Gardening solutions

Extreme low temperatures this winter delayed warming of the soil this spring and cooler than average early summer temperatures have made this a very challenging garden year. Spring vegetable harvests are finally coming on strong and perennial flower gardens are staying fresh longer with the ample rainfall. Tomato plants, on the other hand, are reluctant to flower and heat loving peppers and squash are just limping along. 

Peter White Public Library’s new nonfiction book collection on the library’s main floor can help provide some solutions to your fickle garden problems this season.

Mid-summer is the perfect time of year to gear up for another, possibly challenging, winter season ahead. Backyard Winter Gardening by Caleb Warnock is packed full of ideas of how to beat old Man Winter in the gardening game by selecting the right seeds and using cold frames, cloches, and hotbeds- without using electricity for heat or lights- as gardeners have been doing for centuries. Now is the time to start fall crops for harvest into the winter months using these tried and true organic and energy efficient practices. Find this book under call number 635 WA

A great companion to the previous title is The Backyard Homestead Book of Building Projects by Spike Carlsen. This how-to guide covers projects ranging from season extenders like cold frames and greenhouses to storage sheds, trellises, garden furniture, garden aids, storage systems for putting food up and shelters for your backyard menagerie including the “Chicken Ark.” Clear drawings, materials lists and cutting guides simplify construction of these projects for all skill levels and time commitments. 690.892 CA

When the bountiful harvest does come in and you are scratching your head wondering what to do with that bumper crop, The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook by Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman is for you. Part cookbook, part growing manual, this book takes the gardener from seed to table with plenty of sensible gardening tips and mouthwatering recipes, all beautifully illustrated with photographs, drawings, planting charts, and an extensive index. 635 DA

If your garden is under control, take a break with a spot of tea, sit in the shade and enjoy Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life by Marta McDowell. The creator of the beloved Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and Jemima Puddleduck characters in children’s books had a life-long fascination with ecology. Part biography, part nature guide, the author takes the readers on a beautifully illustrated tour of Potter’s beloved English countryside through rich photographs and the drawings of the children’s author/illustrator herself. 921 PO

For an enlightening read in the shade, English gardener turned chimpanzee researcher, Jane Goodall shares her passion for the plant world in her newest book, Seeds of Hope co-written by Gail Hudson. Goodall explores our ancient dependence on the plant world for food and medicine and how plants can help heal the environment through sustainable gardening practices. Tireless scientist, naturalist and goodwill ambassador, Goodall shares her passion and hope for the future of our planet. 580 GO

Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier is an amusing and informative read about the adventures of two self-proclaimed “plant geeks” who venture into the world of urban permaculture gardening. The author and friend Jonathan Bates purchase one-tenth of an acre in Holyoke, Massachusetts and accept the challenge to create a food forest paradise of 200 low maintenance edible plants in a rust belt city lot. The book details their journey through the world of composting, pest and weed control, urban poultry and tropical crops on less than a quarter acre. 635.091 TO

Exploring the Zen of gardening, Mister Owita’s Guide to Gardening, a memoir by essayist Carol Wall, details the evolution of the author’s unlikely friendship with her gardener and impromptu horticulture instructor. Wall recounts how learning to appreciate the joy of earning a green thumb opened her to new relationships and understandings during life’s most trying times. An easy and engrossing read, find it under call number 635 WA

Finally, for quick reads, the library subscribes to several gardening magazines that provide monthly or quarterly insights into what’s new in the world of plants. In the magazine room find current and back issues of Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Organic Gardening, and Better Homes and Gardens. Back issues can be checked to read at home. For those with electronic devices, many more magazines are available online in digital format through the library’s website, www.pwpl.info, by clicking on the Zinio link on the home page. Take a look at Canadian Gardening for cold season tips and Successful Farming for agrarian wannabes. No charge for this great service!

Read on and happy gardening! 

Margaret Boyle, Programming Coordinator