Want to try growing from seed and share the results with others? Borrow from one of our Master Gardener Seed Lending Libraries – available at all three branches.
The Master Gardener Seed Lending Library aims to help everyone learn about the benefits of gardening and seed saving. Free seeds are available for vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Harvest seeds from your own plants then return some to the library to be shared with others.
How does the program work?
Stop by the Seed Lending Library at the Bowman, Clarke County, or Handley branch.
Select up to three packets of seeds per week to take home and grow.
You can complete the check out form to let the Master Gardeners know which seeds you selected (this allows them to monitor the needs of the community and restock seeds as needed).
Then get gardening!
Allow some of your plants to go to seed and harvest them when they are ready. Save some seeds for yourself and return a portion to your seed lending library to share with others.
Upcoming Programs
Nature is full of incredible surprises!
Come to the Bowman Library to enjoy some nature arts and crafts with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association!
Disclaimer(s)
Library Consent Statement for Photography and Video
Programs, events, and daily happenings sponsored by Handley Regional Library System may be photographed or recorded. Attendance at any sponsored program, event or general library use constitutes the consent of all attendees and the consent of the parents or legal guardians of any minor children in attendance, to the future broadcast, publication, and other use of photography or videos at the sole direction of Handley Regional Library System.
Photography Notification
While we do allow professional photography inside the property of Handley Regional Library System, we do ask that we are notified ahead of time of photoshoots at 540.662.9041 x 25. Photography activities may be limited to specific areas due to reserved use and cannot impede any patron activity using the library.
Nature is full of incredible surprises!
Come to the Bowman Library to enjoy some nature arts and crafts with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association!
Disclaimer(s)
Library Consent Statement for Photography and Video
Programs, events, and daily happenings sponsored by Handley Regional Library System may be photographed or recorded. Attendance at any sponsored program, event or general library use constitutes the consent of all attendees and the consent of the parents or legal guardians of any minor children in attendance, to the future broadcast, publication, and other use of photography or videos at the sole direction of Handley Regional Library System.
Photography Notification
While we do allow professional photography inside the property of Handley Regional Library System, we do ask that we are notified ahead of time of photoshoots at 540.662.9041 x 25. Photography activities may be limited to specific areas due to reserved use and cannot impede any patron activity using the library.
Ready, Set, GROW!!
Get ready for Clarke County Library's first plant & seed swap!
Nature is full of incredible surprises!
Come to the Bowman Library to enjoy some nature arts and crafts with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association!
Disclaimer(s)
Library Consent Statement for Photography and Video
Programs, events, and daily happenings sponsored by Handley Regional Library System may be photographed or recorded. Attendance at any sponsored program, event or general library use constitutes the consent of all attendees and the consent of the parents or legal guardians of any minor children in attendance, to the future broadcast, publication, and other use of photography or videos at the sole direction of Handley Regional Library System.
Photography Notification
While we do allow professional photography inside the property of Handley Regional Library System, we do ask that we are notified ahead of time of photoshoots at 540.662.9041 x 25. Photography activities may be limited to specific areas due to reserved use and cannot impede any patron activity using the library.
Nature is full of incredible surprises!
Come to the Bowman Library to enjoy some nature arts and crafts with the Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association!
Disclaimer(s)
Library Consent Statement for Photography and Video
Programs, events, and daily happenings sponsored by Handley Regional Library System may be photographed or recorded. Attendance at any sponsored program, event or general library use constitutes the consent of all attendees and the consent of the parents or legal guardians of any minor children in attendance, to the future broadcast, publication, and other use of photography or videos at the sole direction of Handley Regional Library System.
Photography Notification
While we do allow professional photography inside the property of Handley Regional Library System, we do ask that we are notified ahead of time of photoshoots at 540.662.9041 x 25. Photography activities may be limited to specific areas due to reserved use and cannot impede any patron activity using the library.
Gardening Books
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For the Love of Plants: Over 150 Plants to Bring Joy to Your Garden and Your Life
- The scents of the lavender and rosemary lining the garden path instantly welcome you to what follows: a wildflower meadow, an ornamental kitchen garden, a shady courtyard, terrace and borders, gravel garden, and woodland walk, taking you on a tour through Adam’s Garden.
As you go, Adam explains his why, explaining his design and planting choices, drawing on personal feeling and memories as well as years of experience.
Plant profiles provide inspiration for your own planting dreams, interspersed with practical know-how on plant care and design ideas to help you create flow and moments of pause using pathways, arches, water features, and pots.
- The scents of the lavender and rosemary lining the garden path instantly welcome you to what follows: a wildflower meadow, an ornamental kitchen garden, a shady courtyard, terrace and borders, gravel garden, and woodland walk, taking you on a tour through Adam’s Garden.
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Good soil
- In his late thirties, Jeff Chu left his job as a magazine writer and enrolled at Princeton Seminary's "Farminary," a 21-acre farm where students learn to work the earth while interrogating life's biggest questions. Now he unfolds what he learned about creating good soil-both literally and figuratively-drawing lessons from the chickens, goats, and zinnias and the rhythms of growth, decay, and regeneration that define life on the land. In a series of reflections, Chu introduces us to the cast of characters, human and not, who became his teachers. From the egrets that visited the pond, to the worms that turned waste into fertile soil, to the Chinese long beans that got passed over in the farm's CSA, Chu considers our relationship with the food on our plates, the belonging we seek, and the significance of his own roots, discovering what the earth is trying to tell us, if we'll stop and listen. In gorgeous, transporting prose, Good Soil helps readers connect to the land and to each other at a time when we are drawn most to the phones in our hands. For nature lovers, foodies, and anyone who has daydreamed about a more meaningful life, this book is a tribute to friendship, acceptance, spirituality, and how love can grow from the unlikeliest of places.
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Grow Food Anywhere: How to Plant the Right Crops in the Right Places and Help Your Garden Thrive
- Each area of a garden offers a different environment for plants, with differing levels of sun, soil, moisture, and more.
In this book, expert gardener and vegetable grower Lucy Chamberlain breaks down the environments you may find in your garden into seven zones, from sunny and sheltered to shady and dry – as well as using indoor space.
Following the principle of “right crop, right place,” everyone can grow fruits and vegetables that will thrive in their space, large or small. Including varieties of vegetables, fruits, herbs, edible flowers, and container crops, there is something here for everyone – from favorites like chilis and figs to honeyberry, wasabi, agretti, and amaranth.
Learn how to identify and map the zones of your space, make the most of the natural conditions, collect water, use a greenhouse effectively, and understand the basics of what’s happening in the soil.
With photographs of crops, diagrams of each zone, and a troubleshooting guide to managing plant problems, this book will truly enable gardeners to grow food anywhere.
- Each area of a garden offers a different environment for plants, with differing levels of sun, soil, moisture, and more.
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Grow Your Groceries
- Ever wondered if you could grow plants from the food you buy? Grow Your Groceries shows you how.
Discover 40 simple, fun hacks to try – no gardening experience needed, just a windowsill and a recycled container.
Raise tomato plants from tomato slices. Collect strawberry seeds for endless strawberry plants. Pick salad leaves from beetroot tops. Split teabags for flowering camomile. Grow fresh cobs from popcorn kernels.
So don’t throw away your melon seeds and spring onion trimmings, save them to grow new plants instead!
- Ever wondered if you could grow plants from the food you buy? Grow Your Groceries shows you how.
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The Money-Saving Garden Year: A Month-By-Month Guide to a Great Garden That Costs Less
- With month-by-month advice on what to do when – from self-sown seedlings to spot, the best time to propagate different plants, and seasonal pruning jobs – Anya shows you how to keep your garden looking good without breaking the bank. Handy monthly plant lists, money-saving tips, propagation chart, and planting calendar guide you on your way.
Embrace each season with timely projects to absorb you, garden highlights to enjoy, and notes on how to find happiness in your garden even in the depths of winter. Anya’s clear, practical yet mindful approach will help anyone grow a glorious garden while cutting costs.
- With month-by-month advice on what to do when – from self-sown seedlings to spot, the best time to propagate different plants, and seasonal pruning jobs – Anya shows you how to keep your garden looking good without breaking the bank. Handy monthly plant lists, money-saving tips, propagation chart, and planting calendar guide you on your way.
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Beginner's guide to garden planning and design : 50 simple gardening ideas for adding style & personality to your outdoor space
- In the foreword of Planning & Designing Your First Garden: 50 Ways to Add Style for Personal Creativity, P. Allen Smith states, "Helen has outlined 50 ways to add style to express one's personal creativity in the garden--when in fact her 50 will inspire at least 50 more ideas." Rather than force her own creative ideas on you, author, gardener, and horticulturalist, Helen Yoest teaches you how to recognize and act on your own creativity. Sections include Garden Basics, Garden Styles, Garden Elements and Your Garden Environment. Learn about the importance of carving out the perfect space for your needs, how to create rhythm, scale, and balance along with curb appeal to help personalize your space, creating a sustainable garden environment where plants and animals can live together.
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Visionary : gardens and landscapes for our future
- In Visionary, photographer Claire Takacs and landscape architect Giacomo Guzzon introduce stunning private and public gardens from around the world that have addressed both sustainability and climate change. Be inspired by the new ways garden and landscape designers are thinking about planting and garden design in the face of climate change. Over 80 gardens are featured from across the globe, including the USA, UK, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand, showcasing innovative design solutions that look to the future.
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Vegetable gardening made easy : simple tips & tricks to grow your best garden ever
- Supercharge your food garden while reducing your workload with over 80 detailed solutions, techniques, and methods that resolve some of gardening’s most common challenges.
Illustrated with gorgeous photographs of inspiring gardens, projects in process, and tempting homegrown vegetables, and authored by Resh Gala, a professional kitchen garden designer, Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is filled with valuable advice every food gardener can use.
No matter the size of your garden or your experience level, backyard veggie gardeners like you can use the practical information found inside to grow a more productive (and beautiful!) edible garden.Discover an abundance of useful tidbits on everything from designing the garden and starting from seed to maximizing production, managing pests naturally, and preserving the harvest.
- Supercharge your food garden while reducing your workload with over 80 detailed solutions, techniques, and methods that resolve some of gardening’s most common challenges.