Library News

Fall is a great time to get gardening in Mesa! You can check out seeds from our Seed Library, attend gardening workshops, and explore other resources at the library!

October Workshops

Growing Seasons and Basics of Growing in Arizona 
Sat | Oct 11 | 10-11am | Red Mountain Library
Learn more about the gardening growing seasons and the foundations of growing in Arizona with Master Gardener Pam Shields.

Snowbird Gardening Success
Thurs | Oct 16 | 6-7pm | Main Library
Seasonal visitor or year-round resident, take notes with Angela Judd, master gardener and author of How to Grow Your Own Food: an Illustrated Beginner's Guide to Container Gardening. Learn which cool-season flowers, herbs, and veggies thrive here, and how to grow them in patios, containers, or raised beds. Judd will share layouts and low-maintenance care tips so you can enjoy fresh harvests and blooms all season long. Don't let the sunshine go to waste - make the most of fall and winter in Arizona!

Planting for Butterflies
Sat | Oct 18 | 10-11am | Main Library
Meet expert Noelle Johnson ("AZ Plant Lady”), and discover how to turn your desert garden into a butterfly haven! In this class, Johnson will teach you how to attract butterflies using the four key elements of a butterfly-friendly landscape. Learn about local species, the best plants to support them, and simple design tips to create a colorful, pollinator-friendly space that thrives in our desert climate! Johnson is a horticulturist the author of two gardening books: Dry Climate Gardening: Growing Beautiful, Sustainable Gardens in Low-Water Conditions and The Water-Smart Garden: Techniques and Strategies for Conserving, Capturing, and Efficiently Using Water in Today’s Climate… and Tomorrow’s. All attendees will have a chance to win one of Noelle’s books, $50 gift card to a local nursery, or a pair of tickets to the National Geographic Live show, "Chasing Monarchs," at the Mesa Arts Center!

Monday Morning Gardening
Mon | Oct 20 | 10-11am | Mesa Express Library
Dig in, de-stress, and grow something beautiful with our hands-on gardening program for adults! Whether you're a seasoned green thumb or just curious about starting your first herb pot, this outdoor program offers practical gardening skills in a relaxed, social setting.

Books 

Learning how to garden this fall? Check out a book from our physical or digital collections to help get you started! Here are some of our picks: 

Gardening with Less Water: Low-Tech, Low-Cost Techniques; Use up to 90% Less Water in Your Garden
by David A. Bainbridge
Gardening with Less Water offers simple, inexpensive, low-tech techniques for watering your garden much more efficiently — using up to 90% less water for the same results. With illustrated step-by-step instructions, David Bainbridge shows you how to install buried clay pots and pipes, wicking systems, and other porous containers that deliver water directly to a plant's roots with no or minimal evaporation.

Saving Vegetable Seeds: Harvest, Clean, Store, and Plant Seeds from Your Garden
by Fern Marshall Bradley
Save vegetable seeds as you harvest so your favorite plants can grow again next season. In this Storey BASICS® guide, Fern Marshall Bradley covers everything you need to know to successfully save seeds from 20 popular garden vegetables, including beans, carrots, peas, peppers, and tomatoes. Learn how each plant is pollinated, where to store your collected seeds through the winter, and how to test their replanting viability in the spring.

Any Size, Anywhere Edible Gardening: The No Yard, No Time, No Problem Way to Grow Your Own Food
by William Moss
Author William Moss takes a beginning gardener through all the steps needed to grow vegetables and fruits in any setting, regardless of the available (or desired) size. This book covers container gardening, vertical gardening, raised-bed gardening, and traditional methods to help gardeners everywhere bring a taste of homegrown freshness to their gardening experience.

The Art of Butterfly Gardening: How to Make Your Backyard into a Beautiful Home for Butterflies 
by Mathew Tekulsky
Butterfly gardening is the practice of attracting beautiful butterflies to your garden by growing common plants and flowers that they use for food and nectar. This guide will teach you everything you need to get started—whether you're a suburban resident, the owner of a small urban garden, an apartment dweller, or a keeper of a country estate, you can enjoy frequent butterfly visits to your garden or window box.

Online Courses

Universal Class: Introduction to Gardening, Vegetable Gardening 101, and more

The Great Courses (search for "gardening"): Food Gardening, Container Gardening, The Science of Gardening, and more