LibGuides: Milton Grows Resources: Home

Seed Library

A Seed Library is a collection of seeds that community members may "check out," take home and plant in their gardens. Seed packets (up to 5 packets per patron, please) are available during the spring and early summer for sign-out near the second floor Reference Desk. We are currently accepting seed donations.

We'd love pictures of your bounty grown from MPL seeds. Send to: mplseedlibrary@gmail.com

The Seed Library is supported by the generosity of the Friends of the Milton Public Library.

Seed Library Donation Form
Please fill out this form to include with your donation.

Tools - Library of Things

Milton residents may check out gardening tools from the Library of Things

Digital collections

Gardening collection
eBooks from Libby app / OverDrive
Hoopla collection
Magazine collection
eMagazines on the Libby app / OverDrive

Resource lists

Reading List - Sustainable Milton
Gardening Resources - Massachusetts Master Gardener Association
Mass Aggie Seed Library Resources
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Almanac Seeding Resources
Reading list
from Grow Native Massachusetts
Planting calendar for Milton
Almanac Spring and Fall planting calendars

Gardening With Friends blog

Gardening With Friends
Elizabeth (Lisa) Plageman is a Milton resident, long-time gardener and science writer (she’s been at MIT for over 30 years). Her blog covers a wide variety of gardening topics. Questions encouraged! (See blog for contact info.)

eBooks (OverDrive / Libby)

All New Square Foot Gardening, Fully Updated by Mel Bartholomew
This updated third edition of the best-selling gardening book in North America continues to inspire with planting charts, growing tips, and the know-how you need to grow more veggies than ever before.
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle - 10th Anniversary Edition by Barbara Kingsolver; Camille Kingsolver
A 10th anniversary edition of Barbara Kingsolver's New York Times bestseller that describes her family's adventure as they move to a farm in southern Appalachia and realign their lives with the local food chain
Attainable Sustainable: The Lost Art of Self-Reliant Living by Kris Bordessa
Packed with delicious recipes, natural remedies, gardening tips, crafts, and more, this indispensable lifestyle reference from the popular blogger makes earth-friendly living fun.
The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan (Editor)
This comprehensive guide to homesteading provides all the information you need to grow and preserve a sustainable harvest of grains and vegetables; raise animals for meat, eggs, and dairy; and keep honey bees for your sweeter days.
Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening by Peter Burke
with nothing more than a cupboard and a windowsill, you can grow all the fresh salad greens you need for the winter months (or throughout the entire year) with no lights, no pumps, and no greenhouse.
Soil: The Story of a Black Mother's Garden by Camille T. Dungy
poet and scholar Camille T. Dungy recounts the seven-year odyssey to diversify her garden in the predominately white community of Fort Collins, Colorado.
Indoor Kitchen Gardening: Turn Your Home Into a Year-Round Vegetable Garden by Elizabeth Millard
Explore the expansive new world of growing and eating that can be discovered with the help of Indoor Kitchen Gardening. Within, author and Bossy Acres CSA co-owner Elizabeth Millard teaches you how to grow microgreens, sprouts, herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and more
Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
Nature’s Best Hope shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats
Gardening Your Front Yard: Projects and Ideas for Big and Small Spaces by Tara Nolan
an active, inspiring resource that shows you how to treat your front yard like a backyard without sacrificing beauty, from choosing the right plants to building front patios and walkways.
The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables by Jessica Sowards
Homesteader Jessica Sowards, the warm and energetic host of YouTube's Roots and Refuge Farm, is the perfect teacher for new gardeners, offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success
Field Guide to Urban Gardening by Kevin Espiritu
author Kevin Espiritu of Epic Gardening shares the basics of growing plants, offers tips on how to choose the right urban gardening method, and troubleshoots the most common problems you'll encounter.

Books

Nature's Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy
Shows how homeowners everywhere can turn their yards into conservation corridors that provide wildlife habitats.
Earth-Saving Acts for Eco-Warriors by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc.
Become an eco-warrior with this empowering guide, packed with practical advice for living more sustainably and fighting climate change.
American Wildflowers: a Literary Field Guide by Susan Barba (Editor); Leanne Shapton (Illustrator)
collects poems, essays, and letters from the 1700s to the present that focus on wildflowers and their place in our culture and in the natural world
Silent Spring Revolution by Douglas Brinkley
chronicles the rise of environmental activism during the Long Sixties (1960-1973), telling the story of an indomitable generation that saved the natural world under the leadership of John F. Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, and Richard Nixon.
100 Plants to Feed the Birds by Laura Erickson
The growing group of bird enthusiasts who enjoy feeding and watching their feathered friends will learn how they can expand their activity and help address the pressing issue of habitat loss
Ciao Italia by Mary Ann Esposito
takes the reader on a seasonal home garden vegetable journey focusing on simple growing tips for anyone interested in growing their own vegetables and how to cook them Italian style
At Home, with Nature by John Gidding
In addition to supporting local flora and fauna, ditching grass for lush, native plants helps lower water bills and results in self-sustaining gardens long-term. In John Gidding's At Home with Nature, American homeowners will find thorough blueprints to reap these benefits and bring their dream garden to life.
Remodelista: the Low-Impact Home by Margot Guralnick; Fan Winston
In this comprehensive guide, the authors decode the secrets to creating a home that's good for the planet - and totally liveable.
Flowers for All by Susan McLeary
Celebrated floral designer Susan McLeary reveals the secrets to making striking, joyful floral displays using just a few ingredients.
Climate Justice by Mary Robinson
Former President of Ireland Mary Robinson's mission to bring together the fight against climate change and the global struggle for human rights has taken her all over the world. This uplifting book is a stirring manifesto on one of the most pressing humanitarian issues of our time.
The Container Victory Garden by Maggie Stuckey
everything you need to know to succeed with container gardening: planning, gearing up, planting, nurturing, and harvesting.
The Climate Book by Greta Thunberg
Greta Thunberg has gathered the wisdom of over one hundred experts - geophysicists, oceanographers and meteorologists; engineers, economists and mathematicians; historians, philosophers and indigenous leaders - to equip us all with the knowledge we need to combat climate disaster
Beginner's Houseplant Garden by Jade Murray
User-friendly and highly accessible, this is a practical and inspiring guide to indoor gardening for complete beginners by award-winning and self-taught plant enthusiast Jade Murray. Here, you will find invaluable tips and advice for choosing, caring for, and propagating the top 40 easiest and most common houseplants
Plant Coach by Nick Cutsumpas
Urban gardener, plantrepreneur, and Netflix star "Farmer Nick" Nick Cutsumpas combines sustainability, science, and philosophy to coach new plant owners on how to find the right houseplants for their space and help them thrive
No Dig by Charles Dowding; Jonathan Buckley (Photographer)
By following the simple steps set out in No Dig, in just a few short hours you can revolutionize your vegetable patch with plants already in the ground from day one! Charles Dowding is on a mission to teach that there is no need to dig over the soil, but by minimizing intervention you are actively boosting soil productivity