Aylmer Seed Project

The Aylmer Seed Project: Roots of Resilience

We started as a small group, collecting seeds from the Localeaf Seed Orchard for the nursery, to share and grow in our community, and packaging and giving these away to anyone interested in growing native plants.

This small group grew into a larger group of volunteers, helping to package not just native plant seeds, but also locally grown and harvested ancestral and heirloom seeds that thrive in our local climate. We asked likeminded organizations and seed savers to help us kick-start the project through additional seed donations, and they were extremely generous, keeping our volunteers packaging seeds all winter long.

This led to our first Seedy Saturday Aylmer, and from there has grown into a community-wide mission to create a self-sustaining loop of local biodiversity. We are now entering our second “trip around the sun,” and the project is already building strong community bonds, one seed at a time.

The Localeaf Seed Orchard

The engine of this project is the Localeaf Seed Orchard. A small group of volunteers helps manage and harvest seeds from established populations of native plants, and thriving heirloom and ancestral vegetable and herb seeds. By focusing on local ecotypes we ensure that the seeds we distribute are adapted to the Gatineau/Aylmer region, our local pollinators, and our short growing season. The Seed Orchard is a living library that protects our local seed heritage, and brings together community to learn, harvest and share.

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Our Goals

• Biodiversity: Protecting and expanding the native plant populations that our local insects and birds depend on.
• Food Security: Promoting the growth of locally adapted food and medicinal plants.
• Sharing & Distribution: Ensuring that high-quality, regionally adapted seeds are accessible to everyone.
• Climate Adaptation: Selecting and saving seeds from plants that show strength in our specific weather patterns.

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How the Project Works

1. Seed Collection & Workshops: We host free workshops where we teach volunteers about ethical seed collection, proper drying techniques, storage, and packing, in a relaxed, friendly community setting. You help us, but also learn skills (and seeds) to take home to your own garden.
2. Packaging Parties: Once the harvest is in, Pollinate Aylmer mobilizes to help package the seeds. These social “parties” are a great way to meet neighbors while doing the meditative work of prepping thousands of seeds for the community.
3. Seedy Saturday Aylmer: This is our flagship winter event! A 100% free community seed swap where neighbors and local community organizations come together to trade everything from heirloom tomatoes, ancestral family seeds to birdhouse gourds and native flowers. It’s our official kickoff to the growing season.
4. Seedling Sunday: In late spring, and throughout the growing season, we keep the momentum going with Seedling Sundays. This is where the community comes back together to share the “starts” they’ve grown. It’s a great way to get both native plants and garden veggies into the hands of neighbors who might not have had the space, time or knowledge to start from seed themselves.
5. The Aylmer Seed Library: We are actively working with local partners to establish a Seed Library. The idea is simple: you “check out” seeds like you would a library book. You grow them, learn from them, and — if all goes well — you harvest and “return” a portion of the new seeds to be shared with the next neighbor.

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Our Flagship Event

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