Happy springtime, AC Library community!
The growing season has arrived once again. Earth Day is coming up on April 22, and then National Plant Something Day is on May 19.
There’s no better time to get started on your own garden. As part of our commitment to sustainability and environmentalism, we at AC Library will release a six-part blog series on Urban Gardening techniques. We hope you enjoy the ride as much as I enjoy writing it, and maybe even learn a thing or two!
Picture this...
What could be more pleasant than waking up with a steaming cup of coffee or tea beside your own little garden? Enjoying the first rays of sunshine while snacking on a sugar snap pea you grew from a seedling yourself... Bliss! Many people assume that this pleasure is denied to them if they don’t have access to a backyard. But as anyone who’s ever noticed wildflowers sprouting from cracked pavement knows, plants can be incredibly tenacious and adaptable! Life will find a way. So even if you live in a 3rd story apartment, there are still many opportunities for making your dream of growing your own food come true. From windowsills to rooftops, your cozy home contains numerous possibilities when considering where to situate your garden.
Getting started can be overwhelming. Once you begin to research gardening, all too soon you find yourself paddling upstream in a flood of information! There seems to be a hundred different variables at play — what soil to use, how much water to provide, what time of year to sew seeds, and what's the deal with fertilizer and mulch?! As if that weren’t confusing enough, oftentimes these sources provide conflicting advice. It gets to a point where many people simply throw up their hands in frustration and give up. You may be surprised (and a little skeptical...) to hear me claim this, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated. The process can be simplified to fit around your busy life.
Give me a chance to explain!
We at the AC Library Garden Center are committed to breaking the barriers that prevent our community members from participating in the means of food production. It is our mission to encourage each and every one of you to experience the satisfaction of providing sustenance for your household from the labor of your own hands. Additionally, with the rising cost of groceries we’ve all been suffering as of late, most households could benefit from additional methods for reducing their grocery bill. In the pursuit of this goal, I have compiled a number of tips and strategies that will allow you to grow your own crops—no matter where you live.
You may be wondering how you can possibly grow anything when your apartment is so far removed from the soil on the ground. But keep in mind that your balcony provides a critical ingredient that any plant needs to survive—in short, sunlight! No matter how tiny and impractical your balcony may be, with a little planning and intentionality, it can be the perfect framework on which to cultivate your own little slice of paradise.
Tune in to next week’s blog for my quick and dirty tips for apartment balcony gardening!
This eList features electronic materials. If you prefer physical books, search the titles in our catalog. As autumn closes in and winter looms, get lost in an imaginary garden.
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