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Seed library germinates in Bradford

The Innisfil ideaLAB and Library has a seed library. So does the Barrie Public Library. And soon, so will the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library
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Members of the Bond Head/Bradford Garden Club set up a booth at the Bradford Farmers’ Market, encouraging interest in a seed library at the BWG Public Library. Miriam King/Bradford Today

Many libraries in Simcoe County have been expanding their collections, offering patrons not only books and periodicals, but CDs and DVDs, online databases – and now seeds.

More and more libraries are opening a seed library: a nook where gardeners can take out seeds at the start of the growing season, plant them in their gardens, then bring back some seeds at the end of the harvest.

It is all part of a movement toward food security — giving residents the option of growing their own vegetables, fruits and flowers at no cost, preserving biodiversity and heritage vegetables, and creating flower gardens that support pollinators.

The Innisfil ideaLAB and Library has a seed library. So does the Barrie Public Library. And by next spring, the goal is to open a seed library at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library.

Members of the Bond Head/Bradford Garden Club were at this year’s opening day of the Bradford Farmers’ Market, signing up gardeners interested in contributing to a seed library.

“It’s planting a seed!” said Wendy Zwaal, adult service librarian and organizer of the seed library. “At this point, people are just beginning to hear about it.”

A meeting is planned for June 20, with the goal of launching a seed library in spring 2019.

The library is now looking for community members and partners with an interest in establishing the seed library — and for gardeners willing to save and donate extra seeds in the fall.

Interested? Contact Wendy Zwaal at [email protected] or call 905-775-3328, ext. 6108. Check the library’s website for updates.  


Miriam King

About the Author: Miriam King

Miriam King is a journalist and photographer with Bradford Today, covering news and events in Bradford West Gwillimbury and Innisfil.
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