Saturday, January 19, 2019

Seeds Need a Good Home!






A want to give a BIG, BIG Thank You to all the volunteers who helped package seeds on Wednesday! It was a record turnout of at least 16 people! Wow!

We packaged up almost 500 packets of seeds and guess where they are now? That's right--the seed drawers in at the Seed Library. :)
Tomatoes (over 50 varieties), beans, peas, lettuce, annuals, herbs, native plants and other vegetable seeds are waiting for good homes.

I still have some lettuce, pepper and annual seeds left to package. I'm not sure there is enough for another seed packaging date, but I'll let you know soon.

Also coming up is the next Seed Talk on Tuesday, Feb  12, 2019 at 6:30pm at the White Bear Lake library. The topics of discussion are container gardening and when to start seeds indoors. I'll remind you closer to the date, but mark your calendar now. Seed Talks are a way for all of us to share our knowledge and ideas with other community gardeners, so please feel free to attend whether you are an experienced or a novice gardener or somewhere in between.

Just note that during the winter months it may be necessary to cancel a meeting due to weather. I will contact the library if that is the case, but if travel seems questionable, please call the library before you attend.
Pam

Wednesday, January 9, 2019

Resources about Wildlife Gardening

Wildlife Gardening Resources
All these books are in the Ramsey County Library system or you can purchase them from online sources such as amazon.com.

The Wildlife-Friendly Vegetable Garden – Hartung, Tammi
Opening paragraph says it all:
“I feel deep gratitude for all the wild creatures that live with me in a positive and a good way here on our farm. I appreciate that they live on this land or visit it often as part of their daily lives. They offer me great assistance by pollinating the plants, managing pests, and leaving behind their manures to nourish the soil. My garden would not be so abundant without them.”
From Amazon.com:
Promoting a holistic ecological view, Tammi Hartung encourages you to invite wildlife into your garden. You’ll be amazed at how a variety of natural pollinators, pest predators, and soil enrichers can promote vibrant and healthy vegetables. Discover how a slug problem disappears once you’ve introduced a pond housing bullfrogs, how wasps can take care of tomato hornworms, and why skunks aren’t so bad after all. Learn how to garden with animals, rather than against them, and reap your most bountiful harvest yet.

Attracting Birds, Butterflies and other Backyard Wildlife – Mizejewski, David
From Amazon.com:
A backyard can come alive by creating an environment with plants and spaces that attract nature's most interesting and friendly creatures. Colorful butterflies, uplifting songbirds, and lively toads can enhance the personal garden space, giving pleasure to nature lovers of all ages. National Wildlife Federation's® Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife provides over a dozen step-by-step projects for families to do together, making getting back to nature easy, educational, and fun.

Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants – Tallamy, Douglas
From Amazon.com:
“If you cut down the goldenrod, the wild black cherry, the milkweed and other natives, you eliminate the larvae, and starve the birds. This simple revelation about the food web—and it is an intricate web, not a chain—is the driving force in Bringing Nature Home.” —The New York Times
Bringing Nature Home has sparked a national conversation about the link between healthy local ecosystems and human well-being, and the new paperback edition—with an expanded resource section and updated photos—will help broaden the movement. By acting on Douglas Tallamy's practical recommendations, everyone can make a difference.
Dr. Doug Tallamy is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Entomology and Wildlife Ecology at the University of Delaware. A renowned expert in the science of plant-insect interactions, he is passionate about helping people create wildlife habitat in their own backyards and gardens.

Landscaping for Wildlife – Henderson, Carrol
A Minnesota DNR publication with example plans and detailed lists of suitable plants for all types of ecosystems in Minnesota.
Carrol Henderson was the supervisor of Minnesota Nongame Wildlife Program in the MN DNR as well as other positions helping wildlife.

Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota – Steiner, Lynn M.
From Amazon.com:
This new and updated edition of Landscaping with Native Plants of Minnesota combines the practicality of a field guide with all the basic information homeowners need to create an effective landscape design. The plant profiles section includes comprehensive descriptions of approximately 150 flowers, trees, shrubs, vines, evergreens, grasses, and ferns that grew in Minnesota before European settlement, as well as complete information on planting, maintenance, and landscape uses for each plant. The book also includes complete information on how to garden successfully in Minnesota’s harsh climate and how to install and maintain an attractive, low-maintenance home landscape suitable for any lifestyle.
Lynn Steiner is a local author.

Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants – Holm, Heather
From Amazon.com:
This is the first comprehensive book to illustrate the specific relationships between native pollinators and native plants. Organized by plant communities, the book profiles over 65 perennial native plants of the Midwest, Great Lakes region, Northeast and southern Canada and the pollinators, beneficial insects and flower visitors the plants attract. With its easy-to-use format, the book provides the reader with information on how to attract, plant for and identify pollinators with native plants. Beautifully designed and illustrated with over 1600 photos of plants and insects, the book includes information on pollination, types of pollinators and beneficial insects, pollinator habitat and conservation as well as pollinator landscape plans.
Heather Holm is a local author.

Native Plant Finder, NWF. Enter your zip code and find the top plants that support wildlife in your area.

Joe Gardener – Hundreds of videos, podcasts, blog on gardening.

Field guide to the flora of Minnesota.
“Here you'll find photos and information about wild plants that grow in Minnesota, both native and non-native. More than just wildflowers, we also include trees, shrubs, vines, ferns and fern allies, and grasses, sedges and rushes.
Our mission is to educate Minnesotans on our native plants, raise awareness on threats like invasive species, and inspire people to explore our great state, appreciate its natural heritage, and become involved in preserving it.
Over 1,500 plant species and more than 15,000 high quality photos are cataloged here, with more added each week, working towards recording all 2100+ plant species in Minnesota.”