COLD LAKE - The Cold Lake Public Library can help you get ready for spring this year. Their seed exchange program started the week of March 20. People can come in and take a variety of vegetable, fruit, herb, or flower seed packages that are available, or leave some of their own. Some seeds are organic.
There is really no limit to the number of seeds people can take.
“People can take and bring as much as they want”, stated Administrative Assistant John Schienbein. The seeds are stored in a repurposed card catalogue. The exchange will end when planting season ends.
“Within 10 to 20 minutes of the library posting the seed exchange, people came to take seeds and another person left a whole bunch as well,” Schienbein added. The seeds are available at the South Branch.
For beginner gardeners who want more information about the basics of planting, the library is partnering with LICA to offer a seed starting workshop on Tuesday, May 2 at 6 p.m. at the South Branch (located in the same building as the City Hall). There is no cost for this event and a LICA Education and Outreach Coordinator will be on hand to offer guidance and answer question. Participants can go home with free plants.
There are a variety of yard tools and equipment available at the library Home Resource Centre and their Library of Things. People can save money and borrow a DynaSteam Weed Steamer, a Gorilla Cart Garden Wagon, Garden and Yard Leaf Scoops Hand Rakes, an Earthwise Sweep It!, a Scotts Turf Builder Edgeguard Mini Broadcast spreader, a ROHS Underground Metal Detector and digging tool, and a Neiko Heavy Duty 36-Inch Magnetic Sweeper.
For those who are going camping or boating later in the year, there are life jackets and Wi-FI smart hubs to sign out. All are available with a Cold Lake Public Library card, which is available at no cost for residents.
For children, there will be take home kits of crayons and a spring themed French/English colouring book. These will be available for free at the front circulation desks starting March 28 at the North and South branches.
