Village Vancouver

Vancouver's Leader in Transition toward Strong, Resilient, Complete Communities

Seed Savers/Seed Libraries

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Seed Savers/Seed Libraries

Organized out of our Strathcona Park Field House, Savers is part of VV Neighbourhood Food Networks. Join VV, then Seed Savers.

We currently have 26 seed libraries in several neighbourhoods around Vancouver.  (See list below.) Some are accessible during regular operating hours, and some are accessible during workshops and other activities.

We run Seed Saving workshops, hold Seed Packet Parties at the field house and elsewhere, save seeds from our Collaborative Gardens in West Point Grey and the West End make seed donations to community and school gardens and other seed libraries, and support efforts to increase seed sovereignty. 

If you'd like to get involved, please contact seedsaving@villagevancouver.org.

Location: Vancouver, and anywhere else!
Members: 65
Latest Activity: Feb 14, 2021

VV Seed Collectives/Projects/Libraries/Banks and Resources

Seed Libraries:

Vancouver Public Libraries

Britannia branch VLP - 1661 Napier Street, Vancouver V5L 4X4

Carnegie branch VLP - 401 Main Street, Vancouver V6A 2T7

Champlain Heights branch VLP - 7110 Kerr Street, Vancouver V5S 4W2

Collingwood branch VLP - 2985 Kingsway, Vancouver V5R 5J4

Dunbar branch VLP - 4515 Dunbar Street, Vancouver V6S 2G7

Firehall branch VLP - 1455 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver V6H 4C5

Fraserview branch VLP - 1950 Argyle Drive, Vancouver V5P 2A8

Hastings branch VLP - 2674 East Hastings Street, Vancouver V5K 1Z6

Joe Fortes branch VLP - 870 Denman Street, Vancouver V6G 2L8

Kensington branch VLP - 1428 Cedar Cottage Mews, Vancouver V5N 5Z1

Kerrisdale branch VLP - 2112 West 42nd Avenue, Vancouver V6M 2B6

Kitsilano branch VLP - 2425 Macdonald Street, Vancouver V6K 3Y9

Marpole branch VLP - 8386 Granville Street, Vancouver V6P 4Z7

Mount Pleasant branch VLP - 1 Kingsway, Vancouver V5T 3H7

nə́c̓aʔmat ct Strathcona branch VLP - 730 East Hastings Street, Vancouver V6A 1R5

Renfrew branch VLP - 2969 East 22nd Avenue, Vancouver V5M 2Y3

South Hill branch VLP - 6076 Fraser Street, Vancouver V5W 2Z7

Terry Salman branch VLP - 4575 Clancy Loranger Way, Vancouver V5Y 2M4

West Point Grey branch VLP - 4566 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver V6R 2J1

Vancouver Island Regional Libraries

Nanaimo Harbourfront branch - 90 Commercial Street, Nanaimo V9R 5G4

MLA Offices 

Premier David Eby's Community Office - 2909 West Broadway, Vancouver V6K 2G6

MLA Christine Boyle's Constituency Office - 75 West Broadway, Vancouver V5Y 1P1

MLA Brenda Bailey's Community Office - 104-1245 West Broadway, Vancouver V6H 1G7

MLA Janet Routledge's Community Office - 4270 Hastings Street, Burnaby V5C 2J6

Neighbourhood Houses

Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House - 800 East Broadway, Vancouver V5T 1Y1

Kitsilano Neighbourhood House - 2305 West 7th Avenue, Vancouver V6K 1Y4

During Workshops and Events at:

Coal Harbour Community Centre - 480 Broughton Street, Vancouver V6E 4N1

Kitsilano Community Centre - 2690 Larch Street, Vancouver V6K 4K9

West End Community Centre - 870 Denman Street, Vancouver V6G 1K6

West Point Grey Community Centre - 4397 West 2nd Avenue, Vancouver V6R 1K4

Depending on the instructor (please check the workshop description):

False Creek Community Centre - 1318 Cartwright Street, Vancouver V6H 3R8

Trout Lake Community Centre - 3360 Victoria Drive, Vancouver V5N 4M4

Village Vancouver Roving Boxes (2):

Seeds are also available at Village Vancouver booths at fairs and festivals like Car Free Days of Summer in September. More information on upcoming events can be found on the Home page. 

RESOURCES

VV DIY Seedpack template info page! Create your own seed packets. Seed packet template

 

Download "How to Grow a_Seed Collective" by Robin Wheeler here, and then do it!

Download "A Guide to Seed Saving, Seed Stewardship & Seed Sovereignty" by the Seed Ambassadors Project (Jan 2010), and then do it!

 

Discussion Forum

Village Vancouver seed packet folding work party Sunday, April 12th, 3-6 pm

Started by Ross Moster Apr 11, 2015. 0 Replies

Hi all,We're having a seed packet folding party on Sunday, April 12th from 3-6 pm in Kits, near the beach. A potluck will follow.Goal: create over a thousand new seed packets for our various seed…Continue

VV Seed Library Box Building Day

Started by Ross Moster. Last reply by Ross Moster Nov 9, 2013. 1 Reply

Saturday, November 16, 2013 from 10am to 12:30pm McBride Park Fieldhouse, 4th and Waterloo, KitsJoin members of Kits, Main Street, and other Village Seed Saving Projects in building and painting…Continue

Kits Village/Main St. Village/Dunbar Village FREE Seed Saving Workshops

Started by Ross Moster Feb 20, 2013. 0 Replies

Sunday, February 24 from 9am to 12:30pmKits, near beach. Address to be sent to RSVPers a couple days before.Organized by Ross Moster, Kits Village Seed Savers/Library, Main Street Village Seed…Continue

Billets needed for 2012 BC Seed Gathering

Started by Ross Moster Oct 9, 2012. 0 Replies

There will be people coming from all over BC to attend the 2012 Seed Gathering. If you can billet someone for November 9th and 10th (or possibly the 9th, 10th, and 11th), please let us know. Contact…Continue

Comment Wall

Comment

You need to be a member of Seed Savers/Seed Libraries to add comments!

Comment by Cylia on October 8, 2012 at 8:54am

Looking for a low cost/free venue hopefully close to or in Cedar Cottage area to host a seedsaving workshop -- beginner level -- in the next few weeks. Please contact me if you know of a place or can offer a meeting space. Thanks. Cylia

Comment by Robin S. on September 11, 2012 at 10:27pm

Calling all seed geeks!
If you love seeds and the people who grow them, if you are the people who grow them, or if you want to be the people who grow them, save this date - November 9-11 is the BC Seeds Gathering 2012. Check this link for further details http://www.farmfolkcityfolk.ca/events/bc-seeds-gathering-2012/
Robin

Comment by Cylia on December 12, 2011 at 7:48pm

The Cedar Cottage seed saving collective is hoping to be able to offer black turtle (bush) bean, cranberry bean, dragon tongue bean, kintoki bean, black-seeded Simpson lettuce, darlaine pea (soup) and ancho hot pepper to "grow out". We will be testing for viability in the spring and may need to purchase more seed.

Contact ccseedsavingcollective@gmail.com if you’re interested in helping out. Our next meeting will be in January 2012.

Comment by Cylia on December 3, 2011 at 8:33am

I have begun to post 2012 Seedy Saturday (Sunday) events on our wordpress account located at http://ccseedsavers.wordpress.com/ .  The first one is late January.  Feel free to subscribe to get the latest news.  

Comment by Cylia on May 25, 2011 at 8:39pm

The Cedar Cottage Seed Savers Collective is holding a Community Seed Saving workshop this Sunday at Strathcona Community Centre from 1-4 pm.

Please pre-register at ccseedsavingcollective@gmail.com to hold your spot.

More info can be found by going to our webpage

I hope to see you there.  Thanks.  Cylia
Comment by Cylia on April 16, 2011 at 6:03pm
Attention organic gardeners (of all skill levels): the Cedar Cottage Seed Savers Collective is looking for several volunteers to support its seed bank by growing out a couple varieties of seed. You don't need to live in the Cedar Cottage neighbourhood to participate! We provide you with free seed and ongoing support and guidance throughout the growing season. At harvest time, volunteers may keep half of the bounty for themselves while the other half is returned to the seed bank. Please email ccseedsavingcollective@gmail.com if interested. And feel free to visit our blog! http://ccseedsavers.wordpress.com
 
Many thanks from the CC Seed Savers Collective.
Comment by Amy Tran on April 10, 2011 at 2:24pm

The Environmental Youth Alliance is having its annual "Spring Seed Swap" event on Saturday, April 16th, 10am-1pm at the Eco-Pavilion in the Strathcona Community Garden. We'd like to encourage gardeners from all over the city to come by to exchange seeds and to browse through the seed collection that EYA is happy to share, especially with new gardeners! For more information on this event, please contact info@eya.ca, or message me.


VV event page: http://www.villagevancouver.ca/events/eyas-spring-seed-swap

Comment by Amy Tran on April 4, 2011 at 11:58am

Hello: I'm very glad it went well. Thank you - still feeling a bit foggy but I'm sure a few more days of rest will help immensely.

Yes, agreed that we should be concentrating on our own seed collective for the time being. The question of seed purity is something that has to be seriously considered, and I know that it keeps coming up in our meetings.

I hope to email the group within the next few days in regards to our next meeting and items that need addressing.

Comment by Cylia on April 4, 2011 at 11:42am

Hi Amy:  I hope you're feeling much better. It was a good group and discussion.

I am open to both ideas, with enough seed being kept for purity and heritage value, while extra seed could be donated to seed libraries.  It's one way to get people engaged in learning about seed saving.

For now, we can concentrate on our seed collective. We're not quite at the seed giving away stage. Also, there is the question of seed purity.

Comment by Amy Tran on April 4, 2011 at 11:33am

Hey Cylia - sorry to have missed you, Peter, Ross (and everyone else!) yesterday at the Seed Savers forum. Really wish I could have been there... :( The seed library Ross mentioned was this one that recently started up in San Francisco: http://www.bcfoodsecuritygateway.ca/modules.php?name=Content&pa... (the page has a further link to http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/4/prweb8264038.htm)

 

The one I've known about for a little while now is the one in Richmond, California: http://www.richmondgrows.org/ I love that the seed lending library itself operates out of their public library.

 

Perhaps we should discuss this concept at our next meeting? It could certainly tie in to our concept of a seed bank, and how we should be operating it. It would seem that the "seed library" would require a lot more work as it is open to the public (with a pre-requisite orientation, whether in-person or online) whereas our "seed bank" is a more closed entity, and more for exchange with other seed banks/collectives...would you agree?

 

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