Shuswap seed savers was founded 31 years ago and has been promoting seed saving, gardening and food security ever since. In 2018 we were given the opportunity to partner with the Enderby branch of the Okanagan Regional Library to create a community seed library. The purpose of the seed library is to make seeds available for those who need them, encourage people to grow their own food, foster a love of gardening and save and share locally grown seeds. Stocked with seeds donated by local gardeners and donations from West Coast Seeds, the seed library has flourished. We also take seeds to share at the local food bank in the spring. Each year we see an increase in both seed donations and the amount of seed shared. More and more people are growing some of their own food and enjoying beautiful flowers and herbs.
The seed library is a true community effort. We recently outgrew our seed cabinet. A former atlas cabinet has been repurposed into a beautiful seed cabinet, with the help of students in the wood shop class at our local high school, who created custom made seed trays to hold the seed packets. We hold regular seed packaging work bees at the library through the winter and early spring where volunteers package seeds and share gardening knowledge and laughter. The library staff go out of their way to make sure the seeds are accessible to all.
In addition to our involvement with the Enderby Seed Library, Shuswap Seed Savers hosts the annual Shuswap Seed Swap in March. We give out seeds at the Enderby and District Garden Club annual plant sale, the farmer's market in Enderby and at the Salmon Arm Fall Fair. These events give us a great opportunity to connect with others and share seed saving and gardening tips. Members of our group give seed saving workshops and we hold a seed cleaning event in the fall, where Farm Folk City Folk’s mobile seed cleaning trailer is well utilized.
Learn more about our group and the work we do at www.shuswapseedsavers.ca or find us on Facebook.