2023 season recap.

Check out the highlights of our successful 8th season!

In its 8th season and in partnership with the Innisfil ideaLAB & Library, the Innisfil Seed Library hosted events and lent thousands of seeds to our community.

At the 6th Annual Innisfil Seedy Saturday event on April 1st, the Innisfil Seed Library reopened for its 8th season. In addition to seeds donated from our generous community , we continued to offer seeds generously donated by The Compost Council of Canada for “Plant, Grow, Share a Row,” a program aimed at growing food to share with community members. This initiative coincides with the Town’s Troy Scott Community Fridges, a food sharing program of “neighbours helping neighbours.” We also saw record numbers of volunteers at our seed packing parties at the Cookstown and Lakeshore branches throughout the spring.

The Innisfil Seed Library participated in the Health & Wellness Fair at the Rizzardo Health & Wellness Centre during Winter Weekends hosted by the Town of Innisfil. We shared seeds and advice to booth visitors eager for spring.

Innisfil Seedy Saturday 2024 saw the return of eager crowds of seed lovers at the Lakeshore branch. We hosted seed vendors, garden-related community groups and businesses, expert talks and a children’s interactive storytime. Our speaker series included author and native plant advocate Lorraine Johnson, and author and wild food expert Karen Stephenson. Our program and event were also featured in local media including Rogers TV as well as promoted during Innisfil’s Mayor’s Minute.

We hosted a summertime Garden Tea Party where participants enjoyed snacks while planting herbs in the courtyard of the Lakeshore branch. These herbs were made available to harvest by library visitors and offered to programs in support of the Troy Scott Community Fridges.

In late summer, Lorraine Johnson returned to lead a walk through the native gardens at the Lakeshore branch. Participants learned about how these plants support our native pollinators and were inspired to incorporate native plants into their urban spaces.

We also launched a new seed library information brochure and Borrow Seeds to Grow! video this season. We continued sharing resources through social media, our website and the Mindful Gardening YouTube channel featuring original videos about seed growing and saving.

We are grateful to our volunteers and generous seed donors who continue to support this volunteer-run program. Seed donations received through the library this fall and beyond will keep us sustainable as we head into the 2024 program. Find out how to donate seeds here.