A growing interest in gardening

The gardening community on the Palouse appears to be much bigger than Whitman County Library branch managers anticipated, gathering a large support in newly offered planting programs.

The Whitman County Library is kicking off sowing season early by providing gardening programs at different branches. As the end of winter approaches, libraries will offer a space to local green thumbs to prepare for spring harvests. Catch the Tekoa Library’s first meeting of Garden Group Start-Up at 11:15 a.m. Thursday, and the Endicott Library’s second meeting Gardening Planning 101 at 10 a.m. Saturday. Seed libraries also are planned to open at different branches throughout the year.

Endicott Branch Manager Nanci Selk created a gardening program in January as a way to encourage participation in the community garden at the library. It was originally supposed to be a one-time event, but she soon discovered the Palouse was full of growers.

Selk said the library received a strong response and interest in reviving home gardens and soils. People from all over Whitman County attended the January meeting, and the library decided to make the program a recurring thing. The Endicott Library will hold monthly meetings through spring, and possibly longer.

“They seemed very excited to have the opportunity to meet with other gardeners and talk about all things garden related,” Selk said.

During this month’s meeting, Andrew Wolfe from the Palouse Conservation District will be presenting on ways to test and amend soil, as well as demonstrate how to create a worm bin at home. Selk already has ideas on what to present next, including how to plant in a raised bed, container gardening and more.

The Tekoa Library saw an interest in planting from the community, and decided to create a garden group. The library will host an exploratory meeting to determine what direction people want to go with the group.

Shelly Ausmus, Tekoa Library manager, said the library has received interests in topics including raised beds, no-dig, green house, vegetables, flowers, container gardening and traditional gardening. Based on book requests, she added there’s been an interest in survival gardening and garden-to-table growing. She hopes the group will be able to learn from each other while sharing ideas and experiences.

A few libraries in Whitman County have plans to start up a seed library, a program that allows people to lend and share seeds. Palouse Library Branch Manager Sarah Bofenkamp said the library will open its first-ever seed library, holding a launch party from 10 a.m. to noon March 25. And the St. John Library is also in the works to launch a seed library, Branch Manager Kathy Isaacs said.

Bofenkamp said last spring the Palouse Library offered trial packets that were popular among the community, but were limited in what produce could be grown. The library will open a complete resource, she added, including herbs, flowers, vegetables and an assortment of native plant seeds, all harvested and donated by local residents.

Isaacs said gardeners are interested in sharing their heirloom seeds so others can learn to grow and harvest, as well as create seeds for future generations.

“Gardening is a physical, mental and spatial activity,” Bofenkamp said. “It requires awareness and responsibility, a connection to the earth and a relationship to water — (and) when abundant, often a creative economy with our neighbors.”

To learn more about gardening programs Whitman County libraries offer, visit whitcolib.org.

Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.