MINOT, N.D. (KXNET) — Plenty of people around North Dakota are turning shovels and starting work in the garden this spring — and that hobby is one that can pay off at the dinner table as well as being involved in your community.

When Amee Mitchell, the founder of Seeds for Earth United Seed/Plant Exchange, moved to Minot, she says the community welcomed her with open arms. To Amee, her Minot neighbors go above and beyond to bring everyone in, especially those who need a helping hand. She says there are many programs and Facebook groups that help families in need, so she also wanted to give back by starting a seed library for local garden enthusiasts.

“So a seed library is a place where the community, during the Spring sow season, would bring their seeds to donate,” Mitchell explained. “They would also, could bring their vegetables is something that I’m also looking into.”

Mitchell says it doesn’t take much to get it started, and that there are many resources that could help start your seed and gardening journey.

“You can contact, call, email, message seed companies,” she stated. “They will gladly send you heirloom seeds. You don’t have to pay for them. I’m not going to sit here and say that I haven’t invested a little bit of money into this, but it’s something that I care about, and it’s something that I would like other people to care about.”

There are plenty of benefits to growing your own produce at home. According to The Garden Continuum, gardening reduces carbon emissions, provides better nutrition, and makes your food taste better. Mitchell agrees with all of these statements.

“It’s always said that eating healthy is extremely expensive,” she stated. “It does not have to be. It needs a little bit of time, a little bit of love, and it needs to be shared.”

Mitchell says she would like to see the seed library come to fruition within six months to a year. Currently, she has a GoFundMe page to fund or commission a building to be built for the Seed Library to run out of in Minot.

If you would like to donate supplies, you can call Amee at 701-441-1404 or send an email to SeedsForChange555@gmail.com.