Illustration by Leonardo Cervantes
Humans and plants have a coexisting relationship, with plants being cultivated for nutrition, medicine and many other uses.
The Arlington Public Library fosters this relationship with a public seed library, a collection of free seed packets that residents can take for their own gardens.
The packets are offered at four locations: the George W. Hawkes Downtown Library, the Ron Wright Lake Arlington Branch, the Southwest Branch and the Woodland West Branch.
According to Aaron Remotigue, community programming librarian, the seed library has gone through several renditions.
It first opened in 2017 at the downtown library. Fewer people visited the seed library after COVID because they didn’t know about it, Remotigue said.
The seed library had a relaunch in 2025 under Remotigue due to his personal interest in plants and an Eagle Scout who needed a community project.
“The inspiration was kind of just community, gardening and promoting that to people,” Remotigue said.
The library provides free gardening guides, like the Farmer’s Almanac and the Texas A&M AgriLife Newcomers Guide, according to the library’s home page.
Another free resource is a sprinkler evaluation. Residents can get a detailed report with recommended changes to increase efficiency and reduce water waste.
Monthly classes are also offered by Tarrant County Master Gardeners, through the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. The events teach residents about using native plants in landscaping and taking care of a garden, Remotigue said.
The library has received support from the community since the revamp, with around 4,000 seed packets distributed.
“I’ve had gardeners at my branches come in and get really excited about it and want to get involved,” Remotigue said.
Residents can donate to the seed library, as well. All they need to do is place the seeds into a labeled plastic bag and deliver them to the front desk of a library branch, Remotigue said.
The library also hosts seed swaps, where residents can exchange seeds with other gardeners, Remotigue said.
“It’s helped to promote the library but also to really lean into that community aspect,” he said.
Remotigue said he wants to research and create information packets on the different seeds in the library.
“I’m excited to see what it will be like in five years,” Remontigue said. “It’s got a great start so far.”
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