Late Summer Gardening

Did you know that you can still plant certain vegetables in late summer and even into September? While I am no gardening expert myself, I have come to learn, with the help of a very knowledgeable mother, that swiss chard, green onions, peas, radishes, and more can survive the frost and some lower temperatures. The key is knowing both how long crops take to mature, as well as the average first killing frost in your area. Check out a few of our gardening books below, or contact us to find out what else we have, at (317)852-3167 option 2 or askus@brownsburg.lib.in.us.

Nothing beats the taste of vegetables from a home garden, and with Vegetable Gardening it's never been easier. With over 80 varieties of vegetables to choose from, eating delicious, just-picked produce is a snap. Learn every step of creating and maintaining a cornucopia of garden-fresh vegetables: from choosing and planning your plot, preparing the soil, selecting seeds or cultivating seedlings, proper watering, harvesting, and storing. From composting and mulching to caring for and harvesting vegetables, it's clear that most gardeners want to use organic methods and avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But what happens when things go wrong and organic solutions don't seem to be working? The two authors of this book have different answers to this question. Jane Courtier takes the view that organic methods are the "first, best choice," but she occasionally uses chemical fertilizer and will resort to chemical pesticides if a serious problem arises. Fern Marshall Bradley writes from the viewpoint of a longtime organic gardener who's chosen to never use any chemicals in her garden. Together they've created a book that looks at vegetable gardening from both points of view. There are substantive issues on both sides-and in the end, it's an individual choice. Let them help you make up your own mind! Request this item 

More and more home gardeners are discovering the rewards of growing their own vegetables. But along with the pleasures of homegrown produce come a host of problems: bugs, diseases, and mysterious ailments that don't have an obvious cause. What's a gardener to do? Don't panic — help is at hand. What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? teaches you how to keep your vegetables healthy so they're less susceptible to attack, and when problems do occur, it shows you how to recognize the problem and find the right organic solution. Among the book's highlights are: Clear information about how to team with nature to create the best growing conditions for your vegetables. Detailed portraits of the most commonly grown vegetables, including growth habit; information on the plant's season; temperature, soil, light, and water requirements; and best garden uses and planting techniques. Illustrated problem-solving guides that enable you to identify at a glance what's ailing your plant. Discussions of the most effective organic solutions, ranging from how to modify the growing conditions in your garden to how to cope with and eliminate specific pests and diseases. If you care about raising the freshest, healthiest, most problem-free vegetables possible, then What's Wrong With My Vegetable Garden? will quickly become one of your most essential tools. Request this item

 

More and more, people are demanding fresh foods free from toxic chemicals--so this book on growing organic vegetables at home couldn't be timelier. Whether the gardener has a spacious suburban yard or a small city windowsill, all the necessary information and inspiration is here--from choosing the hardiest, most nutritious varieties to harvesting the crop. There's also vital instruction on getting ready for spring by starting plants indoors, and using safe, natural methods for dealing with pests and diseases. Request this item

Great October Reads!

Are you looking for a great book to get you into the spooky spirit? Try one of these!

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
Sam is a going-nowhere dropout fry cook at the local fast-food joint who has never really felt like he belonged. After a strange encounter with a strange man, Sam begins to unravel his past – he is a necromancer, but his powers were bound in his infancy to conceal him from the local necromancer who jealously guards his power. Sam is a funny, laid back and quick-witted and his relationships with his coworkers and friends shine – even when one becomes a talking decapitated head! This is a fun supernatural story for those who are looking for action and humor, with the barest hint of romance.

You may also enjoy Sabriel by Garth Nix – another tale of necromancy in a more fantastical setting, or The Forest of Hands and Teeth, a post-apocalyptic zombie story with a much higher chill-factor!

Locke and Key Volume 1: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
After witnessing the tragic and graphic murder of their father, the Locke children move with their mother back to the old family home in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. The sprawling mansion, (called Keyhouse) is a mystery in its own right, but when the youngest Locke finds a key to a door that allows him to leave his body behind, the three siblings find themselves in discovering even deeper secrets while still dealing with the death of their father. This superb graphic novel is for mature audiences, but may yet keep you up at night!

Other creepy graphic novels include The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman and In the Shadow of Edgar Allan Poe by Jonathon Scott Fuqua. For a younger audience, try Coraline by Neil Gaiman, adapted and illustrated by P. Craig Russell.


All Hallows Eve, 13 Stories by Vivian Vande Velde
Pick up this creepy collection of short stories all set on October 31. From a haunted house actress getting haunted for real to a possessed car trying to get its owner killed, to parents dressed as vampires offering their daughter’s date a drink – A, B, or O negative, these stories all draw to a spine tingling conclusion. This would be a great pick for a scary read-aloud for teens and adults too old for trick-or-treating!

For other short story collections, try The Living Dead with stories by greats like Neil Gaiman, Sherman Alexie, Clive Barker, Laurell K. Hamilton, and Stephen King.


Los Gatos Black on Halloween by Marisa Montes
On the lighter side, you may also be looking for fun October reads for little ones. Los Gatos Black is a great bilingual picture book that explores the traditional Halloween characters, symbols, and customs in a rhyming text that is interspersed with Spanish words and phrases. The illustrations are a bit eerie and atmospheric, but the story includes touches of humor that lighten the mood. The book includes a glossary of the Spanish terms and their pronunciations.

Some other fun picture books include The Halloween Kid by Rhode Montijo or Skelly the Skeleton Girl by Jimmy Pickering. Ant and Honey Bee, A Pair of Friends by Megan McDonald is a tale of getting your costume just right!


I hope these inspire some spooky nights under the covers!