Time to Think about SPRING!

Time to Think about SPRING!
 

The first official day of spring for the Northern Hemisphere falls on March 20th with the vernal equinox, which will occur at 12:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time. With the vernal equinox, the days will continue to gradually lengthen until the longest day of the year on summer solstice.

The term "equinox" means "equal night" in Latin. During an equinox, the sun is directly above the earth's celestial equator. As a result, day and night are of equal length nearly everywhere on the planet.

You can keep up with changes in the sky with NASA Earth Observatory, the national weather at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the local forecast at the National Weather Service for Northern Indiana.

For many, the start of spring is the time to bring their gardens back to life. KHCPL carries a variety of gardening magazines, such as Fine Gardening and Indiana Gardening, both in print and online through Zinio and Overdrive.

 

If you’ve never gardened before, a good book to start with would be with The First-time Gardener by Pattie Barron. Expand your knowledge with The Anxious Gardener’s Book of Answers by Teri Dunn Chace or The Backyard Problem Solver by Jerry Baker.

If your landscaping is looking scruffy, check out Pruning Plant By Plant by Andrew Mikolajski. Does your vegetable patch need a facelift? Building Raised Beds will take your garden to the next level. To add more bloom to your flowerbeds, some favorite flower guides include Daylilies for the Garden by Graeme Grosvenor, Peonies by Allan Rogers and, for advice on everyone’s favorite flower, Foolproof Guide to Growing Roses by Field Roebuck. For advice on the go-to shade perennial, try Hostas by Andrew Mikolajski.

If last year’s dream garden didn’t materialize, you may need to check out Improving Your Soil by Keith Reid before you plant. If you want to recreate this year's masterpiece, The Seed Garden by Micaela Colley will tell you how to save seeds for the years to come.

KHCPL has a gardening collection geared specifically towards our local climate. To find out what would grow best here, check out Midwest Fruit and Vegetable Gardening by Katie Etzer-Peters, The Midwestern Native Garden by Charlotte Adelman and Bernard L. Schwartz, and Growing the Midwest Garden by Edward Lyon.

Get your kids involved with Kid’s Garden Adventure by Don Burke and The Book of Gardening Projects for Kids by Whitney Cohen. And don’t forget your pets! Check out Dog Friendly Gardening by Karen Bush.

If you want to share your expertise with others through a community garden, Start a Community Food Garden by LaManda Joy provides a step-by-step guide.

Whatever your SPRING interests are, explore your opportunities at KHCPL!