Research Guides: Langara Seed Swap: Further Resources

This is a curated resource list on topics such as gardening, food security, seeds and seed harvesting, native plant species, sustainable food production and more.

These resources are here to help you learn all about the basics of gardening to the harvesting of seeds to what plants encourage pollinators to visit your green space.

The list consists of books, e-books and streaming videos, that the Langara Library has, plus some podcasts and external links for additional advice and places to seek specific information.

Have fun exploring!

Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest by Arthur R. Kruckeberg; Linda Chalker-Scott; Richard G. Olmstead (Foreword by)
ISBN: 9780295744155
Publication Date: 2019-03-12
The Pacific Northwest abounds with native plants that bring beauty to the home garden while offering food and shelter to birds, bees, butterflies, and other wildlife. Elegant trilliums thrive in woodland settings. Showy lewisias stand out in the rock garden. Hazel and huckleberry number among the delights of early spring, while serviceberry and creek dogwood provide a riot of fall color. Gardening with Native Plants of the Pacific Northwest is the essential resource for learning how to best use this stunning array. Close to 1,000 choices of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and grasses for diverse terrain and conditions, from Canada to California, and east to the Rockies 948 color photographs, with useful habitat icons Fully updated nomenclature, with an index of subjects and an index of plant names (common and scientific).
Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples by Nancy J. Turner
ISBN: 9780772656278
Publication Date: 2006-12-11
In Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples, renowned ethnobotanist Nancy J. Turner describes more than 100 plants traditionally harvested and eaten by coastal aboriginal groups. Each description contains botanical details and a colour photograph to help identify the plant, information on where to find it, and a discussion on traditional methods of harvesting and preparation. This popular book remains an essential guide for anyone interested in wild edible plants or traditional cultures of First Peoples living on the coast of British Columbia and adjacent areas in Alaska and Washington.
Food from the Radical Center
Call Number: S 604.64 N7 N33 2018
The author tells the stories of diverse communities that are getting their hands dirty and bringing back North America's unique fare: bison, sturgeon, camas lilies, ancient grains, turkeys, and more. These efforts have united people from the left and right, rural and urban, faith-based and science-based, in game-changing collaborations. Their successes are extraordinary by any measure, whether economic, ecological, or social. In fact, the restoration of land and rare species has provided- dollar for dollar- one of the best returns on investment of any conservation initiative.
Beneficial Insects
Call Number: SF 517 A443 2019
This book provides information on many groups of insects and mites that act as natural enemies or biological control agents of phytophagous insects and mites, including plant pests; illustrated with high-quality colour photographs; focuses mainly on insects and mites as natural enemies of plant pests, including parasitic and predacious species that have been accidentally or deliberately introduced in classical biological control programmes; reviews the role of phytophagous European insects and mites in controlling or managing European plants that have become invasive weeds in other parts of the world, mainly in North America, Australia and New Zealand.
The Flora and Fauna of Coastal British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest
Call Number: QH 104.5 N6 V37 2018
This book is an extensive, easy-to-follow resource guide to the plant and animal life of the vast and diverse bioregion stretching from Juneau, Alaska, south to coastal British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, down to California's San Francisco Bay. It is divided into flora and fauna, with detailed subsections for flowering plants, berries, ferns, shrubs and bushes, trees, funghi, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. Each species is illustrated by clear photography and a concise description of its appearance, biology, and habitat, as well as its traditional use and medicinal properties (where applicable).
Indigenous Food Systems: Concepts, Cases, and Conversations
Call Number: E 78 C2 I53 2020
Through research and case studies, Indigenous and non-Indigenous food scholars and community practitioners explore the concepts, practices, and contemporary issues of various Indigenous food systems across Canada, including Anishinaabeg, Asatiwisipe, Cree, Métis, Migmag, and Tsartlip Nations. They also document community experiences and perspectives on these food systems, demonstrating how different Indigenous communities are leading the way to design and implement community-based initiatives in collaborative and cooperative spirit with other Indigenous communities, organizations, and non-Indigenous allies to improve health, well-being, and food security of current and future generations of Indigenous Peoples as well as other citizens of Canada.
The Fate of Food
Call Number: HD 9000.5 L58 2019
In the fascinating story of the sustainable food revolution, an environmental journalist and professor asks the question: Is the future of food looking bleak--or better than ever? Throughout her journey, Little finds and shares a deeper understanding of the threats of climate change and encounters a sense of awe and optimism about the lessons of our past and the scope of human ingenuity.

The Triumph of Seeds
Call Number: Online
We live in a world of seeds. From our morning toast to the cotton in our clothes, they are quite literally the stuff and staff of life: supporting diets, economies, and civilizations around the globe. Seeds are fundamental objects of beauty, evolutionary wonders, and simple fascinations. Yet, despite their importance, seeds are often seen as commonplace, their extraordinary natural and human histories overlooked. Thanks to this stunning new book, they can be overlooked no more. This is a book of knowledge, adventure, and wonder, spun by an award-winning writer with both the charm of a fireside story-teller and the hard-won expertise of a field biologist. A fascinating scientific adventure, it is essential reading for anyone who loves to see a plant grow.
The Prairie Gardener's Go-To for Seeds
Call Number: Online
The third installation of the new gardening series Guides for the Prairie Gardener is all about seeds, from saving and starting to transplants and even winter sowing. Certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet offer you all the tools you need to start seeds, ensuring they thrive and grow into beautiful mature plants. They answer your questions on things like how to determine the viability of seeds the difference between an heirloom, heritage, and hybrid seed the best containers and planting media to use when and how to use growing lights troubleshooting common problems such as damping off and overwatering the proper methods for hardening off transplants and planting them out.
Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables
Call Number: Online
Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables is a practical guide that answers the age-old question for gardeners: How do you know when a fruit or vegetable is ripe? Growing Perfect Vegetables gets to the root of what every gardener wants: perfect produce, and lots of it. Whether you grow in a Square Foot Garden, a straw bale garden, containers, or a traditional garden plot, you'll be happy to have this helpful garden book so you can approach harvest time with confidence, not apprehension.
101 Organic Gardening Hacks
Call Number: Online
Divided into a dozen different categories for easy reference, each hack is accompanied by a clear photo that shows you exactly how to complete it. With these hacks, discover how easy it is to: Fertilize your soil the all-natural way with tips on using manure, mulch, epsom salt, coffee grounds, and different types of compost made from kitchen and garden waste. Maintain your garden with eco-friendly tricks for repelling pests and conserving water, including making earwig traps and harvesting rain water. Attract pollinators with plant selections and DIY feeders and homes. And much more! If you are looking for resourceful ways to improve your garden and promote green living values right at home, you'll love paging through this fascinating, eye-catching book.
Urban Gardening and the Struggle for Social and Spatial Justice
Call Number: Online
The book presents an in-depth and theoretically-grounded analysis of urban gardening practices (re)emerging worldwide as new forms of bottom-up socio-political participation. By complementing the scholarly perspectives through posing real cases, it focuses on how these practices are able to address - together with environmental and planning questions - the most fundamental issues of spatial justice, social cohesion, inclusiveness, social innovations and equity in cities.
Climate-Wise Landscaping
Call Number: Online
This book is packed with simple, practical steps for beautifying any landscape or garden, while helping protect the planet and the species that call it home. This book is the ideal tool for homeowners, gardeners, and landscape professionals who want to be part of the solution to climate change.

Native seeds : supplying restoration by Holden Films and the International Network for Seed-Based Restoration
Explores the native seed supply chain in the western United States. Filmed over four seasons, Native Seeds weaves together footage of seed collectors, farmers, researchers, and land managers working to scale up the supply of native seeds to meet the growing restoration demand. We see the staggering scale of damage to vast landscapes and meet tenacious people who are finding creative, scrappy solutions to restore ecosystems.

Prairie Garden Seeds

Founded in 1986, Prairie Garden Seeds is a small, family-operated seed company based in Saskatchewan, Canada, operated by a daughter-father team. They organically produce about 95% of the seeds offered in their seed catalog. The film showcases harvesting wet and dry seeds, seed storage, and the importance of seed sovereignty to our agricultural system.

Seeds of hunger

With the world of agriculture confronting the impact of such factors as global warming, population urbanization trends, changes in eating habits, and increased use of grain for biofuels, this film outlines the shape of an impending global food crisis. Filmed around the world, the film examines issues involved in creating such a crisis, including the politics of food security and scarcity, declining food production, and the need for increased production to meet population growth, the impact of genetically modified foods, water shortages, famine, food aid programs, the loss of crop land, and national food production, distribution and export policies.

Seed battles

Deep inside a mountain in snow-covered Spitsbergen is the Global Seed Vault, an attempt to collect and preserve seeds of all food crops in the world. But to whom do the seeds belong?

From seed to seed

Follows a young family and a diverse group of farmers in Southern Manitoba, for a season of challenges and rewards. Scientists are working with these farmers using a blend of ancient traditions and cutting edge science to develop improved methods for growing food ecologically and in a changing climate. This hopeful story provides a Canadian perspective on a global social movement that regenerates the land, farming, and communities toward a healthier future for us all.

Saving Heirloom Seeds with Sue Lindberg

Long time Sub-Arctic homesteader, Sue Lindberg, shows us how she harvests seeds from her tomatoes, which will be used as heirloom seeds the following year.

The seeds of Vandana Shiva

How did the willful daughter of a Himalayan forest conservator become Monsanto’s worst nightmare? The seeds of Vandana Shiva tells the remarkable life story of Gandhian eco-activist Dr. Vandana Shiva: how she stood up to the corporate Goliaths of industrial agriculture, rose to prominence in the ecological food movement, and is inspiring an international crusade for change.

Gardening Confidential

An international exploration of one of the most obsessive hobbies in human history. From robotic lawnmowers to gardens on Mars, from trendy Manhattan rooftops to virtual gardens in cyberspace, gardening has entered the space age and become an innovative multi-billion dollar industry.

Cultivating kids

A school farm involves children from kindergarten through high school in every phase of raising organic vegetables as part of their school experience. Supported by local non-profits, community volunteers, and the school district, it shows that a garden can be a valuable addition to a school curriculum, while encouraging children to eat healthy food.

My Urban Garden

From her small backyard plot, Halifax gardener Carol Bowlby brings forth a bountiful and mouth-watering harvest. Treating soil quality, lack of space and a short growing season as challenges rather than obstacles, Carol offers a wealth of practical growing tips. The film shows urban dwellers that the principles of intensive organic gardening can be applied equally well on an apartment balcony, on a small or large city lot, or in a rural setting.

Cultivating change

Shows how garden projects in the United States and Canada have transformed communities in positive ways.

Circle of plenty

Recognizing the impracticality of the 'Green Revolution' for many of the world's starving peoples, Common Ground has spent the last 26 years doing pioneering research to improve the yield of home gardens. Their goal is to produce the maximum amount of food from a small plot using the minimum amount of energy inputs and water. The results have been spectacular and offer real hope for solving at least part of the world hunger problem.

Growing season

The horticulture program at San Francisco County Jail teaches prisoners to care for plants, animals, & themselves so they can get a new sense of self-worth & respect for life. The program now goes outside the jail to community gardens.

And This is My Garden

A film about the power of education to foster healthier lifestyles and to reconnect youth to the earth. The film follows teacher Eleanor Woitowicz and her students for a season of planting, harvesting, preserving, through to the annual harvest display and community feast. Along the way, the students develop a sense of responsibility, pride and accomplishment and address issues of community food security, chronic disease prevention and environmental improvement.

A lot in common

Neighbors discover they have a lot in common when together they turn a vacant lot into a community garden in Berkeley, CA. Landscape architect/psychologist Karl Linn who envisioned and orchestrated the creation of the gardens, explains how a commons is being created in the process.

Canada's Local Gardener
Episode 1: Seeds! Hosts Shauna and Dorothy Dobbie interview John Barrett of Vesey’s Seeds to learn how Vesey’s and other seed suppliers coped with the explosion of seed orders when the pandemic hit. “It was March 12, 2020 and 3,200 orders came in!” said John. They thought that was a nice blip in the order routine, but it not only continued, but the orders also grew and grew! Who are all these new gardeners and will their interest last? John Barrett thinks this is a trend that will continue. He said that from the Vesey Seeds records, 84 percent of new gardeners had success and are eager to try new things. John also talks about the viability of saved seeds, how to store them, and what are the chances of germination as time goes on. He points out that the advice to store seeds in the freezer really depends on the type of seeds; some need scarification, but to others, freezing could be the kiss of death. His best advice is to buy fresh seeds every year and, if you do save some for the previous year, to expect a diminished germination rate.
Gardening in Canada
Gardening in Canada podcast is a podcast dedicated to the science of gardening. From cold climate gardening to indoor plants a soil scientist takes you on the journey of being a plant hobbyist.
Brian Minter: Gardening Icon & Community Leader
Brian Minter is a gardening icon, broadcaster, author, columnist, international speaker, husband, father and grandfather. Mr. Minter is the Chair for Tourism Chilliwack and a board member for Chilliwack Economic Partners Corporation. Brian Minter began sharing his passion for plants with British Columbia’s gardeners when, in 1970, he and his wife Faye purchased Country Garden Store, a garden shop that had been part of Chilliwack’s community since 1957. Mr. Minter, a University of British Columbia graduate (BA) and Master Gardener, quickly became BC’s go-to garden expert through his experience at both the garden centre and the display gardens. As such, He has hosted countless radio and television shows, is a frequent gardening columnist and is the author of Canadian Best Seller, ‘Brian Minter’s New Gardening Guide – Fresh Approaches for Canadian Gardeners’.
SeedHeads/Les Semeurs
Welcome to SeedHeads, the cross pollinating podcast where our Canadian seed heroes tell their stories, share their how-to tips, and talk about the seeds they love.
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Bienvenue a Les Semeurs, le balado à pollinisation croisée. Ici les semenciers passionnés nous racontent leur histoire, nous partagent des conseils pratiques et leurs variétés préférées.
Seed Farmer
The Seed Growers Podcast with Dan Brisebois of Tourne-Sol Co-operative Farm. Every episode I’m going to bring you a conversation with a grower who has integrated Saving Seeds into their own farm systems. Some grow seed crops to sell commercially and some do it just for their own farm use. I’m hoping their stories will make you want to save seed on your own farm... and if you already save seed on your farm, I hope it makes you want to save more!
Starting Seeds
Welcome to STARTING SEEDS; a podcast loosely about hobbyist gardeners but more about literal grounding: what can we learn with our hands in the dirt? What does it tell us about ourselves and the world around us? STARTING SEEDS is the thought that as humans, we turn to nature for comfort, creativity, and inspiration. And in that, lessons we learn in tending a garden or caring for plants spill over into our personal, professional, and private lives. There is no silver bullet. These lessons belong to all of us.
Food Secure Canada Youth Caucus
The Lunch Table is hosted by the Food Secure Canada Youth Caucus; a network of youth dedicated to mobilizing young persons and advancing the dialogue around food security issues across Canada. The Lunch Table provides a platform for youth to collaborate, discuss, learn, and mobilize with peers and food policy leaders to build a sustainable and just food system through activism and policy. By bringing together diverse perspectives, interests and backgrounds, we envision what zero-hunger, sustainable food systems, and healthy and safe food looks like in communities across the nation. Visit https://foodsecurecanada.org/community-networks/youth-caucus to learn more.
Native Plants, Healthy Planet
Hosts Fran Chismar and Tom Knezick interview some of the top minds in ecology, restoration, conservation, and of course, native plants. Join them on their journey towards knowledge and understanding of some of the larger problems that our ecosystems face.

West Coast Seeds
At West Coast Seeds, we practice and teach the principles of organic growing and sustainable agriculture. We believe that food and all plants should be grown without the use of chemicals, and that the seeds we supply are an important component of organic gardening. West Coast Seeds growers are custodians of the land, nourishing soil through organic techniques to grow vigorous and sustainable gardens. We believe in eating locally produced foods, protecting pollinators, teaching people how to grow from seed, and supporting regional biodiversity through regenerative practices.
Gardens British Columbia
Gardens British Columbia was the brainchild of a few hardy garden marketers, led by Dave Cowen of The Butchart Gardens. Also known as Gardens BC, the official name is registered as the British Columbia Garden Tourism Coalition Society, a not-for-profit society in British Columbia. Gardens BC is a “coalition of public gardens working together to promote visiting and experiencing British Columbia’s diversity of gardens and garden experiences.” The membership mix of Gardens BC reflects the widely varying nature of the garden experience in the province and provides an opportunity to examine the tourism industry sector approach to provide effective marketing and promotion for export-ready gardens and garden communities.
UBC Garden Advice: UBC Botanical Garden
UBC Botanical Garden is Canada’s oldest university botanic garden, established in 1916 under the directorship of John Davidson, British Columbia’s first provincial botanist. The original mission of the garden was research into the native flora of British Columbia. Over the past 100 years, the mission of UBC Botanical Garden has broadened to include education, research, conservation, community outreach, and public display of temperate plants from around the world.
BC Eco Seed Co-Op
We are a producers' co-operative growing and providing 100% BC-grown vegetable, herb, flower, and grain seed that is ecologically grown and certified organic, open-pollinated, regionally selected, and GE-free. All our seeds are grown by our members on farms across the province. Our mission is to increase the quantity and improve the quality of ecological and organic seed grown in BC. From packets to bulk quantities, the co-op has seeds for all growers.
FarmFolk CityFolk
We have been working to inspire and equip people to eat food that nourishes themselves and the planet since 1993. We are BC’s oldest and largest food and agriculture charitable non-profit organization. Our programs go from seed to plate—engaging a network of farmers, seed growers, researchers, food system advocates, policymakers, community partners, chefs, and eaters. Together, we are creating food systems in BC that are strong, sustainable, and resilient. Our programs celebrate local food and connect people with the farmers who grow it. We support BC farmers to use local seed and to grow food in ways that mitigate climate change and protect biodiversity.
Network of Nature
Native plants play a critical role in the health of Canadian ecosystems, including the wildlife that depends on them. Human development has eliminated enormous tracts of native plants in Canada and around the world. When native plants are lost and replaced with non-native species or concrete, wildlife is also lost, leading to the collapse of ecosystem function. The Network of Nature is dedicated to restoring and fortifying Canada’s unique biodiversity against the stresses of development and climate change by inspiring Canadians to plant native seeds, plants and trees to establish a national network of native habitats. The benefits of replanting large tracts of wild spaces with native species ensures that we can also maintain species diversity, conserve habitat and improve the overall long-term health of our ecosystems.
Native Plant Society of British Columbia
We are people from British Columbia and beyond who appreciate, enjoy, study and work with BC’s native plants and their habitats. We are naturalists, gardeners, botanists, biologists, forest ecologists, plant propagators, landscapers and more. The society was founded in 1997 and based on learning more about native plants and their habitats, sharing information, and making a commitment to the ethical use of native plants as well as their conservation and stewardship.
BC Farms & Food
BC Farms & Food is a news and information site about local food and farming in British Columbia. Our articles and videos cover sustainable farming, organic gardening, seasonal local foods, cooking, recipes, health benefits of food and herbs, climate change resilience, green technology, and practical skills for greater food self reliance. BC Farms & Food is also home to the Vancouver Island Farms & Food Map, an interactive guide to Vancouver Island and Salt Spring Island farms and local food producers. We support people’s growing awareness of food’s transformative role in our health, happiness, economic development, and security.
Selecting Plants for Pollinators
A regional guide for farmers, land managers, and gardeners in the Lower Mainland.
Pollinator Partnership
Pollinator Partnership works with diverse stakeholders representing various perspectives with the goal of creating positive change for pollinators. We work with farmers, gardeners, land managers, scientists, and industry to develop tools and programs that help keep pollinators safe from pesticides, habitat loss, climate change, and other threats.
Native Bee Society
The Native Bee Society of BC is an incorporated not-for-profit society, established in July 2019 in the province of British Columbia under the Societies Act. As of May 2023, NBSBC is an affiliate club of BC Nature. We are a collective of native bee researchers, artists, land managers, conservation practitioners, and enthusiasts working to promote the conservation of native bees in British Columbia. Learn more about our purpose and guiding principles, meet our directors, read our bylaws, or learn how you can volunteer with one of our organizational committees.
Coast Salish Plant Nursery
The Nursery operates within the 'Maplewood Flats Conservation Area' on the unceded lands and waters of the Tsleil-Waututh and Coast Salish peoples. All proceeds from native plant sales support our mission to repair relations with Tsleil-Waututh, Coast Salish peoples, and with the land itself. The Coast Salish Plant Nursery provides educational programming, supports native plant propagation and ecological repair, and offers retail sales and consulting services. We are supported by incredible volunteers and we welcome you to join us.