Library ready to help get you growing

Let Lethbridge Public Library help you start your garden this year with our seed library! The process is simple; first browse and borrow: select what plants you’d like to grow – then checkout the seed packages. Then sow and grow: plant, tend, and enjoy your crop. Finally, reap and return: if you are able, harvest new seeds and return them to the library, packaged to be borrowed by local gardeners next growing season. Seeds returned from successful plants will grow our collection and help cultivate seed stocks best suited to our local climate. In the meantime, check out these gardening books from our collection to help you have a successful garden:

Companion Planting for Beginners – Brian Lowell (2022). Did you know tomatoes produce a natural insecticide that can help protect carrots against pests? Or that planting mint near lettuce can repel slugs? Every gardener knows that the key to an abundant harvest in their vegetable garden is controlling pests and disease, while still maintaining a healthy growing environment. But it is possible to have a healthy, thriving vegetable garden without using dangerous chemicals? It is, as long as you know how to pair up the right plants. [From the publisher].

Seven-Step Homestead – Leah Webb (2023). Homesteader

Leah Webb shares her strategy for implementing a homestead plan in seven stages by starting small and gradually adding more features each year. Step-by-step photos from the author’s own homestead, accompanied by her hard-earned advice and instruction, make this a one-of-a-kind guide for anyone who aspires to grow more of their own food [From the publisher].

Hydroponics for Beginners – Jeree Harms (2022). You don’t need the sun or soil to grow food. Wouldn’t it be great if you could plant and grow food in your house year-round? No more needing to be out in the summer sun. No more needing to find the right soil combination. No more needing to wait until spring or autumn to begin planting.

With hydroponics, you can grow food inside your house without having any sun or any soil. [From the publisher].

My Tiny Kitchen Garden – Felicity Hart (2022). Simple Tips to Help You Grow Your Own Herbs, Fruits and Vegetables. You don’t need a garden to grow your own food! This book is the perfect beginner’s guide to micro-gardening, featuring tips on how to start, what to choose and how to grow over 20 types of plant for your kitchen. [From the publisher].

Check out the seed library at our Main Branch today!

Jonathan Jarvie is Information Services Librarian at the Lethbridge Public Library