There are more than 2,000 types of beans being grown in Canada and yet the majority of these are rare and at risk of disappearing altogether.

Which is where this innovative project began: We have partnered with Seeds of Diversity to provide schools with heritage beans. They in turn grow them into plants and save the bean seeds, sending a few to Seeds of Diversity for safekeeping in its public heritage seed bank.

Imagine your school being one of a network of 2,000 in Canada growing and caring for one type of bean each!

To sign up to grow beans send us an email by clicking here, include your school’s information and the grades of the classes that will participating. We’ll arrange for Seeds of Diversity to send you the beans.

If you have any questions about growing beans, contact us and we’ll do our best to answer them.

To help you and your students get started, our own Jane Hayes has created a story for your students (it is suitable for Grades 2 to 6).  Read The Bean Keepers: A Story about Food Gardening, Seed Diversity and Changing the World, One Bean at a Time.

Also, check out our Bean Keeper lesson plans, bean recipes, and The Bean Song in our Resources section.