Bernard Lansbergen
Special to Niagara Now/The Lake Report

Spring is here, which means the Seed Library is once again opening its doors, in an effort to get the people of Niagara-on-the-Lake to grow their own vegetables.

The program, which started in 2019, is a project of the NOTL Public Library, that lets anyone in town reserve seeds online, pick them up at the library and grow them at home.

It’s a project that aims to include the whole community. As Christine Reganti, the library’s IT/Makery assistant and manager of the Seed Library, explains: “You don’t need a huge garden to be able to grow your own stuff, you can use pots. So even if you live in a small apartment or you have big farm land, anyone can participate.”

The Seed Library boasts a collection of over 70 different seeds, all of the heirloom variety, which means they have a history of being passed down in the community and they produce plants that are identical to their parent. Says Reganti: ”It’s a pretty wide variety with lots of different types of seeds, from flowers, to vegetables, and grains,” as well as herbs.

But the project is not only about planting seeds and growing them. It’s also about giving back to the community. At the end of the growing season the library asks anyone who is willing to donate some of their seeds to the library’s catalogue.

While the Seed Library is currently supplemented with seeds from outside sources, the goal is to make it a self-sustaining system. “We would love to expand the collection,” says Reganti.

She hopes this project will bring the community together during these difficult times: “There’s nothing like helping each other grow stuff.”

To request or donate seeds, go to notlpubliclibrary.org/seedlibrary.