Greater Victoria Public Library relaunches free Seed Library to help residents grow food

Visitors to the Greater Victoria Public Library can now check out more than books.

The Victoria Seed Library has returned, giving residents free access to vegetable, herb, flower and pollinator-friendly seeds to grow food, gardens and habitat for pollinators at home.

The community program, a partnership between the Greater Victoria Public Library and LifeCycles Project Society, is reopening after a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic with a renewed focus on making gardening accessible to everyone.

In the past, participants were required to attend a seed-saving workshop before borrowing seeds. Now, anyone can stop by during regular library hours and take home up to three seed packets, no workshop, library card or membership required.

“We’re trying to reduce the barriers toward people being able to grow their own food and to garden by giving access to free seeds to the public,” said Lisa Small, communications and fundraising coordinator with LifeCycles Project Society.

Organizers hope the simpler approach encourages more people to try gardening while giving experienced growers the chance to experiment with new varieties.

But organizers say the project is about much more than growing vegetables.

Small says teaching people how to save seeds is an important part of strengthening local food security.

“A big component of food security is seed security,” she said.

Gardeners are encouraged to collect seeds from the plants they grow and return them to the Seed Library so they can be shared with others. Over time, those locally grown seeds become better adapted to Greater Victoria’s growing conditions, creating a stronger community seed supply season after season.

The selection of seeds will change throughout the year to reflect the growing season, but there are still plenty of options available for late-summer planting.

“We have a lot of beans, which are amazing because they’re super easy to grow and super easy to save seeds from,” Small said.

“We also have flowers, herbs, peas, lettuce, kale, chard and other greens.”

With Greater Victoria’s long growing season, she says there’s still plenty of time for residents to get something in the ground.

Beyond offering free seeds, the library also provides books and other gardening resources to help beginners learn how to grow healthy plants and save seeds for future harvests.

Residents who already have leftover seeds at home can also help keep the program growing. Organizers are accepting seed donations, including partially used seed packets, at all 12 Greater Victoria Public Library branches, where they’ll be sorted and added back into the collection.

Whether someone has a backyard, a balcony or just a few pots on a windowsill, organizers hope the seed library inspires more people to grow their own food, save their own seeds and share both with their community.