Gay Lea Foods is owned by over 1,200 dairy farmers.  In 2008 they purchased Andy and Lotty van Kasteren’s private collection of 16,000 or so dairy artifacts and in 2010 the building and property where they were housed.
 
Over the past year, the museum has become the place for some lively and well received educational experiences. Museum staff, under the leadership of former teacher Kerr Smith, has developed programs which are creative, interactive and mesh perfectly with the school curriculum. Making (and eating) ice-cream is a particularly popular science activity!

The museum is the perfect place to introduce high school students to the co-operative business model, and staff thought it might also be a good setting from which to share the inspiring story of co-operatives with an even wider audience.
 
The over 1,300 unique, democratically owned co-operatives in Ontario range from community-owned credit unions, grocery stores, and theatres, to band-owned record labels, worker-owned retail stores, and the Gay Lea farmer-owned dairy company. They are guided by principles that put community first, and people before profit. 

Kim Teuscher, museum coordinator, says “We wanted to hold an event which would celebrate our site and Gay Lea’s co-operative history – a chance for co-op enthusiasts to connect and for others to learn more about them. We thought a picnic would be the perfect format, and the museum the perfect site for that sort of community gathering.”
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You are invited to join the picnic on Saturday August 27th, to play, learn, eat, drink, dance, create, network, explore and experience true "community" at Gay Lea’s first-ever … Co-opAlooza Picnic! Find out more and purchase tickets at www.dairyheritagemuseum.ca.

Library staff member Jonathan Mitchell credits fellow colleague Ann Honchell with planting the original idea for the program. She knew about Jonathan’s passion for local gardening and food and had worked at a library in Colorado which operated a successful seed library. Ann urged him, “Why not start one here?” and has offered on-going encouragement.  
 
Jonathan recalls, “That was last year and at the time I had never heard of seed libraries. But a book on the topic had just arrived and I checked it out.” That was the springboard for more research and a growing level of excitement about the idea. By October, he was ready to present his proposal for a seed library to Public Services Librarian, Heather Robinson. She shared his enthusiasm. She says, “It’s great when the passions of our staff can be weaved into the services we offer.”

Seed Libraries a Growing Movement

The seed library movement began in the United States in the early 2000s. By the end of 2012 they began to appear in Canada, and since 2013 have proliferated. There are now approximately fifty operating in Canada. Often, but not always, they can be found in public libraries. It’s a good fit since the holdings of a library are publicly accessible and conditions are generally good for seed storage.
 
Reasons for saving seeds are many. Most importantly, there is an increasing awareness that future food security depends upon preserving seed bio-diversity and public accessibility. Some well-known Canadian artists share their reasons for saving seeds in this video:

In addition to helping promote seed diversity and accessibility, seed saving:

• is an effective mechanism for collecting and distributing a variety of heirloom, rare and culturally important seeds that are typically not available from seed companies

• creates a culture of sharing and abundance within the community
• saves money
• provides opportunity for the joy of learning about seed-saving and the natural world
• affords opportunity to connect to our garden heritage

The Seed Savers Exchange celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2015 with a blog outlining forty reasons to save seeds: http://blog.seedsavers.org/blog/40-reasons-to-save-seeds.

Designed to Appeal to Wide Variety of Gardeners

Since the project was approved, Jonathan has put the wheels in motion for the February 29th launch. He has connected with local organizations like the St. Thomas Horticultural Society and with the founder of the Toronto Seed Library, Jacob Kearey-Moreland who visited and spoke with staff. He says, “Many of the seeds to start the library will come from a generous donation by The Cottage Gardener Heirloom Seedhouse & Nursery … and some from my own back yard.” Two groups USC Canada, and Seeds of Diversity have been helpful resources in the start-up process.  
 
Although Jonathan has a big garden (¾ of his back yard) with vegetables, herbs and flowers he is striving to make the St. Thomas Seed Library of value to just about any type of gardener. He notes, “We will try to cater to those who don’t have a lot of space to grow food. Many of the varieties which will be available could be grown on a patio. Some of the herbs could be grown in a kitchen garden and there will be herbs, dwarf beans, peas and tomatoes suitable for growing in pots.”

Like Books, Seeds Tell Stories

He adds, “As well, we want to focus on the story behind the seeds. We live in such an agriculture-rich area with a lot of history.” His own interest in gardening began when he was five years old and helped in the garden and saved seeds with his father. Some of the seeds which he has contributed are from his “4 O’Clock Flowers”. He says, “When I was a kid there was an elderly lady on my paper route who gave me a packet of these seeds. I have been planting them every year since.” If a contributor has a story they would like to share, it can be included on the seed packet along with the other information about the seed.
 
Registration to become a member of the Seed Library will begin with the launch on February 29th, and then an orientation session will provide the help needed to get started. “Seed saving requires some basic knowledge, but really anyone can get the hang of it. We hope that by beginning small, people will realize how easy, and truly necessary, it is to save seeds.”
 
The goal is to build, over time, a catalogue of open-pollinated, mostly heritage, non-GMO seeds.
Community members can get involved, even in a small way, by growing just one variety of herb, vegetable or flower and saving the seeds. Seed saving is easier with some plants than others and that information will be available at the library.

Since food and seed literacy includes knowledge of other topics related to seed saving, Jonathan is also working on a Spring Learning Series on topics such as pests, vertical gardening, soils, and growing a pollinator garden.

The hope is that the St. Thomas Seed Library program will engage gardeners of diverse styles and interests, that it will “blossom” this spring – and “go to seed” at the end of the season.
 
Visit St. Thomas Public Library for books on seed saving. The seed storage area is set up in some lovely old card-catalogue files in preparation for the launch. Like the library’s books and other resources, the seeds available with be included in their searchable database. The library is located at 153 Curtis St, St. Thomas. Find our more at www.stthomaspubliclibrary.ca or call 519-631-6050

Above: The Cowx rustic woodland garden has evolved over twelve years (photos 1-4); the Parker garden features collected drift wood and other ornamental features (photos 5-8); the McClay garden has recently undergone a revamping with the planting of several new trees and addition of decorative wooden structures (photos 9-12); The van Kasteren garden has undergone rejuvenation of both front and back yards over the last five years; (photos 13-16); the Dances have encouraged their children to participate in the garden and have fun with plants (photos 17-20).  

The St. Thomas & District Horticultural Society Annual Garden Tour 2014 showcased nine extraordinary gardens with a wide range of designs. A variety of styles and ideas could be seen in three St. Thomas Gardens, plus six in Central Elgin where farm field back-drops added a beautiful expansive vista to the gardeners' handiwork.