My mother has been an avid gardener for most of her adult life, and her vegetable, flower, and herb beds were the envy of her neighbours. Luckily, Mum’s love of gardening passed itself down to me in recent years. With her help and guidance, I’ve been experimenting with vegetable gardening. A few years ago, I started out with a few containers of peas, cherry tomatoes, and chives, with surprisingly good results. I’ve expanded my repertoire since then, adding more containers and converting a quarter of my yard into a vegetable garden. I’ll never be the productive gardener my mother was, but I’m successful enough to keep my family happy.
That’s not to say that I haven’t had a few hiccups along the way, like the eggplant fiasco of 2010. Did you know that an eggplant plant will yield more than one eggplant? I didn’t. If I had, I wouldn’t have planted fifteen plants. I also have a large number of eggplant recipes, if anyone’s interested.
While I benefit greatly from my mother’s tutelage, I also hit the gardening section of the library. Our collection of gardening books and DVDs can tell me what vegetables grow well in containers, if our climate is too cold to grow yams (sadly, it is), what the heck to do with all the oregano and coriander I planted, or even how to get rid of slugs without using pesticides. So whether you’re looking for information about vertical gardens, fresh vegetable cookbooks, or how to plant a small flower bed with your children, check out your local library. Can’t make it to the branch? Visit our OverDrive site for great gardening eBooks. You, and your gardens, will be happy you did!
— Barbara
Readers' Salon 