Gardening Resources: Gloucester County Library Gardening Resources

Welcome to the

GCLS Garden Resource Guide.

This guide provides easy access to a variety of gardening-related resources including information on the GCLS Seed Bank, a custom Google Search, suggestions on further reading for the beginner and novice gardener, and an instructional video on how to access more useful material using OverDrive.

• Espoma: Organic - Guides, Blogs, Projects, and More.
  • A local for profit company providing quality free guides in PDF format and other resources geared towards organic gardening for the beginner and novice gardeners.
  • The PDF guides are easily accessed digitally right in your garden from your phone or easily printed.
  • Check the Espoma Pocket Guide for a quick reference material on feeding your garden, natural lawn care, and soil amendments.
• Library Seed Bank: Seed Sovereignty, Ark of Taste, and Seed Libraries.
  • The Library Seed Bank helped found our own Seed Bank as well as a number of others local to our area.
  • This resource includes historical references regarding the "Garden State" and its wonderful culture related to farming and gardening.
• Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station (NJAES) - Research and educational resources for Rural, Urban, and Suburban Gardens.
  • Rutgers provides a key role to the area's agricultural future and past by preserving traditional homesteading resources and developing sustainable practices to address a changing climate.
  • Rutgers Master Gardener Program is a group of trained volunteers who assist with initiatives of the NJAES Coop.
  • Check the Home, Lawn, and Garden section for resources geared to the home gardener.
    • Subtopics include What to Plant, Garden Design, Gardening with Youth, Nutrition and Wellness, and more!
• Longwood Gardens - "Learn at Longwood" With in-person classes & online resources.
  • Notable resources include Pre-K-12 Teacher & Student Programs and Community Youth Programs.

• Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection - Hosted by Archive.org
  • Historic Seed Catalog's from the late 1700's to the 1890's.
  • Over 85,000 catalogs available, largely from American nursery companies.
  • An overview of the collection is available here.
• Burpee's Gardening 101: How to Start a Garden - For profit company with a wealth of free resources for the beginning gardener.
  • Notable resources include 5 Gardening Tips for Beginners, 10 Best Vegetables for Beginner Gardeners to Grow, and How to Start a Compost Pile.
• Dave's Garden - Access a database featuring over 160,000 plants & member forums.
  • Dave's Garden provides free resources but is supported by advertising.
  • Notable resources include encyclopedic entries for Plants, Birds, Insects, Freeze-Frost Dates, and Community Forums
• Johnny's Selected Seeds - The Grower's Library
  • For profit company with an extensive section of video tutorials and other resources.
  • Countless videos on specific plants offered by Johnny's and encyclopedic entries on plant varieties.
• MI Gardener - A for profit small business helping people start organic healthy gardens.
  • Growing Guides and other advice available on their extensive blog and YouTube channel.
• Mother Earth News - Organic Gardening, Recipes, and Lifestyle Articles
  • Notable resources include their sections on Home & Gardening DIY Blogs, Organic Gardening, and Food Recipes.
• Old Farmer's Almanac - Famously founded in 1792 and providing growing charts, recipes, moon/sunrise times, weather forecasts, and more!
  • The familiar almanac of old now takes the form of a website supported by advertising content.
  • Notable resources include Fall Frost Dates, Astronomy, and Planting Dates all based on zip code.
• Old Farmer's Almanac FOR KIDS - Many of the same resources as the original but geared towards younger homesteaders.
  • Fun and handy resources include 6 Simple Garden Projects, Identifying Animal Tracks, and Myths About the Moon.
• National Gardening Association (NGA) - Formerly Gardens for All, helps home gardeners live happier and healthier lives through gardening education.
  • Notable resources include NGA's Learning Library, a Plants Database, and grant opportunities for Youth Gardeners.
• Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) - Libraries and Collections
  • A world renowned resource for gardening related archives, photography, and botanical art.
  • Contains numerous guides though some information may be behind a paywall.
    • Most notable are the Grow Your Own Guide and Beginner's Guide to Gardening providing encouragement and advice for the beginning gardener.
• Seed Savers Exchange (SSE) - A mission-based non-profit preserving heirloom seeds and their histories.
  • As their name implies, SSE provides resources with an emphasis on seed saving and other sustainable gardening practices.
  • Resources on Gardening Planning, Seed Starting, Seed Saving, and Pollinators are readily available.
  • Perhaps most useful is SSE's dictionary for Gardening & Seed Saving Terms.
• Smithsonian Gardens - Archives of American Gardens
  • The bulk of this site's resources consists in a collection of visual resources documenting the storied history of gardens in America.
  • Other notable resources include a Timeline of American Garden History along with Research and Reference Assistance.

The customized Google search box below will search through most of curated resources on this subject guide.

Consider checking out this wonderful guide from Brown University on honing your search skills by using boolean operators and other advanced search functions.

"Librarian by Appointments" allow you to schedule a one-time session of up to one hour with a member of the reference staff.

Remember, reference staff are available to help provide custom help refining your personal research question or other information needs.

Commission Director
Frank J. DiMarco

Commission Library Liaison
Joann Gattinelli