Warmth in the air, sun on your face, the feeling of soil between your fingers…welcome to springtime gardening! After the gray and depressing landscape of winter, we are itching for a change – preferably one that is colorful, sweet-smelling, and edible!

With gardening on the brain, you may be interested in this article, which explains that Archive.org is currently working on expanding their collection of over 18,000 seed and nursery catalogs. The National Agricultural Library has been working on digitizing the Henry G. Gilbert Nursery and Seed Trade Catalog Collection, a huge undertaking since it includes more than 200,000 catalogs!

These seed catalog collections are important because they teach us about agricultural history, including changes in landscaping, seed prices, and plant hybridization. They also showcase some beautiful line drawings.

An excerpt from Everything for the Garden: 1922 urges readers, “For your health’s sake, grow and eat plenty of vegetables,” advice that we would still be wise to follow today!

Image credit:https://archive.org/details/everythingforgar19pete_19