By Glenice Lilje
I have never been a green thumb. This has always been a sore spot for me as I come from a line of relatives that made their living as farmers, and yet, I cannot even keep a cactus to save my life. When BCIT first offered a seed library, I thought that I couldn’t possibly participate and that my home was a hostile environment when it came to plants. However, I was still determined and wanted to bask in some of the benefits from gardening and plant tending.
After talking to some plant enthusiasts, I learned that I was actually a little over zealous in my watering and different plants enjoy varying levels of sunlight. Cut to today where I am now enjoying my suburban oasis filled with many climbing plants and Monsteras, as well as an edible garden on my balcony.
Here are some resources that helped me overcome my trials and tribulations to become the crazy plant lady I am today:
Backyard Bounty – 2nd Edition: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Linda Gilkeson, 2018
Has the pandemic inspired you to start a garden? Do you aspire to grow your own food but feel that it may be too time consuming or challenging with your busy schedule? Master gardener Linda Gilkeson will curb any hesitancy by breaking down any challenges and provide helpful insights to turn anyone into a green thumb! Packed with a plethora of information, this guide highlights low-maintenance methods, what to do about common pests and how to make your garden more resilient to the changing climate. This book comes highly regarded from BC gardeners and perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike!
The New Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel, 2018
Why start from seeds when you can just buy the seedlings? Starting plants from seeds can make for earlier harvests, healthier seedlings, lower costs and can result in a greater variety. Not to mention the feeling of satisfaction one gets when watching their plants develop and blossom after starting off as just a tiny seed. This handbook will guide the reader through the latest in seed starting research, growing materials and media, as well as troubleshooting tips. It also comes with a plethora of information on over 200 plants-including vegetables, herbs, trees, fruits, garden flowers and much,much more.
Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening by Deborah L. Martin, 2017
Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening has been a gardener’s go-to resource for over 50 years. With over fifty gardening experts and writers contributing to the book, green thumbs of all levels can find information on how to start and/or maintain their community/urban gardens, find out more about edible landscaping, stonescaping and even horticultural therapy (say that 3x fast!). This updated version has added comprehensive coverage on earth-friendly techniques, what to do about invasive plants and insects, how to reduce energy use and recycling and also touches on wise water management.
Ready to take the plunge or would like a little more information? Check out BCIT’s Seed Library.
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