How does your garden grow?
You know how there always seem to be far more seeds in a seed packet than you really need for your garden? Most seed producers and sellers will put more than the average gardener will use into an individual packet to account for inevitabilities like dud seeds or crop failures, but for most of us with a small plot of land or, like me, window boxes and a few large pots, these seeds will pass their expiration date long before they ever get the chance to thrive in the dirt. Or maybe the irises, hostas or other easily dividable plants have reproduced and started to make your backyard look more like the jungle in Tarzan and less like The Secret Garden? We at the South Branch are offering a solution!
On Thursday, June 4th from 6-8PM, come by the South Branch for a Seed Exchange! This is a great opportunity to connect with other gardeners and not only exchange seeds, bulbs or cuttings that you have in excess, but to share gardening tips as well. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to try something new with very low risk. Not sure if you have enough shade for hostas? Curious to see if green beans will thrive in a box or pot? Stop by and see what other gardeners have to offer. You never know, what you bring might be just the varietal someone else was looking to try! (And if you end up with too much produce toward the end of the season we have a solution for that, too!)
As if that wasn’t inspiration enough, here are just a handful of the great gardening books we have on-hand at the South Branch to help you out!
Plantiful by Kristin Green
With a name like Green, this author might perhaps have been destined to write a garden book. If you’re looking for a more low-maintenance, perennial approach to gardening, this book is a terrific resource. The pictures are stunning and it offers an entire section on overwintering so that (barring another record-breaking New England winter) your plants will be waiting to burst forward come spring. A healthy references and resources section will tell you where to go next.
Small Space Vegetable Gardens by Andrea Bellamy
This book is filled with eye-catching graphics, detailed photos and great explanations that will take you from zero to veggies in no time (and, as advertised, practically no space, too!). Bellamy takes the novice through different types of spaces that can accommodate plants (complete with pros and cons for each), to constructing containers, to plant recommendations, to keeping plants healthy throughout the year. This book is full of great tips and tricks for creating green spaces that even experienced gardeners will appreciate. I can easily see this as a resource gardeners will come back to year after year.
Container Gardening for All Seasons by Barbara Wise
Small spaces are no problem with this primer on container gardening. Your porch, deck or even your house can look great all-year long with these seasonal suggestions.
The Kitchen Garden by Alan Buckingham
DK Publishing is known for great visuals and easy instructions and this book is no exception. This book is a great resource. Organized by crop and growing season, this book can get anyone started on the right foot to grow delicious food items that will end up in your kitchen.
Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch
This revised classic has a 100% organic philosophy that will allow gardeners to keep pesticides and chemicals out of their gardens (and, as a result, their food and flowers). This “Gardener’s Bible” will take you through nearly 400 plants with tips and suggestions on how to grow them. It will also offer the gardener essential knowledge on planning, planting and keeping the garden up as the season goes on. There’s a lot in here, but newcomers shouldn’t be intimidated as it’s easy to pick and choose what they’d like to learn.