Seed Saving Workshop

It's never too early to start thinking about your garden! As part of a series of workshops, the William Hall Library hosted a program on Thursday, November 6th at 6:30pm. The lecture was given by Annmarie and Bill of the Edgewood Garden Club, with the assistance of Loretta, a Hall staff member.

How does your garden grow?

These workshops are intended to support the Seed Library at the William Hall Library. If you participated in growing flowers or vegetables with our seeds this year, you're encouraged to join us. There will be three additional workshops on the following dates:

Thursday, February 15 2015

Thursday, May 7 2015

Thursday, August 6 2015

In the meantime, here is a list of resources to check out for all of your gardening endeavors: 

Seed Saving Booklet - Save your seeds and return them to the library, so others can enjoy the fruits (and flowers!) of your labor. 

Soil Testing - The University of Rhode Island has closed its soil testing laboratory after making arrangements with the University of Masschusetts and the University of Connecticut to provide soil testing services for the state of Rhode Island. The information below is for the University of Massachusetts Soil Test Lab and for the University of Connecticut Soil Test Lab. Both labs provide assessments of pH, nutrient levels, lead level, and recommendations for action. The UMass test appears to be more comprehensive (including, for example, cation exchange capacity), but either one will suffice for the purposes of getting your soil properly amended for vegetable growing.

UMass Instructions for Collecting Sample.

UMass Soil Submission Test Form ($15.00 fee)

UConn Soil Sample Collection Information and Submission Form ($8.00 fee)

University of Kentucky Gardening Manual - Excellent resource, but use the Rhode Island tables for planting dates, harvest dates, etc. This is an outstanding introduction to vegetable gardening. It covers a wealth of topics in plain English with excellent illustrations. You could make this your main resource for gardening information, filling in with information on vegetables (planting, fertilizing, watering, weeding, harvesting, etc.) from the better seed suppliers, from university agricultural extension services, from the URI extension master gardeners and similar sources. 

University of California at Davis Gardening Manual - This manual is focused on community gardens.

USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Interactive Map - Edgewood is in zone 6b.

Freeze/Frost Occurrence Data from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration - For the state of Rhode Island.

Planning Date Provider for Vegetable Seeds and Plants - Also refer to gardening books and seeds suppliers.