How did you enjoy your Royal Burgundy Beans or other garden produce this year?

To complete this mission, share the love by letting us know how you ate your garden goods. Post a favourite recipe below!

Spending time in your nature has been proven to lower stress hormone levels, improve mood, and boost feelings of well-being. OSOC partner organization rare Charitable Research Reserve has many opportunities to reap this benefit. With 16 km of trails, 110 plots in their community garden, plus regular opportunities to enjoy hands-on learning and volunteer, rare can help nature give to you as you give to nature!

To complete this mission, walk some trails or visit rare Charitable Research Reserve in any capacity. Share something about your experience with us below!

Join us at Forward Church (55 Franklin Blvd) on Thursday, July 24th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm for a tour of what's growing and ready to harvest. Learn some gardening tips and tricks while enjoying garden games and love music.

Visit the Cambridge Public Library website for more information.

*Registration is not required

OSOC 2025 is coming to an end and we are grateful! Give thanks with us and celebrate the wrap-up of OSOC 2025 and the end of the growing season! Harvest Day at the Preston branch of Cambridge Public LIbrary will be held on ________. Bring a donation to the Cambridge Food Bank and enjoy the family friendly activities and connections with the community!

To complete this mission, attend Harvest Day with a donation to the Food Bank, or donate fresh produce or dry goods to the Food Bank at your convenience. Let us know what you thought of the event, or what you donated below!

Are your plants looking sad? Don’t pull them all up! Let your healthiest plants remain in the ground and let the beans ripen fully. They will turn yellow, then dry brown. In a few weeks, when the pods are papery and the seeds rattle, you can harvest them and let them dry fully. Finally, crack them open!

Plant your saved seeds next year, or donate them to the Food Bank or to Cambridge Public Library's seed library.

For more detailed information on seed saving, check out Seeds of Diversity’s website.

To complete this mission, attend the Seed Saving workshop at CPL Preston on September 3, 2025 OR check out SoD website to learn about seed saving on your own. Let us know something you learned below!

OSOC is back once again! Pick up your seed at any Cambridge Public Library location while supplies last! We will be celebrating the OSOC 2025 Launch at the Preston branch of CPL on April 26 from 10am-2pm with a seed giveaway, family friendly activities, and more.

Other participating organizations that you can visit, support, or get seeds from are rare Charitable Research Reserve, Cambridge Food Bank, and Seeds of Diversity Canada.

To complete this mission, get your OSOC 2025 seed by attending the OSOC 2025 Launch, or visiting CPL or participating organizations. Let us know below where you got your seeds!

The end of May is the perfect time to plant your garden! Your Royal Burgandy Bean likes warm soil, so look at the forecast to make sure there’s no chance of frost. Plant seeds 8 cm apart and about 2.5 cm deep in a sunny location. Water regularly. Plant more in a few weeks for succession harvesting.

Would you like practice and tips for planting in a fun environment? Join the Planting Day fun at the Preston branch of CPL on May 24 from 10am-2pm. Help plant the garden and enjoy family friendly activities.

To complete this mission, plant in your garden or attend Planting Day at CPL.

Are your beans ready yet? If not, they will be soon! Harvest regularly to encourage more growth! If you have extra beans, or any other fresh produce or dry goods, consider donating to your local Food Bank. Cambridge Food Bank loves to accept fresh produce at its main location at 54 Ainslie Street S.

To complete this mission, donate extra beans from your harvest, or any fresh produce to a local food bank. Let us know you did it below!

Buy Canadian! One of the best ways to ensure you are buying Canadian is to shop local or grow your own! This time of year has many farmers markets where you can fill your grocery needs with delicious local produce.

To complete this mission, visit a local farmers market. Bonus if you chat with a local grower! Share your experience below!

How does your garden grow? Post a photo of your Royal Burgundy Bean seedling, or other seedlings, to inspire us all!

To complete this mission, share a photo of one of your growing seedlings! Couldn’t garden this year? Come to the Preston branch of CPL and take a photo to share of one of your favourite plants growing in the garden there!

This time of year doesn’t have to be the end of the garden season! Plant one more time to support our food system in another way. Most native pollinator supporting plants and flowers need to be cold-stratified in order to germinate. That means you can plant in the Fall for your native plants to grow well and support pollinators in the Spring!

Once you have planted your native pollinator-friendly seeds, consider registering your pollinator garden with rare Charitable Research Reserve's 1000 Gardens Project.

Help the pollinators to complete this mission. Pick up and plant native pollinator-friendly plant seeds from Cambridge Public Library. They will overwinter and bloom next Spring!

Seeds of Diversity supports Youth in Food Systems initiatives to help empower young people gain experience and knowledge about - and support - local, sustainable, and accessible food systems.

Getting produce from Youth Food Markets is one of the ways you can support! Learn about this initiative here!

To complete this mission, peruse the website about Youth in Food Systems and consider how you might get involved, OR visit a local Youth Food Market! Tell us about it below!

Did you seed-save this year? Learning about seed saving is a great way to save money, learn about the full-circle nature of nature, and be more self-sustaining. Check out Seeds of Diversity for more information, and don’t forget that Cambridge Public Library and the Cambridge Food Bank both have seed libraries open all year round to support food sustainability in our community.

To complete this mission, donate your saved seeds (or other saved or purchased seeds) to Cambridge Public Library or the Cambridge Food Bank.