From Our Library to Your Garden
When you participate in the Beeton Seed Library, you help create a culture of sharing and abundance within the community. The more seeds in the library, the more members of our community can experience the pleasures of growing their own food. Thank you for your support!
How Does a Seed Library Work?
Come to the Beeton Seed Library and borrow seeds for free! How can you “borrow” seeds? The basic idea is that you plant the seeds, let some go to seed, then return some of these next generation seeds for others to borrow.
The Beeton Seed Library is a non-profit seed-lending library located in the D.A. Jones Branch Library. We’re open whenever the public library is open. You do not need to have a New Tecumseth Public Library card to use the seed library. We will be providing workshops on seed saving and gardening, and of course, you can also borrow books from the public library on these topics. We encourage all members to learn basic seed-saving techniques. We encourage that beginning seed savers grow out and return seeds from lettuce, tomato, bean or pea plants the first year.
Our Mission
To contribute to and support community gardening, foster self-reliance and promote healthy eating while educating the community about sustainable gardening and seed-sharing. The Beeton Seed Library celebrates biodiversity through the time-honoured tradition of seed saving, nurtures locally-adapted plant varieties, and fosters a culture of sharing by being an accessible and free source of plant seeds, supplied and cultivated by and for community residents.
How to Borrow Seeds
- 2026 Seeds are available through the following methods:
- Self-Serve: visit the Beeton Seed Library (D. A. Jones Branch).
- Order: place an order at any branch or contacting us by phone/email and your seeds will be delivered to the branch pickup location of your choice.
- Additional seeds/varieties can be accessed through self-service by visiting the Beeton Seed Library and browsing the collection. These seeds may include previous inventory and/or seeds obtained through return/donation.
How to Return Seeds
NOTE: We accept harvested seeds at any time of year & have FREE seed-saving envelopes available from the Beeton Seed Library!
- Drop your (fully dried) seeds off at the Beeton Seed Library and/or any NTPL branch and our staff will be happy to package them!
- Please include the following information with your donation:
- Your name
- Seed name & variety
- Location of harvest (town)
- Year harvested
- Planting season: spring | summer | fall | winter (indoor start)
- Sun requirements: full sun | part sun | part shade | full shade
- Any other information you feel would help a fellow gardener (height, flower colour, etc.)
How to Donate
Non-Harvested Seeds
We welcome seed donations of all kinds. We prioritize seeds that are GMO-free, organic, heirloom, and/or open-pollinated.
To donate non-harvested seeds, please follow the same instructions for harvested seeds (see left).
Beeton Seed Library is located at the D.A. Jones Branch
Suggest a Seed
If you don’t see something in our inventory that you think the Beeton Seed Library should be offering, fill out this form for consideration for future additions to the collection.
