Destination: Books

Indefatigable Reference Books

At our pop-ups I always say, "You can't beat a good reference book for shelf life." Case in point: These three books were on the shelves of my boyhood bedroom in the 1960s and remain with me to this day.  They were part of the Golden Nature Guides. The bird book dates to 1956; the non-flowering plants book to 1967; and the insects book to 1964. Each entry has a thumbnail sketch of the United States indicating the habitat where each bug, bird, and non-flowering plant might be found. 

Much has changed, I suspect. Hope to see you Saturday.

 

 

Pop-up Postponed

Reading is Traveling

Included in our inventory of gardening, nature and sustainability books are always several titles that are more “confrontational” in tone. I have been evaluating/reading two such books in the past month. 

Airplane Model: An Irreverent History of Travel by Shahnaz Habib looks at the complicated pleasures of travel and travel writing. Born and raised in India’s southwestern state of Kerala, she provides a unique set of perspectives for a host of travel-related topics, but her tone is curious and illuminating without being harsh and condemning. Not only does she take the reader to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Churches of Lalibela in Ethiopia but gives us the history of travel and travel books – complete with bibliography.

Dark Laboratory: On Columbus the Caribbean, and the Origins of the Climate Crisis by Tao Leigh Goffe is more forceful in nature. She begins her wide sweeping historical analysis in the Jamaica where her grandfather grew up but "the lab" eventually includes many islands of the South Pacific.  Topics include the natural and political science surrounding coral and guano.

Generally, these kinds of books generally don’t fly off our pop-up tables but there are enough interested readers/visitors to our booth which merits having books like these around. That is one of the pleasures of Destination Books for booksellers and patrons alike - a chance to discuss ideas that match our popup slogan: Destination Books “for the adventurous.”

Perhaps Habib summarizes the key element of both these books with this quote: “Reading is not a substitute for travel. Reading is travel.”

Community Garden Tomato Dilemma

About this time each year, new gardeners sign up for our community garden. All of them are optimistic and many express their desire to grow epic tomatoes: Better Boys, Romas Brandywines, or Cherokee Purples -- you name it.  As a grizzled vet of the plot and a founding member of the Friends of the Scott Garden Compost Bins I recognize the optimism, but in my five years there I have learned that our community garden isn’t conducive to raising tomatoes.

One reason is that many of the plots do not get the minimum of six hours of direct sun needed for sustained tomato growth. Many of the tall trees surrounding the garden cast shadows throughout the day. 

But secondly and more importantly much of the soil in our gardens (we suspect) is contaminated by the kind of parasitic root nematodes which causes tomato wilt.  It’s devastating because it happens suddenly – practically overnight. One day you have a beautiful Brandywine plant* and BOOM!  Nothing. The solution for tomato wilt according to Greg LeHoullier’s Epic Tomatoes or Jean-Martin Fortier’s Tomatoes: A Grower’s Guide is to avoid trying to grow tomatoes for years because these microscopic critters live in the ground have quite a half-life.  

So, here’s the dilemma, should one tell the newcomers to the garden about our garden’s history or should I just avoid crushing their hopes into tomato paste and let them find out for themselves (part of a gardeners learning process)?  Of course, one could be wrong. I recall a few years ago there was a woman had a super harvest of tomatoes. She is still a legend.

So please stop by our next popup booth at the Carter Center Freedom Farmer’s Market on Saturday morning April 19th and share your thoughts while browsing amongst the many books we have for sale.

* The Brandywine tomato shown in this posting came from my community garden plot. It was the ONLY tomato harvested before the plant was struck down by wilt. Sigh.

More Plants Than Books

Destination Books will have plenty of books there about gardening, mushrooms, bees, birds and more.  (Check out our standard popup inventory page. ) However for real variety and inspiration check out the endless number of plants on sale. 

We will be located on the front porch of the Wylde Center's new building in Oakhurst. 

 

Destination April Events

Traditionally this a busy time of year for Destination Books and 2025 is no different:

April 12th, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. This will be our fourth year at the Wylde Center Spring Plant Sale. It is always a great vibe and having the popup at their rejuvenated home headquarters in Oakhurst Gardens should be no different.  

April 19th, 8:30 a.m. to noon.  If you count the lost year of the Pandemic, this is our fifth year at the Carter Center's  Freedom Farmer's Market. We always enjoy visiting with our regulars who like to talk books and chatting with out-of-towners who are always complimentary of our curated collection.

Throughout the month of April. We keep a stocked booth at Journeyman bike shop in downtown Decatur (on Claremont)  where you can browse for books, drink coffee, play with Legos and get your bike serviced for the cycling season.

Eventful Week

An eventful week here at Destination Books on both a personal and professional level. 

Event 1: The Releasing of the Worms.  As founding members of the Friends of the Scott Community Compost Pile in Decatur, we are harvesting some fine compost after a year of curation. This could not have been done without the red wrigglers.  See video here if you dare.

Event 2: Green Technology Transfer. We started many seeds in milk jugs in January (a process we learned from a recording made at the Wylde Center) and now they are ready to move into their individual pots. Planting time is nigh.

 Event 3: Book Popup at the Carter Center's Freedom Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, March 22nd. We have the freshest gardening books in Atlanta. 

 

 

My Report Card

Just like when you are a kid, when you get a good report card you like to show it around— in contrast to when your grades are lousy...

Here's the story.

With the help from my daughter Bonnie's alpaca friends Silas, Monroe and Bishop (shown here front to back), I have been able to improve the soil quality at my development's pollinator plot. Originally it was a miserable stretch of weeds and construction waste that I have been working on since 2021 ( inspired by Doug Tallamy's Nature's Best Hope).  According to my latest soil test (see below) which I just got back from the University of Georgia Extension Service these alpacas (and others before them) have been providing top quality manure, which I have added into my soil.

Those in the know rave about alpaca manure because it is rich in nutrients and good for rebuilding the soil. Also it is relatively mild to apply and it doesn't stink like other animal waste. 

I did provide other soil amendments and planted other restorative plants as well, but I think these results are no coincidence. Then again, I am no soil expert, just a popup bookseller who deals in books on gardening, sustainability and related topics. 

We'll have Tallamy's other book at our next popup at the Carter Center's Freedom Farmer's Market on Saturday morning, March 1st. Please stop by and you are welcome to set me straight on my interpretation of the lab tests. (You can click on photo to expand to have a better understanding what I am referring to.)

 

 

 

February Calendar of Events

He knows something about Freedom.

February is shaping up to be a busy month at Destination: Books.

Freedom Farmer's Market - Saturday, February 8th (8:30 to Noon)

With the weather looking unseasonably warm we are planning to be at the Carter Center amongst the fresh produce, pastries, and meats. For those who want to get a jump on their garden plans we'll have books that can inspire. Also, we need to do some spring cleaning so we'll have some leftover inventory that may interest. 

DeKalb History Center, - Wednesday, February 12th (6 to 7:15 pm)

Yours truly is the moderator of this three-part workshop.  It started with the book A Father's Letters that came out last year. This is the second installment of the workshop, and the session is more focused on Genealogy. Moreover, it is an opportunity to meet like-minded individuals.  (If you missed the first workshop you can purchase a single event ticket.) Go here for details on how you can sign up. 

Seed and Scion Sale, Legacy Park, Decatur -- Sunday, February 23rd (2 to 4 p.m.) 

We will be there with our books. The Wylde Center, a nonprofit whose mission includes environmental education, hosts the event.  It's also a time and place to exchange seeds, scions (cuttings), and gardening knowledge with fellow plant enthusiasts. It's held at the old dairy barn in Legacy Park. If you haven't been out there yet it's a great location, and a great vibe too. Even if it is raining. More details here. 

 

Planting Ahead

Just because Spring seems months away, one can still prepare. For the third year in a row and with help of the Wylde Center, last weekend I planted  seeds in my portable water jug green house.  This method allows you to get your own seeds started early.  For $5, you can download the video from here and get detailed instructions. Though the video focuses on perennial flowers, this method also works for herbs. 

Also one of our first popups of the year will be at the Wylde Center's  Seed and Scion Exchange at Legacy Park in Decatur on Sunday, February 23rd.  This is our third year at the event and if you look at last year's popup table (below)  you can see that we had better be already planning for that as well.