, but our plants are doing extremely well.
Our green beans are growing taller than ever, and our pepper plants have produced many peppers with more still growing!
Our community garden is maintained entirely by staff and library patrons who attend our weekly gardening event, Roots & Readers.
We meet every Friday at 3:30 p.m. to tend to the garden and its needs.
Anyone who attends gets first dibs on anything grown in the garden that week.
Library patrons are invited to walk around the garden outside of Roots & Readers.
The gate is open during library hours, so you are welcome to admire everyone's hard work. We have benches for seating if you want to sit down and enjoy the garden atmosphere for a little while.
I cannot bring up the garden without mentioning our Seed Library.
In 2023, we converted our card catalog into a seed exchange.
Every time you visit the library, you can pick up 5 packets of seeds and take them home. We also accept seed donations to add to the seed library.
Home Depot in Bridgeport graciously donated a ton of seeds at the end of the growing season, so be sure to look at what is in stock next time you come to the library!
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