Even though the weather doesn’t always feel like spring is on the way in March, it is a great time to start planning your garden. Knowing how much space you have available as well as what types of seeds you want to grow are two critical components to garden preparation. Even if your only available outdoor space is a window ledge for a window box planter or a small patio where you can place a few clay pots, you can have a successful and sustainable garden. We have several new gardening books in our collection that can help you plan a bountiful garden no matter your situation. All of these books were published in 2023 and are filled with the most up-to-date information.

 

The Good Garden: How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food—All in Your Own Backyard by Chris McLaughlin features the tricks and tips you need to grow the sustainable garden of your dreams. Drawing from established traditions such as permaculture, French intensive gardening, and McLaughlin's own experience, The Good Garden is a thorough guide for newbies and experienced gardeners alike. It teaches the fundamentals including how to choose the right plant varieties for your climate, proven methods to fight pests without chemicals, and much more.

 

The No-Dig Children's Gardening Book: Easy and Fun Family Gardening by Charles Dowding is a children’s book with simple and achievable gardening projects perfect for parents and young children to do together. All are based on Charles Dowding's trademark no-dig technique, which lends itself to gardening with little ones who can't manage heavy digging and who will quickly grow bored of endless weeding. Projects are broken down into easy, step-by-step processes designed to be carried out by children.

 

The Container Victory Garden: A Beginner's Guide to Growing Your Own Groceries by Maggie Stuckey shares everything you need to know about how to succeed with container gardening including planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting. This book contains detailed drawings that illustrate many gardening techniques and set-ups, first-person stories of World War II Victory Gardens, and inspiration for today's gardeners. Container gardening promises a fresh bounty of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers you can enjoy in every season.

The Kitchen Garden: Sowing, Growing, and Cooking for the Garden Enthusiast by Lucy Mora is an illustrated guide to growing edible plants from sowing to harvesting. It features fifty-five plant profiles ranging from the everyday to the unique. Each profile is illustrated and has an easy-to-comprehend table detailing the most important information: when to sow and harvest; growing time; space needed between plants; optimal soil pH; whether the plant will tolerate pots and frost; and each plant's companions and dislikes.

 

Speaking of gardening, I’d like to share a special announcement—The Bridgeport Public Library will be unveiling our first-ever Community Garden and Seed Library this spring and we would love for you to be involved! If interested, please contact us at 304-842-8248.