Our Seed Library is OPEN 7 days a week
Get your seeds and start growing now for the 2022 Garden Season!
Last year we compiled 30 days of Gratitude – Giving Back Thank you to our great Mother Earth. Here is our List of 30 seeds/plants, recipes and favourite garden links for you to get inspired for Seed Starting.
Did you know that our FREE seed library is open 7 days a week?
Even through the rainiest day, the coldest snow storm, the hottest days of the year.
We are fortunate to have a local ECO HUB as our base at the Healing Muse Apothecary
AND accessible via Big Guys Coffeeshop
Coffeeshop & Seed Library Hours:
9-5pm Monday to Saturday
9-3pm on Sundays
Yes – Big Guys Coffeeshop is open all year long
(except for New Year’s Day, but that’s a great day to stay home!)
Use our Seed Library
– FREE –
In our Local Eco Hub:
The Healing Muse
2859 Lakeshore Blvd West
Toronto ON
M8V 1H1
You can receive FREE seeds by mail, from our SEED LIBRARY, just send us a SASE (Self Addressed Stamped Envelope)
—- please note what seeds you are looking for, or we will send a random assortment of garden veggies and flowers!
Explore with these Daily Inspirations from our Garden Stewards. Pick up a new book to read, some seeds from our local seed library at The Healing Muse and maybe even try a new recipe from the garden. Here are 30 ways to begin!
[you can receive seeds by mail, just send us a SASE – self stamped and self addressed envelope]
15 SEEDS TO ENJOY AND DISCOVER IN OUR SEED LIBRARY!
seedling 1 – Purple Cornflower
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Purple Cornflower – Echinacea purpurea, Tall, Purple North American Native, Pollinator
Feel Good Book to Read:
Everything Elderberry: How to Forage, Cultivate, and Cook With This Amazing Natural Remedy by: Susannah Shmurak
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4048468&R=4048468
Garden Recipe to Try: Elderflower Syrup
Quote to Enjoy: “Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them. ” A. A. Milne
seedling 2 – Common Milkweed
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Common Milkweed – Asclepias syriaca , Tall, Soft Pink North American Native, Pollinator
https://garden.org/plants/view/75378/Common-Milkweed-Asclepias-syriaca/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Grow your own spices: harvest homegrown ginger, turmeric, saffron, wasabi, vanilla, cardamom, and other incredible spices – no matter where you live By: Tasha Greer
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3975658&R=3975658
Garden Recipe to Try: Zucchini Lemon Cake
Quote to enjoy: “Garden as though you will live forever. ” Thomas Moore
seedling 3 – African Marigold
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: African Marigold – Tagetes Erecta, Large, Yellow Flower
https://garden.org/plants/view/678590/Marigold-Tagetes-erecta-Orange-Hawaii/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Medicinal Herbs of Eastern Canada: a pictorial manual By: Brenda Jones
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3913642&R=3913642
Garden Recipe to Try: Cherry Tomato sauce
Quote to Enjoy: “Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food and medicine for the soul.” Luther Burbank
seedling 4 – Basil
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Basil – Bacilicum Genovese, Herb
https://garden.org/plants/view/588446/Basil-Ocimum-bacilicum-Genovese/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Suburban Micro Farm: modern solutions for busy people. By: Amy Stross
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3720926&R=3720926
Garden Recipe to Try: Recipe: Pear Chutney
Quote to Enjoy: “A flower falls, even though we love it; and a weed grows, even though we do not love it. ” Dogen
seedling 5 – Butterfly Milkweed
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Butterfly Milkweed – Asclepia Tuberosa
https://garden.org/plants/view/75379/Butterfly-Milkweed-Asclepias-tuberosa/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Living Soil Handbook: the no-till grower’s guide to ecological market gardening
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4112615&R=4112615
Garden Recipe to Try: Green Tomato Tarts
Quote to Enjoy: “Little things seem nothing, but they give peace, like those meadow flowers which individually seem odorless but all together perfume the air.” Georges Bernanos
seedling 6 – Calendula
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Calendula – Calendula Officinalis
https://garden.org/plants/view/75654/Pot-Marigold-Calendula-officinalis/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Book of the Earthworm. By: Sally Coulthard
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4101177&R=4101177
Garden Recipe to Try: Zucchini Lasagna
Quote to Enjoy: “I know that if odour were visible, as colour is, I’d see the summer garden in rainbow clouds. ” Robert Bridges
seedling 7 – Blanket Flower
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Blanket Flower (Native) – Gaillarda
https://garden.org/plants/view/76606/Blanket-Flower-Gaillardia/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Herbal Houseplants: grow beautiful herbs – indoors! By: Susan Betz
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4103219&R=4103219
Garden Recipe to Try: Garden Fresh Tomato Soup
Quote to Enjoy: “Love is the flower of life, and blossoms unexpectedly and without law, and must be plucked where it is found, and enjoyed for the brief hour of its duration. ” D. H. Lawrence
seedling 8 – Brown Eyed Susan
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Brown-Eyed Susan, Rudebeckia Triloba
https://garden.org/plants/view/78799/Browneyed-Susan-Rudbeckia-triloba/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Ecological Gardener: how to create beauty and diversity from the soil up. By: Matt Rees-Warren
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4112606&R=4112606
Garden Recipe to Try: Dark Cherry Mulberry Jam Recipe
Quote to Enjoy: “Show me your garden and I shall tell you what you are. ” Alfred Austin
seedling 9 – Chamomile
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Chamomile – Matricaria chamomilla
https://www.thespruce.com/how-to-grow-chamomile-1402627
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables. By: Lorene Forkner
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4072463&R=4072463
Garden Recipe to Try: Pickled Garlic Scapes Recipe
Quote to Enjoy: “The flower which is single need not envy the thorns that are numerous.”Rabindranath Tagore
seedling 10 – Columbine
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Columbine (Vulgaris), Dark Purple Flower – Aquilegia Vulgaris – https://garden.org/plants/view/136675/European-Columbine-Aquilegia-vulgaris-Clementine-Dark-Purple/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Energetic Herbalism : A Guide to Sacred Plant Traditions Integrating Elements of Vitalism, Ayurveda, and Chinese Medicine.
Maier, Kat
.https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4174851&R=4174851
Garden Recipe to Try: Baked Apple
Quote to Enjoy: “A lawn is nature under totalitarian rule.” Michael Pollan
seedling 11 – Coneflower
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Coneflower (Prairie) – Ratibida Columnifera
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/prairie-coneflower
Feel Good Book to Read:
Winterland: Create a Beautiful Garden for Every Season. By: Cathy Rees
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4136472&R=4136472
Garden Recipe to Try: Saskatoon Rhubarb Jam
Quote to Enjoy: “And forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long to play with your hair. ” Khalil Gibran
seedling 12 – Coreopsis
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Coreopsis, Yellow Tickseed – Coreopsis
https://garden.org/plants/view/738999/Coreopsis-Corey-Yellow/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Outstanding American gardens : a celebration : 25 years of the Garden Conservancy By: Brenner, Marion
Garden Recipe to Try: Spicy Peach Chutney
Quote to Enjoy: “Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace. ” May Sarton
seedling 13 – Dill
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Dill – Anethum Graveolens
https://garden.org/plants/view/75274/Dills-Anethum-graveolens/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Seasons of an Amish garden : four stories By: Amy Clipston
Garden Recipe to Try: Low Sugar Red Currant Jelly
Quote to Enjoy: “Who loves a garden loves a greenhouse too. ” William Cowper
seedling 14 – Columbine Red
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Columbine (Eastern Red) – Aquilegia Canadensis
https://garden.org/plants/view/75292/Eastern-Red-Columbine-Aquilegia-canadensis/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Saladish: a crunchier, grainier, herbier, heartier, tastier way with vegetables By Ilene Rosen
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3681883&R=3681883
Garden Recipe to Try: Green Tomato Mincemeat Tarts
Quote to Enjoy: “Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers. ” May Sarton
seedling 15 – Evening Primrose
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Evening primrose – Oenothera Biennis
https://garden.org/plants/view/83563/Common-Evening-Primrose-Oenothera-biennis/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Sisterhood of the Enchanted Forest: Sustenance, Wisdom, and Awakening in Finland’s Karelia By: Naomi Moriyama
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4133597&R=4133597
Garden Recipe to Try: Green Tomato Chutney
Quote to Enjoy: “From plants that wake when others sleep, from timid jasmine buds that keep their odour to themselves all day, but when the sunlight dies away let the delicious secret out to every breeze that roams about. ” Thomas Moore
15 MORE SEEDS FROM OUR SEED LIBRARY
AND BOOKS WITH RECIPES TO ENJOY!
seedling 16 – Field Poppy
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Field Poppy (annual) – Papaver Rhoeas
https://garden.org/plants/view/86774/Field-Poppy-Papaver-rhoeas/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Immune: A Journey into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive By: Philipp Dettmer
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4111492&R=4111492
Garden Recipe to Try: Chocolate Zucchini Bread or Muffins
Quote to Enjoy: “Garden as though you will live forever. ” Thomas Moore
seedling 17 – Hollyhock
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Hollyhocks – Alcea rosea
https://www.bhg.com/gardening/plant-dictionary/perennial/hollyhock/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Embodied Mind: Understanding the Mysteries of Cellular Memory, Consciousness, and Our Bodies By: Thomas S. Verny
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4133586&R=4133586
Garden Recipe to Try: Herb Butter Cookies
Quote to Enjoy: “If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. ” Marcus Tullius Cicero
seedling 18 – Coriander
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Coriander / Cilantro – Coriandrum Sativum
https://garden.org/plants/view/86729/Cilantros-Coriandrum-sativum/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Everyday Vitality: Turning Stress into Strength By: Samantha Boardman
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4070321&R=4070321
Garden Recipe to Try: Sour Cherry Jelly
Quote to Enjoy: “To see a world in a grain of sand and heaven in a wild flower Hold infinity in the palms of your hand and eternity in an hour.” William Blake
seedling 19 – Joe Pye Weed
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Joe Pye Weed – Eutrochium
https://garden.org/plants/view/528424/Joe-Pye-Weed-Eutrochium/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The One-Straw Revolution: an introduction to natural farming By: Masanobu Fukuoka
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM2525662&R=2525662
Garden Recipe to Try: Spiced Pumpkin Bread
Quote to Enjoy: “It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses we must plant more trees. ” George Eliot
seedling 20 – Lettuce Green
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Lettuce (Green) – Lactuca Sativa
https://garden.org/plants/view/550280/Lettuce-Lactuca-sativa-Mazur/
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: a medicine-making guide By: Thomas Easley
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3470817&R=3470817
Garden Recipe to Try: Spicy Pumpkin Soup
Quote to Enjoy: “A man has made at least a start on discovering the meaning of human life when he plants shade trees under which he knows full well he will never sit. ” D. Elton Trueblood
seedling 21 – Morning Glory
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Morning Glory – Ipomoea Tricolor
https://www.almanac.com/plant/morning-glories
Feel Good Book to Read:
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s new world By: Andrea Wulf
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM3335338&R=3335338
Garden Recipe to Try: Mulberry Preserves
Quote to Enjoy: “A garden requires patient labor and attention. Plants do not grow merely to satisfy ambitions or to fulfill good intentions. They thrive because someone expended effort on them. ” Liberty Hyde Bailey
seedling 22 – Oregano
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Oregano – Origanum vulgare
https://www.thespruce.com/herb-profile-oregano-1761786
Feel Good Book to Read:
Edible flowers : how, why, and when we eat flowers
Nelson, Monica, author.
Contributors: Glaviano, Adrianna, photographer. 2021
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4169621&R=4169621
Quote to Enjoy: “Colours are the smiles of nature”- Leigh Hunt
seedling 23 – Foxglove Beardtongue
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Foxglove Beardtongue – Penstemon Digitalis
https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=g590
Feel Good Book to Read:
Unearthing The secret garden : the plants and places that inspired Frances Hodgson Burnett
McDowell, Marta, author. 2021
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4141732&R=4141732
Quote to Enjoy: “A garden of friends is always in bloom”- author unknown
seedling 24 – Peas speckled
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Speckled Peas – Pisum sativum var. saccharatum
https://www.epicgardening.com/pea-microgreens/
Feel Good Book to Read:
Garden variety
Wilhelmi, Christy, author.2022
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4167707&R=4167707
Quote to Enjoy: “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world”- John Muir
seedling 25 – Mullein
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Mullein Common – Verbascum thapsus L.
https://www.friendsofthewildflowergarden.org/pages/plants/mullein.html
Feel Good Book to Read:
People : A Relationship Guide for Plants and Their Parents
Resta, Alessia2022
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4183453&R=4183453
Quote to Enjoy: “Friends are flowers in the garden of life”- author unknown
seedling 26 – Tomato Green Tiger
Seeds Available to Plant and Discover: Tomato – Verbascum thapsus L.
https://ekzotomat.in.ua/en/tomato-seeds/tomato-green-tiger.html
Feel Good Book to Read:
Nature is never silent : how animals and plants communicate with each other
Ziege, Madlen, author.2021
https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4174900&R=4174900
Quote to Enjoy: “Those who dwell among the beauties and mysteries of the earth are never alone or weary of life”- Rachel Carson
GET FULL RECIPES LISTED HERE IN PDF
Rebugging the planet : the remarkable things that insects (and other invertebrates) do – and why we need to love them more
Hird, Vicki, author.2021, Book , xi, 211 pages https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4174852&R=4174852
The green witch’s garden : your complete guide to creating and cultivating a magical garden space
Murphy-Hiscock, Arin, author.2021, Book , 224 pages https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4131117&R=4131117
Urban lichens : a field guide for northeastern North America : including New York City, Chicago, Toronto, Boston, New Haven, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington, D.C.
Allen, Jessica L., author.Contributors: Hoffman, Jordan R., illustrator. ;Lendemer, James C., author.2021, Book , 158 pages :https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDM4172781&R=4172781