My Favorite Resources for Growing
This morning my friend Justin sent me this wonderful Essay by Jenny Bhatt about what gardening has meant to her, really what it means for all of us. It got me thinking about how much being in the soil is a lifeline for me, not just a hobby that got out of hand but a way of being in the world that makes my life richer and makes me a better person. It occurs to me that I’ve actually squirrelled away a lot of knowledge and resources in my many years of growing things, and that now more than ever might be a good time to share them. So if you are also laying plans for sunshine and dirt filled days this upcoming year (do it! do it!) here are some of my favorite resources. I hope they give you as many hours of joy as they’ve given me:
I stumbled across How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons in Baku, Azerbaijan in the Peace Corps Library. They had enough for every volunteer, though not a single one of us was doing anything remotely agricultural, and I snatched a copy before we moved to site, pouring over it religiously. If you are just starting out this is a great one to get you started.
The Less is more Garden by Susan Morrison and Small Garden Handbook by Andrew Wilson are hands down my favorite books about overall garden design (and I’ve read A LOT of books about garden design). They contain gorgeous photographs, excellent overviews about style, and really gave me the confidence to take some swings in my tiny little yard. I hope they do the same for you!
If you are hoping to grow flowers this upcoming year, Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein is the best place to start. A word of warning: this is the book that set me on a path that has ended up in a full-blown farming career and I know I’m not the only one! Proceed with caution lest you find yourself a convert to Erin’s evangelism on flowers.
Internet Resources:
Johnnys Select Seeds: www.johnnyseeds.com. Johnnys is not just a great place to buy seeds, bulbs and tools but they also offer so much helpful growing information along with their products.
Other good places to get seeds are: Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (https://www.southernexposure.com), Seed Savers (https://seedsavers.org) and Territorial Seed co. (https://territorialseed.com)
Floret Flowers: www.floretflowers.com. Floret no longer sells seeds but they are a wealth of information including a searchable library of flowers and lots of blog post rabbit holes to go down.
Common Farm Flowers: www.commonfarmflowers.com. If you are a youtube person, Georgie Newburry of Common Farm Flowers shares a lot of what she does on her channel. I love her attitude about life and her way of conveying what really matters.
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