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Seedy Profile: Preston Idea Exchange

Paul Hrycyk

I’ve been to the post office more times than I can count this year. Often I have a large bag filled with fifteen or twenty envelopes, all packed with seeds, and addressed to people across the country. Other times I might just be dropping off a small packet of 25 bean seeds. So where’s it all going?

We have mailed over 16,000 seeds to members of the Vegetable Seed Producers Network this year. We have also sent out several varieties of beet, carrot and cabbage seed to some of our more experienced growers and seed savers. Over the course of this season and next season, these members will grow-out, save, and send us back seed from these varieties, to make sure the stocks in our Seed Library stay alive and viable. That’s a lot of outgoing mail, but it’s going to mean even more incoming mail at the end of the season, as members send us back seed they have saved.

Along with sharing seeds for members to grow out, we also send unique vegetable seeds to backyard gardeners, small growers, and community gardens across the country. One of the places our seeds ended up this year was Idea Exchange Preston’s library in Preston, Ontario. This spring they built a new community garden to use as part of an educational program over the summer. Jamie Kamula, acting manager at the Preston branch, talks about the new garden: “The goal of the garden is to create an outdoor space for our members to enjoy – before the space was only grass and no one went back there.”

The garden is designed with children in mind, and aims to engage kids in the various steps involved in growing food. Children in the community will have an opportunity to learn how food is grown, what healthy eating looks like, and how to care for a garden. The project is also integrated into Idea Exchange’s other activities. “All of our children’s programs, from the craft programs to our “Storytimes,” will focus on the garden,” says Kamula. “In addition, each Wednesday at 2:00 pm, the Garden Games program will have a special focus on the garden and the food that is grown. There will also be special guests from Healthy Beginnings, gardeners, and a beekeeper who will come to do activities with the children.”

The project was launched earlier this month, on June 6^th, when local families came out to the garden to help plant seeds and seedlings. “It was a wonderful day full of fun activities for the kids and gardening,” said Kamula. “We planted seeds for our vegetable garden, and flowers for a small pollinator garden. Thank you Seeds of Diversity for your generous donation, we can’t wait to watch our seeds grow into plants!”

There are many ways to protect the diversity of Canadian seeds. Growing and keeping heirloom varities is one important way. Storing saved seed properly is another. Organizing and encouraging the production of large quantities of rare seeds is yet another. But perhaps one of the most important paths to protecting our crop biodiversity is to teach younger generations the importance of a diverse and sustainable seed and food system. And Idea Exchange Preston’s garden project is doing just that.

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Find out more about Idea Exchange Preston’s community garden project at http://ideaexchange.org/kids/idea/preston-childrens-community-garden

Idea Exchange Preston’s children’s community garden is sponsored by TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and by local donations, such as from Seeds of Diversity.

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Paul Hrycyk is the project coordinator of the Vegetable Seed Producer's Network.

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