Winter sowing helps start community garden’s first spring crop

Cold and snowy weather didn’t prevent the Center Moriches Free Public Library from getting a head start for the spring crop this year.

According to library clerk Tina Mavrotheris, winter seed sowing is a simple method of starting seeds outdoors during the winter in small containers that act as mini greenhouses.

She led the effort by collecting and repurposing plastic milk jugs and planting a variety of seeds including broccoli, oregano, parsley and turnips. The seeds naturally germinate in the soil as temperatures warm in early spring, producing hardy seedlings that are already adapted to outdoor conditions. 

The library anticipates planting these seedlings in their Community Garden later this spring.

The library unveiled its new Community Garden and an Outdoor Children’s Area on Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, with a ribbon cutting. Construction officially began in September of 2025. The project was completed at no cost to the taxpayer.

In 2024, with the support of assemblyman Fred Thiele (now retired), the library successfully applied for and was awarded a $125,000 CREST Grant (Community Resiliency, Economic Sustainability, and Technology). 

The Community Garden now consists of raised beds that are accessible to all abilities and will build upon the library’s successful seed library that has run for the last eight years. 

This project, according to library director Marcie Litjens, also fits into the Sustainability Libraries Initiative, of which they have been continually working towards their certification.

The seed library is also entering its ninth year and is fully stocked and waiting for patrons to select seeds to start their garden. The library has over 100 varieties of herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables to choose from.

This year, according to Litjens, they added several varieties of flowers to their collection including four o’Clocks, Lupine, Anna Viola, bachelor’s buttons and Queen Sophie Marigold. 

“A seed library grows more than gardens, it grows knowledge, resilience, and community,” she said. “The library maintains a vast collection of gardening books to get you started with a new hobby or fine tune your skills as a gardener.”

To check out seeds, simply fill out the form in the library with your name and library card number, place it in the provided box and you may choose up to five packets of seeds per library card.  This program is free and for Center Moriches Free Public Library cardholders.