Books and such

While the snow is on the ground, gardeners can relax from the busy times of the planting seasons. I just got my first two catalogues.  Cook's Garden catalogue is a feast for the eyes.  It's a good time to plan as well.  I will begin to look at my notes from last year and think about how to move things around, where to start new flower beds, etc.  I don't think I will do much winter sowing unless I direct sow larkspur and other hardy annuals. I will really push the envelope by planting some daffodils that never got into the ground.  I planted them as late as Christmas in New York and am not sure I can get by with that here in WS. Meanwhile at the Food Bank Farm we have truckloads of leaves to get distributed into the fields in time to decompose for the spring planting. 

Since January and February provide a great time to dig into gardening books, I want to remind folks to look at the book Community Garden, published by Brooklyn Botanic Garden a year ago.  Hopefully, it will inspire you to look at ways to start your own community garden.

Community Gardens Grow Healthy Food!

With all the alarm these days about getting safe food, it's no wonder many people are looking for a community garden to get their own tomatoes, lettuce, watermelons or whatever suits them. Folks like a community garden because they can learn from each other the best practices. I find food crops a lot harder to manage than oramentals. Seems as if they are more prone to disease. To be an organic gardener you need as much advice as you can get. Organic Gardening magazine has always been a great resource for me. In Brooklyn, where I have gardened a lot, youth have developed a farmers market from their produce. They've learned business skills as well as horticulture. If you want to grow food for your family, a community garden is a great way to go. Get ideas on how to start a community garden from www.communitygarden.org. Also, check out the new guidebook COMMUNITY GARDENING from bbg.org or from AMAZON.COM