Meow and hello! It’s me, Cosmo, the library cat! Now that warmer weather is here, it’s time to start planting your garden. If you’re like me, you love digging your paws through the dirt, but you’re not really sure what to do after that. Never fear, the Grand County Public Library has resources to help you get started! I asked the library staff for great gardening books from our collection and here’s what they said:
For children, check out “Container Gardening for Kids” by Ellen Talmage and “What Shall I Grow” by Ray Gibson. Another fun one is “Fairy Gardening: Creating Your Own Magical Miniature Garden” by Julie Bawden-Davis.
If you want to start small or don’t have a ton of space to work with, check out “Grow Great Grub: Organic Food from Small Spaces” by Gayla Trail or “Fresh Food from Small Spaces: the Square Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing” by R.J. Ruppenthal.
I love a good desert dust bath out in the library courtyard, but I have heard that not all plants love our dry dirt. Luckily, the library has tons of books about gardening in our high desert climate. Try “Ortho’s All About Dry Climate Gardening” by Gayle Weinstein or “Sunbelt Gardening: Success in Hot-Weather Climates” by Tom Peace for starters. Or check out one of our guides to xeriscaping, which is the art of low- or no-irrigation planting.
The librarians said the hardest part will be deciding what you want to grow. Food? Trees? Cacti? How about flowers to attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds? I told them they were overthinking it and you should always start with catnip. Whatever you decide, we’ve got a book to help inspire you at the Grand County Public Library.
The Grand County Public Library Moab Branch (257 E. Center St.) is open from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Call 435-259-1111 with questions.
