Are You Ready for Spring?

     Spring is in the air! I know a lot of people who are still getting used to the time change from daylight savings and a few are still cleaning up from all the muck created with the recent batch of winter storms. But don't get discouraged! St. Patrick's day is coming up next week on March 17th and Spring begins on March 20th. The weather is supposed to clear up and I know that a great many of our patrons will begin preparing those garden plots. So, I'm including some of our most recent books on gardening to help you get started.

     First up is Deep South Month-by-Month Gardening: what to do each month to have a beautiful garden all year by Nellie Neal. As the long title suggests, the author gives you the tips and tricks needed to keep up your garden all year long. You will learn which plants grow best in our area and when you should plant, prune, or dig them up. She gives you an easy-to-follow format and includes step-by-step pictorial guides.

     One of the biggest challenges for gardeners is how to keep pests at bay without spraying all those harmful chemicals. Fear not, dear patrons, because we have Attracting Beneficial Bugs to Your Garden: A Natural Approach to Pest Control by Jessica Walliser. This book is all about beneficial bugs--who they are, how they work, what they eat, and how to attract them. The author profiles nineteen bugs which are helpful to gardeners, with descriptions, illustrations, and a list of their benefits, along with planting and zone details about thirty-nine plants which can be used to attract them.

     Not sure you want to plant and take care of a big garden? Don't really have the space to plant a garden? No problem! We have a couple of new books on gardening in small spaces. First, there is Grow Vegetables in Pots which gives you tips and tricks about how to plant tasty tomatoes and luscious herbs in small containers, so that you can enjoy the "fruits" of your labor without having to till up a garden plot. The author lists the plants that grow well in small spaces and which plants grow well together.

We also have the book All New Square Foot Gardening: the Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space by Mel Bartholomew. This author covers how to build planter boxes, how to use vertical space to plant your crops, and how to extend your seasons to get the most out of your crops.

     All of these books (and more) are located in the library's non-fiction section between the call numbers 628 and 636. Feel free to come in and check some out or just flip through them to get some ideas. We have books for the novice gardener as well as the seasoned horticulturalist! Enjoy and Happy Planting!

Celebrate Summer with Gardening

Crops in Pots:  How to Plan, Plant and Grow Vegetables, Fuits and Herbs in Easy-Care Containers by Bob Purnell is a great book for the aspiring gardener!  It is perfect for the home gardener who wants to get his/her feet into growing fruits and vegetables for snacks or meal time.  The book begins with a great section on how to grow plants from seed

and how to take care of them, including figuring out what to plant and how to fertilize them, and even a section on pests and diseases.  The rest of the book is divided into sections as to the type of food you want to grow--starters, main courses, and desserts.  Each type of plant shown has a picture of the plant, a detailed method on how to grow it and a recipe using the items you've grown.  One of my favorites is the "Select Salad" on page 68.  It's a main course, and combines an assortment of edible leaves, blooms and other unusual salad ingredients in a large growing pot.  This is a very accessible and easy-to-read book, perfect for beginning and seasoned gardeners.  The 50 planter projects contained in the book will yield delicious rewards, even if your gardening space is minimal!

Make the Best Burger in Town...

I am a big fan of hamburgers. To me, there is nothing more American than a big, juicy burger, crunchy french fries and a Coke. I know that burgers are not something you should eat every day, but the library has received a book that can enable you to eat burgers more often but in a healthy way. Joni Marie Newman's The Best Veggie Burgers on the Planet contains 101 globally inspired vegan creations that showcase fresh flavors and exciting exotic tastes. The book contains twelve chapters of burger recipes, each from different regions of the world. The book also contains chapters on condiments and sauces, buns and breads, sides and salads and a few desserts. The burger substitutes include tofu, split peas, couscous, wheat gluten flour, and a variety of vegetables. This recipe book is a great inspiration for all cooks and the photographs make every recipe look tasty and may inspire you to invent a few culinary geniuses of your own!