There's food for thought in the Whitehorse library's edible garden

There are more to libraries than just books, and the Whitehorse Public Library has something you might not expect — a garden of edibles.

"I'm a big fan of kale, I must say," said library assistant Jodi Crewe, as she showed off the plants growing on the library's outdoor patio. 

"Sunflowers are pretty fun. Kids respond to that."

This is the second year the library has been growing edibles, with help from some other community groups. Crewe said the idea first took root at a library staff gathering.

"We had a chance to sort of dream big about things we'd like to see in the library," she said. "And for me, it was an edible garden, and community partnerships."

The garden has dill, sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, and of course, kale. Last year, there were potatoes and cabbage.

"Lots of things that people can come up and take samples of, but also smell, touch, feel," Crewe said. "Obviously, staff — we do partake."

The library has already used its patio garden in some programming, including its Page to Plate cooking workshop.

The garden has been relatively low-maintenance so far. All it requires is "some watering, weeding and deadhead-ing," said Crewe.

But it's an idea that has room to grow.

"It's a little bit of an open book right now — no pun intended," Crewe said.

With files from Tara McCarthy