Spotlight on Gardening

Our unseasonably warm spring has brought out the blooms and the plans for this year's garden. Whether you've a green thumb or black (or aren't sure what color your thumb may be!), Carnegie-Stout has a gardening book for you!

Be sure to check out last year's gardening post, found here:
carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2011/05/gardening-season.html

Iowa State University's Iowa Extension also has some great information for gardening in Iowa.

And don't forget our post on gardening themed cozy mysteries: carnegiestout.blogspot.com/2011/11/cozy-mysteries-gardening.html

The Hobby Farmer
Farm City by Novella Carpenter
(630.9173 CAR) Ms. Carpenter moved to downtown Oakland with her boyfriend and started a squatter garden in a neighboring vacant lot. Her garden quickly expands to include bees, chickens, turkeys, and pigs. A colorful and personal story about the modern relationship to the food we eat and its production.


Growing at the Speed of Life by Graham Kerr
(635 KER) Mr. Kerr, cookbook author and host of a cooking program, writes about his experience with his own garden, inspired by the sustainability and local food movements. In addition, his book includes tips and recipes.

The Dirty Life by Kristin Kimball
(630.92 KIM) Ms. Kimball, a Manhattan journalist, meets and falls for Mark, a farmer. They move to upstate New York to start their own farm, and experiment in community agriculture. One part hands on exploration of the sustainable movement, one part fish out of water, and one part romances makes for an entertaining read.

If you want to try your own adventure in urban or hobby farming, check out these books:

• Urban Homesteading by Rachel Kaplan (640 KAP)
• Your Farm in the City by Lisa Taylor (630.9173 TAY)
• The Joy of Hobby Farming by Michael Levatino (630.68 LEV)

How to Grow a Garden

• The Edible Front Yard: creating curb appeal with fruits, flowers, vegetables, and herbs by Ivette Soler (635 SOL)

• High-Impact, Low-Carbon Gardening: 1001 ways to garden sustainably by Alice Bowe (635.048 BOW)

• The Midwestern Native Garden: native alternatives to nonnative flowers and plants by Charlotte Adelman (635.951 ADE)

• Perennial Vegetables: from artichoke to zuiki taro, a gardener’s guide to over 100 delicious, easy-to-grow edibles by Eric Toensmeier (635 TOE)

• Slow Gardening: a no-stress philosophy for all senses and seasons by Felder Rushing (635.9 RUS)

• The Ultimate Guide to Growing Your Own Food: save money, live better, and enjoy life with food from your garden or orchard by Monte Burch (635 BUR)

• The Vegetable Gardener’s Container Bible: how to grow a bounty of food in pots, tubs, and other containers by Edward C. Smith (635 SMI)

Gardening Magazines
Horticulture
Better Homes and Gardens
Birds & Blooms
Hobby Farms
Organic Gardening
This Old House
Fine Gardening



Please stop by the Recommendations Desk on the first floor, check out NoveList Plus on the library's website, or visit W. 11th & Bluff next week for more reading suggestions. Or submit a Personal Recommendations request, and we'll create a reading list just for you!