Village Vancouver

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Seed Savers/Seed Libraries

Information

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, convene Seed Saver Clubs, hold Seed Packet Parties at the fieldhouse and elsewhere, save seeds from our Collaborative Gardens in Kits, Strathcona, and W. Pt. Grey, make seed donations to community and school gardens and other seed libraries, and support efforts to increase seed sovereinty. 

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

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

VV Seed Collectives/Projects/Libraries/Banks and Resources

VV Seed Saving Collectives/Projects/Libraries/Banks

Westside Neighbourhood Food Network Libraries                                     Kits Village Seed Savers/Seed Libraries 

     -- 4 libraries: Kits Village Seed Library (roving), Seed Library @ Kits branch Library, VPL, Seed Library @ MLA David Eby's office, Kits Village Collaborative Garden Seed Library

  Kerrisdale Village Seed Savers Club/Seed Libraries 

       --3 libraries (including 2 bike pannier libraries )(@Kerrisdale CC workshops and elewhere)

  W. Pt. Grey Village Seed Library (Aberthau Garden/WPGCC) )(@Aberthau workshops, EcoGarden work parties, and elewhere)

Downtown Eastside                                                                                               Carnegie Community Centre (in collaboration with Hives for Humanity)

Fairview/False Creek Neighbourhood Food Network Seed Library (@workshops at Charleson Garden and elsewhere)

Grandview Woodland Seed Library (in collaboration with GW Food Connection) (@Stone Soup Festival and other activiies)

Riley Park/Little Moutain/Main Street Seed Libraries                                                              Main Street Neighbourhood Village Seed Library

     Riley Park Community Garden Seed Library (in collaboration with LMRPFN)

     LMRPFN Seniors activities (4 small libraries, inc. 2 temporary)

Marpole-Oakridge Neighbourhood Food Network Seed Library (@MOCC                           workshops and @ other activities,  previously at Marpole Place Neighbourhood   House)

Mt. Pleasant Seed Libraries 

      Mt. Pleasant branch Vancouver Public Library (in collaboration with MPVPL)

      Mt. Pleasant Neighbourhood House (in collaboration with MPNH and MP Food            Network)

Strathcona Seed Libraries

      Strathcona Community Centre Seed Library (in collaboration with SCC and                  SFSP)

       VV Strathcona Field House Seed Library

West End VV/WE Neighbourhood Food Network Seed Libraries (in collaboration              w/ WENFN and WECC, Gordon Neighbourhood House Library in collaboration          with GNH))

      -- 3 libraries (@WECC potlucks, workshops, and other actvities, one roving,                   @GNH activities)

VV roving Seed Library: @VV workshops in Champlain Heights (CHCC), Fraserview-Killarney ((Riverlands Community Garden), Sunset (Sunset CC),  Douglas Park (DPCC), community fairs and festivals around town

Pending: TCC (Hastings-Sunrise), KNH (WFC), Linden Tree (WFC), Spartacus (CC), Nelson, BC

 

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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