Sustainability Story

Hume Libraries Plant and Produce Swap

Program Summary:
Plant and produce swaps have been an ongoing staple program at Tullamarine and Broadmeadows libraries for several years and have now been started at Sunbury and
Craigieburn libraries. These programs start with a monthly drop-in session to swap and share home-grown herbs, fruits, vegetables, cuttings, seeds and seedlings. The program is often used to cross-promote other community sustainability events and services, like local community gardens, the Hume Seed Library, and local council initiatives like the Hume Solar Rollout, Gardens for Wildlife, and the Live Green program. They are an opportunity to connect with likeminded nature lovers and gardening enthusiasts of all levels of experience. Participants share a morning tea, swap gardening tips, and get the first pick of newly arrived gardening and plant care books. Experienced gardeners can volunteer to mentor new gardeners, and guest speakers are booked regularly to talk about specialty topics like composting, citrus care, seasonal vegetables, seed-raising, vertical gardening, wicking beds, gardening to encourage native wildlife, and gardening for kids.

Council Policies on environment and sustainability:
Land and Biodiversity plan; Greenhouse action plan; Pathways to Sustainability.

Advocacy Partnership:
This program is run in partnership with the council's Live Green program, the Hume Enviro Champions program, local community gardens and the Hume Seed Library.

Promotion:
Inviting community groups to join by word of mouth, advertising via social media and the library website, the library's What's On brochure, in-branch signage and book displays, and advertising in Hume City Council publications such as the Live Green newsletter and the Home Harvest brochure.

Evaluation:
This program has been running successfully for several years now at Tullamarine and Broadmeadows libraries, and the regular attendance statistics were used as a basis to roll out the program to the Sunbury and Craigieburn libraries in 2020 and 2021.

This story meets the following sustainable development goals: