Victorians can once again get free seeds for the garden from the public library

We’ve got some great news for the gardening community in Greater Victoria!

The Victoria Seed Library will be returning to the central branch of the Greater Victoria Public Library (GVPL) after being on hiatus for several years.

Operated by the LifeCycles Project Society in partnership with the library, the Victoria Seed Library will offer users access to a wide selection of plant seeds, including vegetables, herbs, flowers and pollinator-friendly plants.

Participants of the program will have access to seeds, grow plants and are encouraged to return the seeds after successful harvests for future community members to use. Seed-saving and gardening resources will also be available at the Central Branch to encourage the success of the project.

In an effort to make the program more accessible to gardeners of all experience levels, the program will no longer require participants to complete a seed-saving workshop before accessing seeds.

Program organizers say that the aim of the project is to support local food growing and biodiversity across the region.

“We wanted to make it easier for people to access seeds,” said Lisa Small, fundraising and communications coordinator with LifeCycles Project Society.

“When seeds are shared, knowledge, biodiversity and community grow alongside them.”

The Seed Library will launch on Friday, July 10th, and LifeCycles Project will be on site hosting an information table from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 11th.

Additionally, a non-mandatory  seed-saving workshop will be held on Sunday, July 26th at the Welland Community Orchard. Registration is required for this workshop, and can be done here.

Seeds will be available to take during GVPL Central Branch hours. Participants are encouraged to take no more than three seed packets at one time and to return any seeds they don’t use.

Those who are looking to donate seeds for this program can drop them off at all 12 GVPL branches. Home-saved seeds and unused or partially used commercial seed packets are accepted. These donated seeds are to be recirculated through the library.

“Public libraries play an important role in making hands-on learning accessible,” said Nina Mosallaei, library services librarian with the Greater Victoria Public Library.

“The Seed Library connects people with practical knowledge, supports environmental learning, and helps build skills that extend beyond the library walls.”

If you’re looking to get some free seeds and contribute to sustainability in Victoria, check out the free Victoria Seed Library at the Central Branch of GVPL starting Friday, July 10th!