Gardening for Everyone!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

During the spring and summer months, gardening is a part of library programing.   Recent programs have included Square Foot Gardening and Straw Bale Gardening. 

Check out some gardening books!

The Square Foot Garden workshop was taught by Scott Thompson, certified garden instructor.  The program was well attended and interest in developing a gardening group to meet at the library was discussed.  If you missed the class here is a link to the Basics of Square Foot Gardening and throughout the month of May books on all types of gardening are featured on display at the front entrance.

Preparing the Square Foot Garden

The Straw Bale Gardening Project is an ongoing event.  The concept of straw bale gardening was explained by Travis Birdsell and bales have been arranged next to the library, adjacent to the playground in the park.  The library invites the community to join in with growing and tending the garden.  All harvest will be donated to Ashe County’s Outgrow Hunger Program.  The youth service department has been busy growing plants from seed under the direction of Marna Napoleon, Ashe Library’s Gardening Guru and with the help of Raven, our teen volunteer.  Seedlings will be transplanted to the straw bales at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 18.   Jane Gardner from Outgrow Hunger has also started a vertical garden in a pallet to accompany the straw bale garden.  Check out the library gardens and get some ideas for your own garden.  

 

 

Gardening can be a relaxing activity, allowing one to get in touch with nature, but not all gardens require a green thumb.  The Japanese Zen garden or "kare sansui," is the type of dry landscape garden often seen outside of Zen temples in Japan and in other parts of the world. The gardens are made entirely of stone and sand, without the use of water or vegetation of any kind. The minimalism of the garden is meant to impart upon the viewer a sense of contemplation and possibly enlightenment.  Join us on May 11 for an all-day, drop-in activity and make a miniature Zen Garden to-go. 

Meet Marna Napoleon, Gardening Guru

Marna is a youth services specialist who joined our library family last September. She is a great story teller with lots of creative activities for the little ones and fun for the whole family.   One of her “earth friendly” ideas was a hands-on project to make bio-degradable planters out of newspaper for growing seedlings.







 “I love working in libraries because I love being part of an entity that can offer something to every member of a community. Being here is great because of the people I get to work with... Ashe County Public Library feels like home. It's also fun being back in Youth Services!”






 
Marna loves reading and is always ready to offer a suggestion to interest readers of all ages.  Her favorite author is Terry Pratchett, known for his humorous fantasy books.  “You've got to love books that make you laugh out loud!”

When Marna isn’t working she spends her free time reading, or in the yard and garden.  She also stays busy catching up with her husband, daughter, and three sons.  “This year I am becoming a beekeeper (if it ever warms up and stops raining), and I am looking forward to spending time with my bees.”  At one recent children's program Marna brought along her bee-keeping gear to show children how a beekeepers stay safe.