Rooted in Community:

Every great garden starts with a single, tiny seed—and our story is no different. What began as a simple idea at the Evesham Library has blossomed into a thriving community-wide movement, fueled by local passion and a shared love for the earth.

It Started with a Spark

In October 2024, our journey found its first champions: Girl Scout Troop 2381. These young leaders didn't just support the idea; they brought it to life for the whole town to see.

Participating in the annual Scarecrow Contest at The Promenade, the Troop designed a unique entry that perfectly captured our mission. Their scarecrow featured "many hands," each reaching out and holding seeds on behalf of the library project. This creative display showcased the "One Seed, One Community" initiative, providing the essential foundation for what are now our Free Seed Binders.

Growing Together

The momentum didn't chill during the colder months. We spent the winter of 2025 bravely diving into planning our first seed binder with the invaluable help and support of The Garden Club of Marlton.

The Garden Club brought more than just seeds to the table—they brought their incredible creative talent. Members designed beautiful flower illustrations for each type of annual, transforming the binder into a fun,visual guide. Each page includes expert tips for success, covering:

Light Requirements: Finding the perfect sun or shade.
Growth Habits: Understanding how the plant spreads and climbs.
Bloom Time: Knowing when to expect those first pops of color.

By the Spring of 2025, through a collaborative effort with commercial growers and club members, we launched our first Pollinator Binder featuring ten of the most common pollinator-friendly annuals.

Chartwell Gardens Seed Gathering

We had a fantastic time on Oct 2nd 2025 with the wonderful ladies of The Garden Club of Marlton (GCM) at Chartwell Gardens

It was a beautiful and productive day of gathering native and perennial seeds. These precious seeds will soon be sorted and prepared during the upcoming GCM workshop on October 15th.

Once ready, they will be added to our community resource: the Free Seed Binder at the Evesham Library! This project makes seeds available for all our Marlton friends and neighbors to share and grow.

A huge thank you to Chartwell Gardens for your gracious hosting and support of our local seed-sharing efforts! It was a 'picture-perfect' day.

At the end, added to our Library Gallery are three pictures of the monarchs and hummingbirds who found their way to the GCM herb garden, we care for at the John Inskeep House and our backyards.

🌱 Our Roots: Sowing the Seeds of Community

The Marlton Seed Exchange wasn't just built on a shelf—it was grown through partnership and a shared passion for our local environment.

A Night of Native Growth

On October 13th, 2025, the NPS-NJ Southwest Chapter hosted an inspiring Seed Cleaning and Saving Workshop at the Camden County Sustainability Campus. It was a night dedicated to the future of our local ecosystem, as we gathered to prepare native seeds for the upcoming winter sowing season.

During the event, Shirley Bailey, the Evesham Library Coordinator for the Free Seed Exchange, shared the story of how our library's program took root. Her message was clear: we are more than just a collection of binders; we are a community-wide effort to help our ecosystem survive.

A Gift for Evesham Library

By the end of the evening, the Evesham Library was the proud recipient of over 30 different species of native seeds. These donations from the NPSNJ - SW Chapter were cleaned, packaged, and shared with you—completely free of charge

Our Motto: Take, Grow, Share.

In our inaugural year at the Evesham Library, we are committed to this simple cycle. You take a seed, you grow a plant, and you share the beauty (and we hope a few seeds!) back with the community.