Mobile Seed Cleaning Tour 2025: Mainland, Interior and Vancouver Island

Kamloops – Mount Paul Community Food Centre
Grindrod – Greencroft Gardens
Pemberton Farmer’s Market
Agassiz – Cedar Isle Farm

Our trailer stopped in Kamloops to help clean seeds for the local seed bank, which is now held at the Mount Paul Community Centre. We cleaned a wide variety of seeds, most of which were saved from the extensive on-site garden and some from community members.

Our trailer tour stop in Grindrod was hosted at Greencroft Gardens, and we had a steady flow of community seed savers show up throughout the day to clean their seeds.

We stopped at the Pemberton Farmers’ Market in collaboration with the Stewardship Pemberton Society to clean seeds for the seed library and local farmers and growers. Throughout the day, the trailer was a hub of activity as we cleaned and processed seeds for the local seed library and for farmers and home growers in the Pemberton Valley. This stop highlighted the strength of Pemberton’s seed-saving community and the shared commitment to preserving locally adapted, resilient seeds for seasons to come.

Our final stop for the season was at Cedar Isle Farm in Agassiz. Hosts Jim and Hannah wowed participants with the history and complexity of ancient and modern wheat varieties. Seeing a range of grain processing equipment in action was a highlight. From gravity tables, oat rollers, winnowers and more. Nobody left empty-handed, oats and seeds were shared all around!

Central Saanich – Sandown Centre for Regenerative Agriculture
Metchosin – Metchosin Farm
Denman Island – Denman Island Community Hall
Courtney / Royston – Stellar Raven Ecological Farm
Black Creek – Good Earth Farms
Errington – Cicada Seeds
Galiano Island – Community School + Market
Mayne Island – Ag Society Fairgrounds
Pender Island – Community Hall
Salt Spring Island – The Root
Nanaimo – Nanaimo Community Gardens Society
Parksville – MAC Community Garden

We had an incredible time on the Vancouver Island leg of our Mobile Seed Cleaning tour. In 2025, we saw some familiar and new faces in the community and connected over our deep passion for seed saving.

During our stop at Metchosin Farm, we shared knowledge, cleaned seeds (many sunflower seeds), and connected with Fiona and her farm crew. After working with our handheld carrot debearder, the very next day, a neighbour had whipped up a new one for Metchosin Farm from some materials they had at home. Blake Hunter, one of the mentees in our mentorship program, was able to attend to clean seeds with his seed mentor, Fiona Hamersley Chambers.

While visiting the Denman Island Community Hall in September, rainy weather did not stop the community from coming together. We used and compared our seed cleaning equipment, shared techniques, and revelled in the enthusiasm for grains and beans, which this community is known for.

A standout moment was seeing one attendee thresh, winnow, and grind wheat into flour, using a mix of FarmFolk’s machinery and their community group’s machinery, showcasing the full circle of seed-to-food possibilities for small grain growers.

At Stellar Raven Ecological Farm, we joined Comox Valley Growers & Seed Savers for an afternoon of seed cleaning and knowledge sharing. The seniors in this area are a very active bunch and are a part of our ongoing seniors and seeds project. Many of the participants are part of the Comox Valley Seed Bank, who do an exceptional job at community food security by organizing growers to preserve varieties that do particularly well in the Comox Valley.

Over October 3-4 on Galiano Island, we visited the Community School, and kids of all ages got to harvest lettuce seeds and use the threshing boxes and our winnow wizard to clean some beautiful black chickpeas. At the Saturday market, we were joined by the Seed Library of Galiano, where we packaged seed and shared information with the community about seed libraries. Friday’s student workshops highlighted the importance of teaching the next generation about seed saving, while Saturday showed how accessible seed knowledge can bring the broader community together.

At The Root on Salt Spring Island, in addition to hosting hands-on seed cleaning demonstrations and seed cleaning sessions with local farmers, we enjoyed a presentation by Rupert Adams on the evolving role of community seed banks. Participants learned about the importance of preserving seeds as a community resource, explored practical seed security practices, and connected with the Salt Spring Seed Sanctuary team.

While at Beban Park with the Nanaimo Community Gardens Society, participants explored hands-on seed cleaning using screens and our other equipment, and enjoyed cleaning a variety of seeds, including beautiful Ugandan Bantu beans. The Nanaimo Community Gardens team made the day engaging and educational for everyone!

For our final Vancouver Island Tour stop in Parksville, we braved the pouring rain and visited the MAC Community Garden to clean seeds and connect with the local community.

We were joined by the Qualicum Beach Seedy Saturday team, exploring hands-on seed cleaning with screens and using our other seed cleaning equipment, while learning about the value of local community gardens in maintaining seed security.

We would like to thank all the farmers and community seed stewards who came to visit us at one of our many trailer tour stops in 2025. We are so honoured to be able to bring seed cleaning resources to your communities, and we deeply appreciate all the stewardship work you do. From seed companies to seed libraries to backyard growers, every effort contributes to a more sustainable seed future.

We would also like to thank our funders: Victoria Foundation, and Funding for the Knowledge and Technology Transfer program is provided by the governments of Canada and British Columbia through the Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership, a federal-provincial-territorial initiative.

This project was made possible with funding from the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction and facilitation from the Public Health Association of British Columbia and Food Banks BC.
Learn more: phabc.org/cfsd

This project was partially funded by the Government of Canada’s New Horizons for Seniors Program.