May 2024
LTPL Grows Newsletter

                       May
  If I could stay up late no doubt
  I'd catch the buds just bursting out;
  And up from every hidden root
  Would jump a tiny slender shoot;
  I wonder how seeds learn the way,
  They always know the very day—
  The pretty, happy first of May;
  If I could stay up then, no doubt
  I'd catch the buds just bursting out.
 
  Poem by: Annette Wynne
  Painting "Gather Ye Rosebuds While Ye May" 
  John William Waterhouse (1909)                 
 

Upcoming LTPL Grows Programs 
 Grow a Great Garden!
 Monday, May 6, 2024 at 6:30pm

Discover how to plan, plant and grow your most productive garden ever! Learn from Bevin’s decades of growing experience, including tips on soil health, seed starting and transplanting, mulching and weeding and when to harvest your perfect produce, flowers and herbs! 
Bevin Cohen (Ben) is an award winning Michigan author, herbalist, owner of Small House Farm and host of the popular Seeds & Weeds podcast.

 

 
Instant Gardens
Monday, May 20, 2024 at 6:30 pm
Gardening in containers is the perfect solution for many gardening challenges. Containers are space-saving, portable, and almost weed-free. With no need for special equipment, you can grow a wide variety of different vegetables, flowers, and herbs on a balcony, patio, porch, or window box. Even if you have a big yard, container gardening can allow you to add beauty and diversity to your home and garden using spaces that normally would not produce food or flowers. Attendees will have the opportunity to create a salad bowl garden of their own, with all materials provided at the program.
Herb of the Month: Chamomile
 
The May Herb of the Month is Chamomile
 
Each month, we feature a different herb or spice and provide a take-home kit that contains information about the herb, a sample and/or seed packet, instructions for use, and recipes. This month you will receive a kit with information on the cultivation, properties, and uses of Chamomile and a sample bag of dried Chamomile flowers. Kits will be made available in the curbside pick-up area on or after Wednesday, May 1, 2024. To receive your kit, sign up here: 
 
The Herb of the Month will be announced in the LTPL Grows newsletter and on the LTPL website. To subscribe to the newsletter, click here. Herb of the Month kits pause for June, July, and August and will resume in September. 
 
Seed Library News
It's May!   
The LTPL Seed Library is open for business all year long with seasonally appropriate seeds added on an ongoing basis. New seeds are added weekly as fast as we can get them packaged and labeled. In May, look for added selections for warm-weather crops that can be direct sown after danger of frost has passed. These crops include squash, melons, beans, corn, cucumbers, okra, sunflowers, and annual herbs and flowers.
The mission of the seed library is to promote gardening and encourage sustainability through seed saving. The seeds are available at no cost to you. Although it is not required, we hope that you will attempt to save seeds from your crops and return them to the seed library to help keep it self-sustaining. First time users of the Seed Library need to register. You may do so with this form or in-person at the seed library. Once you have registered, you log your initials and number of packets taken on the clipboard. The clipboard and instructions are on top of the Seed Library cabinet.  
Gardening handouts are available at the Seed Library and also on the LTPL Grows Webpage, along with informative videos!
 
 
May Garden Calendar
In May 
  • Early in May, continue to sow seeds for fast-growing, cool-weather crops like spinach, radish, small turnips, kale, broccoli raab, kohlrabi, lettuce and other greens.
  • Mid-to-late May, weather permitting, sow seeds for warm weather crops. These include squash, melons, corn, beans, cucumbers, okra, and sunflowers. Annual flowers like zinnias, cosmos, calendula, nasturtiums, and marigolds. Annual herbs such as basil and borage can also be direct-sown.   
  • You may begin transplanting tender vegetable, herb, and flower plants outdoors when all danger of frost has passed and the soil is warm. Make sure to harden off the plants by gradually exposing them to the outdoor weather or putting them in a cold frame. This list includes tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, impatiens, and celosia.
  • Plant potatoes and onion sets. Sweet potatoes must wait until the soil is very warm, usually the first week of June.
  • Continue to succession plant carrots, beets, scallions, and chard.
  • Fertilize houseplants and place them outdoors in a protected location if you wish
  • Information and online resources for starting and saving seed can be found on the LTPL website. 
  • Find additional resources for seed saving here:
New Gardening Books at LTPL
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food: A Crop by Crop Reference for 62 Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, and Herbs by Tanya Denckla Cobb
Learn everything you need to know about growing 62 different vegetables and herbs organically, including disease and pest control.
 
Gardener at the End of the World by Margot Anne Kelley
For fans of garden prose, this book chronicles the author's Covid-era deep dive into garden history to better understand the relationship between humans and plants and the resulting co-dependency.
 
Misunderstood Vegetables: How to Fall in Love with Sunchokes, Rutabaga, Eggplant, and More by Betty Selengut
The author highlights 25 less common vegetables you might run across in markets and CSA bins, and incudes 75 recipes. 
Free Gardening E-Books from MeL
The Michigan eLibrary (MeL) provides information to help Michiganders take advantage of the opportunities our state has to offer.
Growing a garden is one of the best ways to take advantage of local food. The eBook Public Library Collection offers tips and tricks to plan a food-producing garden this summer. For general knowledge, try Gardening to Eat: Connecting People and Plants. Readers can learn when and how to plant and harvest a variety of foods and enjoy recipes created to utilize their nutritious bounty. Vertical Gardening and Micro Food Gardening: Project Plans and Plants for Growing Fruits and Veggies in Tiny Spaces both encourage gardening in the space you have. These eBooks describe how we can grow food in unusual places rather than focusing on limitations. With over 400 additional gardening eBooks including topics such as composting, organic gardening, and gardening with kids, the eBook Public Library Collection has something for everyone.
 
Four Seasons Garden Club News
Coming Events:
May Plant Exchange: Saturday, May 4, 2024 9:00 am to 11 am at the Salem-South Lyon Library Parking Lot 
The Four Seasons Garden Club of South Lyon meets at the Center for Active Adults at the South Lyon High School on the 1st Tuesday of each month throughout the school year. Social time begins at 6:30 pm and the meeting begins at 7:00. Meetings and tours are held at member's homes during the summer months. Click Here for membership information.
 
Podcasts 
Seeds & Weeds Podcast with Michigan's own Bevin Cohen 
Many of you will recognize Bevin Cohen from his many visits to LTPL as a presenter. Bevin (Ben) is an award winning author, herbalist, owner of Small House Farm and host of the popular Seeds & Weeds podcast. He lives and works with his wife, Heather, and two sons, Elijah and Anakin, on their family homestead in Sanford, Michigan.
Bevin offers workshops and lectures across the country on the benefits of living closer to the land through seeds, herbs, and locally grown food. He is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications including Mother Earth News, Hobby Farms Magazine, and The Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company Catalog. He is the author of four books, including Saving Our Seeds and The Artisan Herbalist. 
 
DNR Wildtalk Podcast
Nate Levitte talks about all things habitat in the southeast Lower Peninsula region of the state. Fly away with a discussion about the great blue heron and wrap up the episode with a chat about wood frogs.
Visit the "Wildtalk" webpage for the April episode, as well as show notes and links to past episodes.
 
Artwork for 261. Laura Fernandez on Sowing Seeds of Sustainability with Garden DesignWeekly podcasts on all things gardening!
 
New USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Click Photo to expand 
 
Michigan Gardener Magazine
 Michigan Gardener Magazine
Michigan Gardener Magazine has decided to cease publication of the print magazine and online newsletter. You can still visit the Michigan Gardener website for occasional new articles and the calendar, and browse through digital back issues of the print magazine and newsletters.
 

 
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