Grow, Harvest, & Feast Events
Eco-Friendly Festivities: Simple Solutions for the Season
The holiday season arrives in the middle of a record warm Autumn, but we can work together to protect our local and global environment through a few crafts that use less plastic and create less waste.
Share your food memories!
Help us tell the story of Yonkers through gardening, feasting, cooking and celebrating. We’ll add them to YPL’s digital archives!
- Use this form to upload pictures or share scans of your treasured recipes.
- If you’d prefer to share on paper, grab a paper form at a library branch.
- We can also help you digitally scan images or recipes; just visit us at any reference desk.
- You can also email your memories, photos, and recipes to history@ypl.org.
Grow, Harvest, & Feast
Grow, Harvest, & Feast is a year-long series celebrating our city’s diversity through food, recipes, oral history, and community gardening. The YPL Seed Library is also a part of the Grow, Harvest & Feast program. Grow, Harvest, & Feast is made possible through generous support from Con Edison.
YPL Seed Library
Find seed catalogs on the main floor at Crestwood, the Fine Arts section at the Will Library, and the third floor at Riverfront!
- Borrow: Collect up to four (4) seed packets of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
- Grow: Take photos of your sprouting seeds and tag us with #yplseedlibrary.
- Share: Harvest seeds from your favorite plants and donate for others to grow.
Supported with generous donations from Con Edison. Additional seed packets were provided by The Chas C. Hart Seed Company.
Available Seeds and Growing Instructions
Where available, click links for more information on sowing the seeds, growing conditions, and germination & growth. More links coming soon!
- Arugula Roquette
- Collards Green Georgia
- Dwarf Blue Curled Vates Kale
- Organic Lacinato Kale Seeds
- Organic Mesclun Mix Organic
- Organic Early Mizuna Japanese Mustard Organic
- Organic Plain Parsley Leaf
- Organic Swiss Chard Rainbow Mix Organic
- Organic Watercress Avona Organic
- Certified Organic Diamond Eggplant
- Purple Tomatillo
- Roma Organic Tomato
- Purple Cherokee Tomato Organic Seeds
- Super Sweet 100 Hybrid Cherry Tomatoes
- King Sieg Organic Leek
- Evergreen Hardy White Onion
- Big Jim Organic Hot Pepper
- Long Red Narrow Hot Cayenne Pepper
- Early Jalapeño Hot Pepper
- Cubanelle Semi-Sweet Pepper
- Gilboa Orange Organic Sweet Pepper
History of Grow, Harvest, & Feast
2021: YPL begins a campaign to improve its grounds with assistance from the Westchester County Board of Legislators. YPL replaces invasive plants and poison ivy at the Will Library with a native pollinator garden.
2022: Will Library and Crestwood Library debuts new accessible, raised bed gardens.
2022: Seed Library established with assistance from Foundation for the Yonkers Public Library (FYPL).
2024: Con Edison generously sponsors Grow, Harvest, & Feast.
Gardening Books
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Grow. Food. Anywhere.
Grow. Food. Anywhere. is the must-have guide for anyone who has ever had a desire to grow their own food. Authors Mat and Dillon, of the Little Veggie Patch Co. provide a comprehensive and authoritative guide to gardening in any space, all in their own unique and entertaining style. Whether you've got a balcony, a tiny courtyard, or a patch of reclaimed dirt in a shared neighbourhood space, this book offers inspiration - and instruction - for growing good things to eat.
The book has three sections: What Plants Need; Fruit and Veg to Grow; and Pests and Diseases to Know. These chapters cover everything from: why soil matters; composting; how to make a wicking garden; how to select the right growing style; what to plant and when; harvesting; troubleshooting; pruning; and more. Grow. Food. Anywhere. is presented with a combination of photographs, illustrations, and a playful, engaging design that very much mirrors the refreshing no-nonsense approach of the book's two accomplished and articulate young authors, and their thriving gardening business. -
Grow
Discover 15 plants and fungi with life-changing powers and learn how to grow them at home.
Meet their surprising relatives (the tasty tomato is a cousin of deadly nightshade!) and unearth their interesting stories (lettuce was the first plant to be grown in space!). Then follow step-by-step instructions to grow and care for each one, whether you have a big backyard garden or a sunny windowsill.
Written by horticulturalist Riz Reyes and fully illustrated by Sara Boccaccini Meadows, this is the perfect introduction to growing plants for families everywhere.
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How a Seed Grows
How does a tiny acorn grow into an enormous oak tree? This classic Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out picture book shows how little seeds become the plants and trees that surround us.
Now rebranded with a new cover look, this book includes a find out more activity section with a simple experiment encouraging kids to discover what a seed needs to grow. Both text and artwork were expert-reviewed for accuracy.
This is a Level 1 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores introductory concepts perfect for children in the primary grades and supports the Common Core Learning Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. Let's-Read-and-Find-Out is the winner of the American Association for the Advancement of Science/Subaru Science Books & Films Prize for Outstanding Science Series.
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Plants Can't Sit Still
Do plants really move? Absolutely!
You might be surprised by all ways plants can move. Plants might not pick up their roots and walk away, but they definitely don't sit still! Discover the many ways plants (and their seeds) move. Whether it's a sunflower, a Venus flytrap, or an exotic plant like an exploding cucumber, this fascinating picture book shows just how excitingly active plants really are.
"With a doctorate in biology, Hirsch understands her subject, but equally important is her ability to communicate with well-chosen words that make the ideas fun and memorable for children.... A new way to see the plants around us."--starred, Booklist
"Colorful, exuberant illustrations work impressively with the text....Excellent collaboration produced a winner: graceful, informative, and entertaining."--starred, Kirkus Reviews
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Tiny Space Gardening
“[A]n an incredibly handy manual full of information on how to grow plants in small spaces.” —GOOP
The beginner’s complete guide to urban, small space and container gardening from “our windowsill guru.” —Bon Appétit
This vibrant updated 2nd edition includes 30 earthy recipes for the vegetables from your edible garden and 50 gorgeous inspirational color photographs and illustrations.
No matter how small your space, you can grow an edible garden and enjoy home cooked meals from your harvest! With this stunning comprehensive guide, you’ll learn the basics of gardening in pots and containers, find small windowsill and countertop projects, and receive specific recommendations for plants that grow well in containers. Also included are 30 simple recipes you can make with your harvest, from Zucchini Fritters to Herby Pasta with Lettuce and Prosciutto, to Rosy Strawberry Buttermilk cake.
You’ll learn all about:
• the best containers and pots
• DIY planter boxes
• tools and supplies
• soil for containers
• feeding and watering
• simple pruning
• cooking with your harvest
• and much more
“With this guide, your garden can be as productive as you’d like, no matter the size." —Modern Farmer