Have you ever heard of a seed library?
It’s a free community resource, where you can pick up seeds and then return others at a later date.
Riverview has the largest physical seed library in Canada.
“The concept is that they grow seeds and then either save a portion of the seeds that they grew or they acquire seeds from elsewhere and then bring those back to the Seed Library. So you’re withdrawing seeds and then later returning seeds,” explained Alicia Clarkson, Community Engagement Worker.
The Riverview seed library has around 400 varieties of seed in one location, where you can physically go and choose your seeds. Other locations in Canada offer online seed exchanges.
“We have everything from vegetables to ornamentals to herbs. So we’ve got dozens of types of tomatoes, dozens of types of beans, and we have a little bit of everything. So Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 to 4 pm, anyone can just drop in, either pick up seeds or drop some off or just stop by and chat seeds, and have a cup of coffee,” Clarkson told our newsroom.
They ask that you only take the seeds you are going to use. For instance, if you are working on a flower garden, you choose your variety of flower seeds, or if you’re growing vegetables, you take seeds for that instead.
“We’re distributing them based on how much the average person would need for a garden for that species and what we have in stock. So if we’ve got a very, very small amount of something in stock, you might only get two or three seeds because the idea is that you’re going to plant those and then save the seeds for yourself and to bring some back to the library,” Clarkson explained.
The Riverview seed library started in 2022, and community gardeners and those who love seeds have been users. Clarkson said their goal is to encourage even more people to share their seeds.
“The more people, the more varieties we’ll have and the more access people will have to seeds. Any gardeners would have noticed that the price of seeds is going up, and we think that being able to grow your own food shouldn’t be something that’s only for people who can afford to buy seeds,” Clarkson stressed.
Wondering how busy the seed library is in the winter months? Clarkson said it’s busier than you may think. “Quite a few people are coming to the seed library twice a week. Partly, I think that’s because we’re in the middle of winter and gardeners need to do something garden-related. But we also have people stopping by to take a look at the catalogue and to have a chat.”
Clarkson said seed donations range from small amounts to full garbage bags, with some coming from local businesses.
“Essentially, what happens is if somebody brings in a variety that we don’t already have, it goes into a separate box to get catalogued and alphabetized at a later date. Most of the time, we do ask that people bring us labelled seeds, with the variety. I have occasionally received an envelope with a question mark and IDK on it. Those become like mystery seeds that we’ll plant and find out what they are,” Clarkson described.
If you’re new to gardening and wondering how long seeds will last? Clarkson told us the general rule of thumb is three to five years, but beans and peas can last up to ten years.
“They have taken seeds from Egyptian tombs and grown them, and they’re still fine. Essentially, what happens over time is that you have a lower germination rate. So if you plant 100 seeds that were just collected last year, you might get 100 seedlings, whereas five years from now, you might only get 85. So it slowly goes down,” Clarkson explained.
The Riverview Seed Library is located at 50 Runnymeade Road, in Riverview, New Brunswick. For those who are familiar with the town, that’s the Coverdale Centre. The seed library is currently open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2 pm to 4 pm. Visitors should go through the back door of the building nearest to the splash pad, and they’ll see a sign for the seed library.
