Have you been thinking about trying your hand at gardening or supporting native plants, but aren’t sure how to get started? The Frost Library has a simple and accessible way for you to start growing. 

Thanks to a group of students in Glendon Prof. Sabine Dreher’s Global Environmental Challenges course, we now have a branch of the Toronto Seed Library located in the lobby of the Frost Library. The Glendon Seed Library is open to the public, anytime during the library’s opening hours.

A seed library works like a regular library. Packets of seeds are “shelved” in a re-purposed card catalogue drawer. You can "borrow” the seeds you’d like to grow, then at the end of the season, you can “return” seeds from your plants for others to enjoy.

Whether you’re planting in a backyard, a balcony container, or a windowsill pot, the process is easy:

When returning seeds, please include the name of the plant and the year they were collected. You can also donate any extra seeds you didn’t end up planting; this helps keep the collection diverse and available for others.

While seeds can last for several years, their germination rates naturally decline over time. If you’re working with older seeds, planting a few more than usual can improve your chances of success.

Resources about planting and seed sowing as well as containers of vermiculite are available. In addition to the seeds provided by the Toronto Seed Library, we hope to add seeds from Glendon’s Community Garden soon. If you have questions about choosing seeds, planting, or saving them, the Frost Library team is happy to help. Stop by, explore the collection, and see what you can grow this season.

Happy Sowing!