I don’t know how folks in other areas are doing, but here in the still-cold climate of southern Manitoba, we’re starting to really get the itch to get out there in the yard and get things cleaned up and prepped for gardening.

Since Care and I seem to be stuck here for at least another season, we’re looking at replacing our containers and possibly setting up a square-foot / vertical garden for the front yard. After asking around, these books came highly recommended, for the gardening, and for the afterwork!

Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre – Brett L. Markham

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require. Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more.

All New Square Foot Gardening, Second Edition – Mel Bartholomew

Rapidly increasing in popularity, square foot gardening is the most practical, foolproof way to grow a home garden. In this new volume, Bartholomew furthers his discussion on one of the most popular gardening trends today: vertical gardening. He also explains how you can make gardening fun for kids by teaching them the square foot method. Finally, an expanded section on pest control helps you protect your precious produce. Rich with new full-color images and updated tips for selecting materials, this beautiful new edition is perfect for brand-new gardeners as well as the millions of square foot gardeners who are already dedicated to Mel’s industry-changing insights.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children – Sharon Lovejoy

Plant a pumpkinseed with a child, and cultivate wonder. This simple act of reconnecting with children with nature is Sharon Lovejoy’s purpose and joy and gift. In her newest book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, she presents 12 spirited, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated throughout by the author’s own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe — seeds, seedlings, and growing instructions spelled out step-by-step — and activities. There’s the Pizza Patch , a giant-size wheel garden planted in “slices” of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. A Flowery Maze to get lost in. A Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers, including a moonflower tent. And Mother Nature’s Medicine Chest.

Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space – Derek Fell

With a mix of DIY and commercially available string supports, trellises, pergolas, raised beds, skyscraper gardens, and topsy-turvy planters, the vertical garden system reduces work, increases yields, makes harvesting easier, and can be practiced in spaces as small as a container or a one-by-four-foot strip. Vertical Gardening features 100 color photos of the author’s own vertical methods and showcases beautiful, troublefree perennials, shrubs, vegetables, annuals, and fruit perfect for this new, rewarding way to garden.

Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables – Mike & Nancy Bubel

Anyone can learn to store fruits and vegetables safely and naturally with a cool, dark space (even a closet!) and the step-by-step advice in this book. Root cellaring, as many people remember but only a few people still practice, is a way of using the earth’s naturally cool, stable temperature to store perishable fruits and vegetables. Mike and Nancy Bubel explain how to create a no-cost, simple, low-technology, energy-saving way to keep the harvest fresh all year long.

’til next week…
<3 JL