For many people, the first day of spring means a return to gardening.

Those who want to get a head start digging in the dirt will soon be able to check out seeds from the MacRae Library at Dalhousie University’s agricultural campus in Truro, Nova Scotia. Eighty-five varieties of vegetable, herb, and ornamental plant seeds will be housed in an old card catalogue. In exchange for enough free seeds to grow 10 to 15 plants, patrons are asked to collect new seeds from their plants and return them to the library.

The idea came from library coordinator Jolene Reid, who told the Chronicle Herald that this is the first university-funded seed library in Canada.