LTPL Grows
Newsletter Archive
2024
2023
-
Seed Packaging Party
December 2, 6:30 pm Join us as we gather together to package donated seed for the LTPL Grows Seed Library. Enjoy meeting and conversing with other helpers as we fill and label seed packets. Be one of the first to see the new additions to the seed library! Snacks and drinks will be provided, as … Continued
Herb of the Month is taking a holiday break
It will return in January
Each month, we feature a different herb or spice and provide a take-home kit that contains information about the herb, a sample and/or seed packet, instructions for use, and recipes. You will receive a kit with information and properties of the herb. You will receive an email when your kit is available to pick up in the curbside pick-up area in the north entrance. Please limit one kit per person.
LTPL Grows Initiative
LTPL Grows is an initiative that began with our Seed Sharing Library in 2013 and was followed by our Demonstration Garden in 2014. We have programs all year round that include all aspects of gardening, preserving, foraging, herbs, permaculture, beekeeping and indoor growing. We house an excellent collection of books and DVDs about gardening, cooking, and living sustainably. If you are a gardener, or want to become one, please visit the Lyon Township Public Library. Whether you have acres of land or a balcony, we are here to help you get growing!
Read the South Lyon Herald June 2, 2017 article about our LTPL Grows initiative
Seed Sharing Library
The LTPL Seed Sharing Library is a free program that lends seeds and encourages borrowers to return some seeds from their harvests to make the seed library self-sustaining. All seeds borrowed and shared at LTPL are open-pollinated seeds, and many of them are considered heirloom varieties since they have been grown for generations.
Read the South Lyon Herald March 22, 2022 article about the Seed Sharing Library
Gardening Resources
Donors who have have donated seeds to our seed library in 2024
- Burpee Seeds https://www.burpee.com/
- BackwoodsEnergy.org https://www.backwoodsenergy.org/index.html
- High Mowing Seeds https://www.highmowingseeds.com/
- Seed Savers Exchange https://seedsavers.org/
- Cooperative Gardens Commission https://www.coopgardens.org/
- Michigan Seed Library Network (One Seed, One State) https://miseedlibrary.org/
Special thanks to our local seed savers for saving and donating seeds from their gardens!
Michigan Seed Companies
- Nature & Nurture Seeds (MI)
- Michigan Heirlooms (plants only) (MI)
- Great Lakes Staple Seeds (MI
- Old House Gardens (bulbs & tubers) (MI)
- Small House Farms (MI)
- Garden Hoard(MI)
- MIgardener(MI)
Other Seed Companies
- Annie’s Heirloom Seeds
- Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
- Seed Savers Exchange
- High Mowing Seeds
- Pinetree Garden Seeds
- Territorial Seed
- Johnny’s Selected Seeds
- Fedco Seeds
- Victory Seeds
- Uprising Seeds
- Prairie Moon Nursery
- Hudson Valley Seed Company
- True Leaf Market
- Eden Brothers
- Renee’s Garden Seeds
- Adaptive Seeds
- Sow True Seeds
- Seed Starting Timetable
- Seed Starting Techniques
- Choosing Your Crops for Seed Saving
- Harvesting and Storing Seed
- Plant Families
- Seed Saving Techniques
- Seed Saving Brochure
- GLOSSARY
- Seed Sharing Guidelines
- Seed Sharing Library Donation Form
- Seed Sharing Brochure
- Community Garden Brochure
- Planning a Seed Saving Garden
Program Recordings
Fall
Gardening
Planning your
Garden
Seed
Starting
Cardinal
Farms
Herbal
Houseplants
Demonstration Garden
The LTPL Demonstration Garden began as a means to bring to life some of the techniques learned through various programs being offered at the library. It is an organic garden, which means we use no chemicals for pest or weed control. All crops planted in the garden are open-pollinated, which means the seed can be saved from year to year. The purpose of planting open-pollinated crops that allow us to save the seed is threefold: to increase the amount of available seed of the plant, to identify where each crop grows best, and to raise awareness of the plight of disappearing diversity in our food system. Please click on the Seed Sharing Library for more information about sharing open-pollinated seeds.
Become a volunteer at the LTPL Demonstration Garden! We always need help with weeding and watering. Even once or twice over the course of the summer would be a big help!
Our Demonstration Garden Wish List:
- Bags of natural hardwood mulch for the paths. No dyed mulch near food crops, please!
- Bagged material: compost, peat, potting soil
- Mulch and compost: Bales of straw (spoiled straw OK), shredded leaves or grass clippings from untreated lawns
Contact Pam at pquackenbush@ltpl.org if you are interested in volunteering with the LTPL Demonstration Garden.
About the LTPL Demonstration Garden
Matthew Deeds designed and built our demonstration garden as his Eagle Scout project in 2014. We used a technique called sheet composting, or “lasagna gardening” to kill the sod and prepare the area for growing. We put layers of newspapers, leaves, and straw and allowed them to break down over the fall and winter. The next spring, Tuthill Farms donated compost to jump-start the garden, and we also had some bales of straw donated by residents for mulching. The 2015 garden was a jungle, with record-breaking size tomato plants. The next year we grew the ingredients for making salsa, and Grand River feed donated several bales of straw for mulch.
In 2017, South Lyon Pack 336, Den 4 Wolves from Kent Lake Elementary School built a sturdy trellis structure as a service project. We would like to thank Lowes, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply Company for donating materials for the trellis. Scouts from South Lyon Pack 336 installed a three-section compost bin in 2016.
Community Garden
The Lyon Township Community Garden
The Lyon Township Community Garden is located in front of Abbey Park at Mill River, 28413 Abbey Lane, New Hudson, MI 48165. It is an organic garden and is provided at no charge to Lyon Township Residents who have no garden space of their own. Gardeners must agree to abide by the Lyon Township Community Garden Rules.
The garden is managed as a joint effort by the Lyon Township Public Library and Lyon Township. The Township supports the garden by providing the garden space, mowing the pathways and perimeter, tilling in the spring, and providing water.
The Lyon Township Public Library oversees the garden and manages registration and communication. The library also offers an extensive collection of gardening books, gardening programs, a Demonstration Garden, and a Seed Library.
If you are interested in having a garden plot in the Lyon Township Community Garden, please complete this form. You may also contact Pam at pquackenbush@ltpl.org or call 248-437-8800 ext. 617. Leave a voicemail if necessary. Availability is limited, but you may ask to be put on the waiting list if there are no current openings.
All gardeners are encouraged to donate extra vegetables to Active Faith, a non-denominational community service organization in South Lyon. Contact Active Faith at 248-437-9790 for delivery dates and times.
General Information
The Lyon Township community garden is managed and maintained as a joint effort of Lyon Township and the Lyon Township Public Library. The Township will support the garden by mowing the pathways and perimeter, tilling in the spring, and providing water. Register for a garden plot by submitting this form or by visiting the library. There is usually a waitlist. Questions and concerns should be directed to pquackenbush@ltpl.org (preferred) or call 248-437-8800 ext. 617. Leave a voicemail if necessary.
Priority for garden space will be given to Lyon Township Residents. Non-residents will be put on a waiting list and notified by June 15 if there are still openings. Residents of the City of South Lyon should call Judy at 248-437-1735 to inquire about the South Lyon Community Garden.
Lyon Township residents who garden in good standing in 2023 will be able to pre-register for their same plots in 2024. Contact the library ASAP if you will not be needing your plots.
There is a water spigot on-site for your use. You will need a bucket, jug, or watering can to fill and water your garden. Garden hoses are not allowed. If found onsite, they will be removed.PLEASE CONSERVE WATER by ensuring the spigot is completely turned off after use. Please report if the spigot is damaged or leaking by calling the township office directly at 248-437-2240 (preferred) or email pquackenbush@ ltpl.org.
There is no trash pickup at the garden. Please take your trash with you when you leave.
There is no secure place to keep garden tools. It is advised that you take your tools with you when you leave.
The Lyon Township community garden is managed and maintained as a joint effort of Lyon Township and the Lyon Township Public Library. The Township will support the garden by mowing the pathways and perimeter, tilling in the spring, and providing water. Register for a garden plot by submitting this form or by visiting the library. There is usually a waitlist. Questions and concerns should be directed to pquackenbush@ltpl.org (preferred) or call 248-437-8800 ext. 617. Leave a voicemail if necessary.
Priority for garden space will be given to Lyon Township Residents. Non-residents will be put on a waiting list and notified by June 15 if there are still openings. Residents of the City of South Lyon should call Judy at 248-437-1735 to inquire about the South Lyon Community Garden.
Lyon Township residents who garden in good standing in 2023 will be able to pre-register for their same plots in 2024. Contact the library ASAP if you will not be needing your plots.
There is a water spigot on-site for your use. You will need a bucket, jug, or watering can to fill and water your garden. Garden hoses are not allowed. If found onsite, they will be removed.PLEASE CONSERVE WATER by ensuring the spigot is completely turned off after use. Please report if the spigot is damaged or leaking by calling the township office directly at 248-437-2240 (preferred) or email pquackenbush@ ltpl.org.
There is no trash pickup at the garden. Please take your trash with you when you leave.
There is no secure place to keep garden tools. It is advised that you take your tools with you when you leave.
DO NOT drive your vehicle onto the grass areas in and around the garden. Doing so may cause damage to the sprinkler heads around the property. You may only park along the roadside. Anyone found driving or parking a vehicle in or the around the garden area will be held accountable for any damages. It is recommended that you utilize a wagon to bring your materials/plants to and from your garden area.
If you cannot continue gardening your plot for any reason during the growing season, please notify the library so we can reassign the plot. If you are having trouble maintaining your garden due to unforeseen issues, please email Pam at pquackenbush@ltpl.org.
Please be courteous and respectful to your fellow gardeners and our neighbors at Abbey Park. Loud music, foul language, discriminatory behavior, and disruptive or damaging activities are not permitted. Smoking, chewing tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs are not allowed in the community garden. Do not enter a neighboring garden without permission, and do not take anything from another garden, even if it looks untended. Guests and children are welcome and must be supervised. You will be responsible and liable for their conduct and safety. Service animals and friendly pets on a short leash are allowed if they can be kept from being a nuisance to other gardeners. They must not be allowed to enter another garden plot. Animal waste must be bagged and taken with you. Consider the feelings of your fellow gardeners at all times, as some people have a fear or distrust of animals.
Inappropriate behavior, damage to the property, or failure to follow the garden rules will be grounds for expulsion from the garden program and possible fines.
Garden Rules
The Lyon Township Community Garden is an organic garden. The use of pesticides and herbicides is not permitted. For information on how to garden without chemicals, please visit the library.
The Township will plow the garden as soon as weather permits. You will be notified by email when the garden is ready, and you may plant cold-hardy crops at any time after that. It is usually safe to plant tender plants like tomatoes after Memorial Day weekend. It is still possible to get frosts through the first week of June, however, so watch the forecasts and be prepared to cover your tender crops if forecasts predict temperatures in the low 30s. Please plant wisely and watch the weather forecasts.
Lyon Township or the Lyon Township Library are not responsible for any damage to your garden from weather, insects, or animals.
Gardens must be planted by June 15 or they will be reassigned to someone on the waiting list.
Vegetable, fruits, flowers, and herbs may be grown in the garden. Plants with invasive roots such as mint, raspberries, bamboo, horseradish, or comfrey must be planted in containers. Toxic plants such as poke and castor are not allowed as they pose a danger to children.
Gardeners are expected to keep their allotments neat and productive through removal of weeds and regular harvesting. Avoid letting plants go to seed and becoming a nuisance to neighboring plots. Please keep pathways and divisions between gardens free of weeds. If your plot becomes excessively weedy, you will receive a notice of non-compliance by email or telephone. You will have one week from that contact to remove the weeds. Failure to do so may result in your allotment being revoked and assigned to another gardener.
Pathways must be kept clear. Do not put rocks or other debris in the mowed pathways. This poses hardship and danger to the mower operator and other gardeners.
All plants, containers, trellises, decorations, etc. must be placed inside the perimeter of your garden. Avoid growing plants near the edge of your garden that will flop over into the pathway or a neighboring garden. Please respect your neighboring gardener’s plants by not placing tall crops, container plants, trellises, or decorations where they will shade nearby gardens.
To protect your garden from wild animals you may place wire fencing around your plot. Fencing should be no more than four feet in height and posts must not be made of toxic treated lumber. Plot edges and fencing are to be kept free of weeds. Fences must be removed by Oct. 31.
Biodegradable mulches such as compost, straw, leaves, and fine wood mulch may be used and can remain in the garden. Black plastic, woven groundcover, and row covers may be used as long as it is removed by Oct. 31.
You must remove any non-plant material by October 31st. Failure to do so may result in a service charge for labor and disposal by the township.
Excess vegetables from your plots may be donated to a food bank. Our local food bank is Active Faith in South Lyon and they can be reached at 248-437-9790.