Must have gardening book...

[lakshmi]

Hi,

I'm going to be ordering Carolyn's book from Amazon and was looking for a good companion to go with it. I'm fairly new at growing vegetables/tomatoes so would like a good book for the basics that would complement Carolyn's book which I believe is for the more advanced grower and contains a lot of varietal information (ok, I admit it...for now I just want to look at the pretty pictures so I can drool ).

I have heavy clay soil and I'd be interesting in anything about amending soil, alternate planting methods, etc. as well.

What's on your 'must have' list for vegetable/tomato gardening that would work for a beginner?

Thanks,
Lakshmi

[cdntomato]

Lakshmi (lovely and meaningful name!!),

I highly recommend books by Eliot Coleman. "Four Season Harvest" would be a good one for starters. Next in line would be Jennifer Bennett's "The Harrowsmith Northern Gardener". All-rounders those two. Shepherd Ogden's books are pretty good too.

Jennifer

PS Carolyn's book is not so much advanced as it is very specifically focussed on varietal information. Sound basics in the intro section, but not a how-to book.

[greggf]

Dick Raymond's THE JOY OF GARDENING. A classic.

[Ruth_10]

I would recommend another Harrowsmith Country Life book, the "Book of Garden Secrets" by Dorothy Hinshaw and Diane Bilderback. This book is divided into two parts, one, a general discussion of plants and growing techniques, and two, an overview of each vegetable family (brassicas, legumes, alliums, etc). I like this book because it is not just a superficial discussion of the above, but explains some of the science behind it all, which I think makes it more enjoyable.

The Eliot Coleman books are also good. He has done a fair amount of experimentation with techniques over the years.

[Soilsniffer]

Originally Posted by greggf

Dick Raymond's THE JOY OF GARDENING. A classic.

I second this recommendation. Mr. Raymond's knowledge is extensive, and his genuine country-gardener-at-heart personality not only makes the book a VERY easy read, but I ended up liking the guy; he's my friend tho I never met him. My acquired gardening skills are primarily due to his Joy Of Gardening book.

Another, 'The Vegetable Gardener's Bible' by Edward Smith, is recommended by many, but I question the author's motive for the book. Raymond wrote books to share knowledge, Smith wrote books to earn a living. I never made a literal list, but there are so many things Smith recommends that Raymond does not, I have convinced myself that Smith wanted to write a book, used *the* standard reference at the time (Raymond's book) as a guide, and recommended and instructed things in the completely opposite manner that Raymond did. Complete polar opposites. I think Smith's primary motivation for becoming an author was financial; writing books became his *job*. I also find his use of acronyms (W-O-R-D, P-O-T-S, probably more) annoying.

Tell you what though, folks swear by Raymond, and others swear by Smith. Though Smith's methods are usually markedly different than Raymond's, both methods work. Go figure. Similar to till vs no-till -- they're opposites, and I use both methods. Both till and no-till work great!

I heartily recommend Raymond's book, but enough folks have recommended Smith over the years that it's obvious that Smith's methods work as well. The biggest difference for me is this: If Raymond came over to visit, we'd share a pitcher of tea. If Smith stopped by, he'd try to sell me something.

J

[greggf]

J,

Yes, Smith's book is absolutely gagging, at least to me.

[cottonpicker]

I also highly recommend Dick Raymond's "The Joy of Gardening".

LarryD

[LoreD]

I liked the book "Dick Raymonds Gardening Year." It tells you what to do during each month of the year. I found it at a used book sale. Absolutely essential.

Solar Gardening by Leandre Poisson and Gretchen Vogel-Poisson. A lot of ideas that I have never heard about but they but worked really well.

LoreD

[garnetmoth]

my first book was How To Grow More Vegetables* by Jeavons. Ecology action/bountiful gardens does a lot of sustainable and small scale ag research. its a bit more about a system of close planting and growing your compost, but some neat ideas!

[greggf]

I'll second DICK RAYMOND'S GARDENING YEAR, too.

He owns an organic golf course in VT last I knew.

He also is the initials "D.R." in the home gardening equipment company DR of chipper/shredder, field & brush mower, rototiller, etc. fame.

=gregg=

[lakshmi]

I'm glad I asked here. I was planning on buying 'The Vegetable Gardener's Bible' by Edward Smith after reading the rave reviews on Amazon. Dick Raymond's books sound good...my only question is that does he advocate tilling? My soil is hard clay and any serious tilling would be out of the question for me. I would have to go with raised beds.

'Four Season Harvest' sounds like another kind of book I'd like to have since I would like to build a cold frame and try some harvesting in the winter. It seems to have mixed reviews though.

Has anyone tried Lasagna Gardening (the method, not the book) with any success?

Thanks for all the recommendations,
Lakshmi

[nctomatoman]

I really like this one -

http://www.amazon.com/Making-More-Pl...3634866&sr=1-3

Making More Plants by Ken Druse. It described all sorts of ways to propagate all sorts of plants.

[Ruby]

I would recommend:
The Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener

It's a great reference book and has the basics, plus great photos.

[ddsack]

It's not really a how to garden book, but my favorite garden related book that I love to pick up and browse through, is "The Victory Garden Cookbook" by Marian Morash. It's alphabetically arranged by vegetable, with a basic description of growing tips, but the draw for me is the wonderful variety of recipes and food pictures highlighting each vegetable. It always inspired me to want to do more unusual things with my garden produce.

[nctomatoman]

Just remembering the set of gardening books that were my bible when I was really getting into the hobby - Crockett's Victory Garden, Crockett's Flower garden, and a few others in the series. He made gardening sound irresistable...and he was right! The show has never been the same since James Crockett's death, though they've tried hard.