While recently at Powell's Books in Portland, Oregon (incidentally, the best city and the best bookstore) I came across Growing Stuff: An Alternative Guide to Gardening. Though I'm a little skeptical of trendy gardening books (often pretty pictures with no information about cultivation and care) this one caught my eye. It's a little more exciting than other DIY gardening books because you don't have to have access to vintage wooden crates or a cool Manhattan fire escape to get the full benefits of the creative gardening projects covered within. Once I figured out what "an old holey water butt" is (watering can, I think) I was on board with lots of these projects, wishing it was April again so I could start a beet box of my own.
Earlier this spring I checked out Garden Anywhere from the public library and was inspired to repot my root-bound house plants and put together a mixed mint pot, perfect on a north-facing patio. Now I've got English, pineapple, and cat mint thriving with some lemon balm and peppermint in a small terra cotta pot.
Of course, if you're gardening in Alberta or anywhere on the Prairies, your garden guru is, without a doubt, Lois Hole. Any of her books are worth checking out, no matter where you garden. They cover everything from seed-starting to harvesting.
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