Oberlin Community Services offer free seeds for garden start-ups

Get a garden started with free fruit and vegetable seeds from Oberlin Community Services, according to a news release.

Indoor planting usually starts six to eight weeks before the last frost, the release said.

Residents can get ready by browsing Oberlin Community Services’ garden seed catalog at www.tinyurl.com/oberlinseeds and placing an order.

Choose from herbs, greens, broccoli, radish, squash, eggplant, melons, carrots, peppers, onions and other produce, according to the release.

Staff will pack it for pickup at 285 S. Professor St. in Oberlin, the release said.

“Seeds can be expensive.

That can hold people back from starting a garden, even if they’re interested,” said Jenna Stolarik, lead gardener at Oberlin Community Services. “Our seed catalog is about providing sustainable food that people can grow at home instead of spending their own money.”

Interest in gardening has vastly increased since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Stolarik said.

Soaring grocery store prices have pushed that interest even higher, she said.

Detailed directions for growing and harvesting your own food can be found at www.oberlincommunityservices.org, including howto guides on year-round gardening, seed banking and washing, freezing and storing produce.

The People’s Garden at Oberlin Community Services will open when the winter weather breaks and the ground warms.

Volunteers can help plant and tend the garden to provide fruit and vegetables for people in need, and to take home for themselves, according to the release.

To help out this spring, contact jenna@oberlincommunityservices.org or mikayla@oberlincommunityservices.org.

Oberlin Community Services is an emergency assistance nonprofit that serves people in southern Lorain County who seek help meeting basic needs.

Detailed directions for growing and harvesting your own food can be found at www. oberlincommunityservices.org, including how-to guides on yearround gardening, seed banking and washing, freezing and storing produce.