Amazon.com
Burpee has created a truly encyclopedic, but non-intimidating, guide to organic vegetable gardening that can be used and appreciated by anyone, whether or not they've ever stuck a seed in the ground. All the essential information is here--how to condition the soil, how and where to plant, sprouting schedules, what kind of yield to expect from each plant variety, and harvesting tips--in beautiful, bountiful, illustrated detail; the book's largest section, "Plant Portraits," contains explanations of the many cultivars of each vegetable and herb. If you're a novice vegetable gardener or new to organic gardening and can only afford one gardening guide, this may be your best value.
Book Description
A Backyard-Gardener's Guide to Growing a Bountiful, Great-Tasting Harvest
The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener features:
- A full-color encyclopedia of over 100 vegetables and herbs with detailed, expert advice on growing them successfully from planting to harvest
- Planting and growing techniques that keep maintenance to a minimum
- Entries on how to grow unusual edibles, such as refreshing mesclun for salads, colorful edible flowers, spicy mustards, and more
- Descriptions and photos of a host of succulent vegetables, both hybrids and heirlooms, from common to exotic
- Complete information on improving even the poorest garden soil using safe, organic techniques, plus practical advice on making compost
- Recommendations on garden tools you need-and those you don't
- Information on controlling pests and diseases organically, without resorting to poisonous sprays
- Spectacular full-color photographs of vegetables and herbs, food gardens, and edible landscapes, plus 30 black-and-white line drawings
Customer Reviews:
Great overview book.......2007-06-09
This book is great if you're a beginner gardener, and want just one book to sit down and read that covers all aspects of gardening. You'll want to go on an buy other books that go into more detail on specific topics, but this is a great place to start, and one to keep on the shelf.
It is presented as a gardening book should be - a large hardcover with lots of glossy colour photographs.
Chapters are:
1) Growing you own
2) Getting Started
3) Garden Tools & Equipment
4) Improving the soil
5) Laying out the Garden
6) Planting the Garden
7) Caring for the Garden
8) Coping with Garden Problems
Should be called the Coffee Table Encyclopedia of Gardening.......2007-03-10
I am so impressed with this big, beautiful book! The photos are inspiring, and the technical aspects are thoroughly covered. I love the historic background of each vegetable and herb.
I think there is literally everything I ever needed to know about vegetable gardening from seed germination, through care and feeding, to harvest. Detailed charts outline fertilizer, pests, water, soil conditions, and planting and harvest times.
I keep it on my coffee table and flip through it daily just to enjoy the photos and learn some new fact.
You will not be disappointed with this book!
Gardners Dictionary.......2006-10-31
I am a new gardener and this book has helped so much! I look everything up in it. RIght down to problems with plant to how much water each plant gets. It has a guide to all plants and great pictures. Also has tips for gardening.
Well Organized, Comprehensive, Excellent Layout.......2002-08-14
Burpee's "The Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener: A Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically" is fantastic. In addition to what Burpee lists on the back cover of what is inside the book, there are also many easy-reading tables that contain excellent information such as the vitamin(s) that each vegetable contains, different cultivars, plant PH needs, watering needs per week, crop yields, etc. Many interesting tidbits.
The layout is so wonderful, one does not feel overwhelmed with all of the information that is in the book!
Vegatable Gardening Made Really Easy.......2001-11-02
Very similar in content and structure to Ortho's Complete Guide to Vegtables. The difference comes in the experience the writer has growing and maitaining the various plants. I find using both books gives different perspectives for growing and caretaking of plants but conatins the same basic information. For instance the Ortho book has better Garden Setup and maintenance data, and raw data on the various gardening aspects like fertilizer and pest eradiction. The Burpee book focuses on plant and cultivar details a little better. The book is filled with plenty high quality pictures of plants and their fruits using multiple pictures of various cultivars within plant families.
The book is geared for both beginners in gardening and the handy do it yourselfer types. Chapters progress you through the steps from site selection and plant selection to harvesting, crop rotating and soil conditioning over winter and indoor greenhouse seed starting. The book also contains references to various cultivars within vegtable species, so a beginner gardener could not only successfully select and grow well know vegtables, but could also grow and use the odd often hard to find fresh herbs.
I consistently flip between both this book and Ortho's book. I find using them in this manner makes the information extracted complimentary and thorough.
Book Description
For the home wine-maker ready to . . . begin turning out consistently professional-quality wines, this book contains about all the information one is likely to need.-- Ruralite Country Bookshelf.
Customer Reviews:
Complete resource.......2007-05-26
We wanted a resource for the wine process from growth to the glass.
Everything you need is in here.
Almost perfect.......2007-01-18
This book tells you everything about growing grapes and producing fine wine. It even deals with the choice of grape-varieties suited for your climate. It is almost perfect. I think many Europeans will read this book, and it would have been perfect if it included the Meditteranean countries in the tables of climate-zones and selection of suitable varieties. It is very difficult to find this (about Europe) on the internet. But a great and very useful book.
From Vines to Wines, a very accurate title........2006-11-03
This is a very informative book, I can not wait to start my own wine grape vine.
Easy reading.......2006-11-03
I purchased this book for my 12 yr.old grandson. We have found the illustrations and explainations to be very clear and easy to follow. The book also has extensive useful information to help the beginner as he grows in knowledge,
Great Book. Quick Shipment. Greaat seller........2006-08-30
The book was delivered in a timely manner, well packaged. Would buy from this seller again.
Book Description
The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering.
Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food.
Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household waste water, perhaps two hundred dollars worth of hand tools, and about the same amount spent on supplies - working an average of two hours a day during the growing season.
Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series
Customer Reviews:
Gardening When it Counts.......2007-09-24
This book is an exciting addition to books on vegetable growing- so much so, that many
others become unnecessary. The author covers in detail everything about the art- from seed buying,
his own complete organic fertilizer recipe, preparing the soil, simple tools, planting and watering etc
His long experience and total integrity and commitment shine through and make it a must for those
wanting to seriously feed themselves.
Mostly good - with attitude.......2007-09-14
This book was highly recommended to me and I bought it hoping to learn some techniques to help in growing food plants and vegetables for our home use. Since the author lives in a very distinct growing area, if I lived in a maritime New Zealand area it would probably be a perfect book. Many of his techniques would only work in his specific climate and for a full time gardener, which I am not. Sigh. The section on growing and storing each individual type of food is excellent if you can adapt it to your own climate. I was not too happy with the preachy, arrogant, "Everyone else is an idiot and only I know how to do it right" attitude which extends the lenght of the book by quite a bit. Overlooking that, there are a few helpful tidbits but there are other books that I think are more helpful.
best garden guide i've found.......2007-08-15
after looking through a lot of gardening books, i can confidently say that this book provides the best basis of knowledge for starting a garden. My garden is in only its first year, but with the info in this book, I'm already making money selling organic produce through two different coops.
Great for first time gardeners.......2007-05-10
I will be starting my first garden this summer and this was the first book on gardening I read. It makes for a great introduction. Solomon goes into detail about how plants grow and what they need from the gardener. He has a good formula for Organic Fertilizer. He has a good list of what tools you need and what to look for when buying them. He has a great section is the back of the book that goes vegetable by vegetable and explains how to grow and harvest them. He also has a great bibliography in the back that points you to a lot of additional reading.[...]
Great hands-on resource.......2007-03-25
I have a whole shelf of vegetable gardening books, but I turn to this one again and again. Solomon gives clear information on tools, making garden beds, mixing up your own fertilizer (this alone is worth the price of the book), selecting seeds, storing them (another great section), and growing individual crops.
I especially appreciate his perspective as an ex-seedsman, as well as his discussion on different types of brassicas (cabbage, kale, broccoli, and the like) and onions. I had no idea what the difference between long-day and short-day onions were until I read this book. While I garden intensively, I find his discussion on the differences between the intensive method (John Jeavons, Square Foot Gardening, and the like), and the row method.
This book is worth reading and rereading.
Book Description
The comprehensive guide to do-it-yourself organic gardening, starting from the basics. This groundbreaking book explains the latest scientific knowledge on how to find, choose and grow the best plants without any synthetic chemicals.
Customer Reviews:
Not as good as Rodale's version.......2006-12-22
This book just doesn't cut it when compared to other similar text like Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening
There is nothing particularly wrong with the book. It has the requisite parts such as a discussion of organic gardening, the reasons for it, and why you should use it. It also has a fairly good chapter on various vegetables and how to grow them. It's just not my first choice for a reference book. I was highly disappointed with having picked this book first and then finding the Rodale book later.
Save a couple bucks and go with the Rodale book instead.
Great Comprehensive Text.......2006-06-30
Organic Gardening for the 21st Century is a must-have book for the organic gardener. It's well-written, enjoyable to read, very interesting, and full of realistic "how to" tips. Mr. Fedor explains different perspectives and he says why certain things are important, rather than just telling readers what to do. I like to understand why, so I can consider all the options and consequences. He does a great job of describing pests and how to deal with them. It would have helped me immensely to see photos of each pest by the description. There's enough technical information to make it specific (i.e. plant names), but not so much that it's like reading a Latin textbook. The photos and illustrations are terrific. It's just a beautiful AND useful book. Not only did I read it cover to cover, but I continue to use it as a reference book. It's well worth the purchase price!
A Pleasure To Read.......2004-11-16
I enjoy books that talk to me. John Fedor writes this book in the first person using his grandparents and then his own gardening experiences. He communicates in a style that makes you feel as if you are right there beside him in his gardens. I was hooked immediately. The book is a treasure chest of practical information (as a Reader's Digest book always is) without the overload of information that can cause you to give up your garden before you have begun. He assures you with wit and wonderful drawings that you can accomplish an organic garden in even the most humble of spaces with the most humble of budgets. The photographs are worthy of being published in a DK book. They are always practical though and relate to Fedor's text. They are realistic of what you can and can't expect. I call it practical eye candy. For those gardeners who already have a basic knowledge of gardening...this book won't disappoint you. There is a wealth of intermediate level information that will help you too. Enjoy!
A very complete guide.......2003-03-21
This Reader's Digest published book covers a lot of material (from compost to saving seed, from pest control to crop rotation, from companion planting to heritage varieties, from herbs to even landscaping and tools) in only 288 pages, yet manages to answer most common gardening questions. There is even a directory in the back of the book covering vegetables, fruits & herbs that commonly grow in the U.S. and Canada, giving varieties & growing instructions. The photos in the book are beautiful and inspiring for the aspiring gardener.
I've looked at quite a few gardening books, yet this guide is the one I keep going back to.
Book Description
Before it was a book, The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food was organic gardener Tanya L. K. Denckla's highly prized personal database, the distillation of years of careful research and hands-on, real-life, dirt-under-the-fingernails experience in growing her own vegetables, herbs, fruits, and nuts. Now available to all, this easy-to-read sourcebook offers much to gardeners of all skill levels, answering questions quickly and authoritatively so more time can be spent enjoying the garden. Six comprehensive chapters cover vegetables, fruits and nuts, herbs, organic remedies, and allies and companions. Within each chapter plants are arranged alphabetically, making needed information eminently accessible. Individual plant entries provide specific information on planting; temperature; soil and water needs; measurements; seed-starting dates; pests, diseases, allies, companions, and incompatibles, as applicable; when to harvest; how to store produce; and overviews of selected varieties. Fully half of the book is dedicated to organic remedies that can prevent or combat plant diseases and garden pests. Hundreds of common diseases and pests are discussed, as well as which plants are likely to be affected, how to recognize the problem, and tried-and-true natural remedies. The Gardener's A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food demystifies how to work collaboratively with the complex natural systems of the environment, making gardening a little easier and definitely more fun.
Customer Reviews:
Good book - very thorough and well organized.......2007-05-17
I would have given this book 5 starts except that the section on pest control, which is very important to an organic gardener names the pests and suggests control solutions but shows you no pictures of the pests so if you don't know what the various insects (or for that matter diseases) look like, that's not helpful.
Otherwise the book is well organized and contains a lot of useful information, especially in regard to what plants are allys and incompatible
Amazing resource.......2006-08-29
This book is a marvel. I have given it to all of my gardening friends and regularly consult it for specifics on many vegetables. I highly recommend it!
Great book, but leaves out a few things.......2004-05-25
Tons of fabulous information in this book, but it unfortunately leaves out quite a few things that I am interested in growing... bananas, oranges, tangerines, avocadoes, mangoes, lemons, limes, and starfruit to name a few. It is, however, the best resource for herbs that I've seen so far.
Amazon.com
Ron L. Engeland has made his living as an organic garlic grower in Washington State for nearly two decades. He has cultivated more than 450 strains from all over the world. If you want to grow incredible garlic for yourself, he's the man to listen to.
Book Description
The first garlic book written specifically for organic gardeners and small-scale farmers
Growing Great Garlic is the definitive grower's guide written by a small scale farmer who makes his living growing over 200 strains of garlic. Commercial growers will want to consult this book regularly.
The author tells us:
which strains to plant
when to fertilize
when to plant
when to prune flower stalks
how to plant
when to harvest
Plus, how to store, market, and process the crop.
Growing Great Garlic makes a genuine contribution in the field of garlic classification that will help the public recognize several distinct varietal types of garlic.
Customer Reviews:
Geared towards commercial growers good for home gardeners too.......2007-09-05
I cannot comment on the end results yet, since harvest is still 10 months away. This book introduces the types of garlic and recommends several organic methods of soil preparation. The greatest revelation was when to plant. All the local home garden supply stores stock garlic for spring planting. The author recommends fall, something subsequently confirmed by a local commercial grower. Hopefully with the fertilizing and time of planting tips, my results won't be quite so dismal.
Geared for larger than home garden but still great.......2006-12-11
I listen to YBYG on NPR and Mike McGrath is always touting growing garlic. So I found Gourmet Garlic Gardens and bought an assortment of their garlic. This book came for Christmas last year and though I had already planted my garlic, it gave me some good pointers for preparing for my next crop. I harvested almost all the garlic I planted and used this book to prepare the ground for my second crop. I have a VERY small garlic garden (under 50 sq ft) so some of the techniques they outline in the book won't work.
The history and outline of the varities of garlic is great. It's also important to know what sort of garlic grows best in your area. Most of the stuff you get in the supermarket is softneck garlic (that's all they grow in CA) while the garlic with the best flavor is the hardneck garlic.
Get this book, get some good garlic (it's more expensive but you only have to buy it once) and grow some great garlic!
Growing Great Garlic.......2006-02-17
This is the bible on the growing of garlic. It includes both highly technical and highly practical information.
(This is actually the fourth copy of this book that I have bought: one for myself about two years ago, and then other copies for garlic growing friends!)
A Nice Guide to Growing Garlic........2003-02-03
Most gardeners don't think of growing garlic, because it is so plentiful and inexpensive at the local grocery store. The problem is that there is only one kind of garlic available at most grocery stores and markets, and that limits variety to be sure! There are over 72 different cultivated varieties of garlic! Each variety has its own distinct aroma, flavor, and level of spicyness. There are even hot garlics! Elephant garlic isn't a true garlic, so it doesn't count.
This book is an indispensible introduction to, and guide for growing garlic, and it even has some places listed where you can get the different cultivars of garlic.
The book is arranged into 3 parts. The introduction deals with the natural history of garlic. The second part deals with the different varieties, and the difference between the hardneck and softnect varieties. It also deals with the history of cultivated garlic. Examples of different garlic include Korean Red, which is a hot garlic, Spanish Roja, Polish, German Red, Inchilium Purple, Silver Skin(the variety usually found in stores), Montana Giant, etc. Each one has its own characteristics and each one has different storage time, growing time, and harvest time.
The third part deals with the cultivation techniques and gardening techniques associated with growing great garlic.
The author has gone to great pains to explain in detail the different methods used in growing garlic, from a commercial scale to the individual organic farmer to the individual home gardener. It is extremely helpful to the garlic novice, that is for sure.
I have used the methods outlined in this book, and in 1999, I liked this book so much that I ended up finding an organic garlic grower in Texas, and got 7 varieties of garlic and started them in a raised garden in October of 1999. In just 8 months I had my first harvest, and it was really cool to grow such distinct garlic in my own garden. This stuff is also expensive, the rare garlics, so it is advantageous to grow your own.
This book is softcover, 229 pages.
I highly recommend it to the home gardener who wants to try something new and delightful.
If you only own one book on growing garlic--this is the one........1999-09-15
If you only own one book on growing garlic--this is the one. From the history and enzyme groups of garlic to "how to properly clean and store" it, ron covers it all. The Bibile for garlic growers. Get the suppliment from FillareeFarms.com to get the most up-to-date expert information on this wonderful fun food.
Amazon.com
This is truly a one-stop comprehensive guide to organic gardening: it is a big book filled with techniques, definitions, solutions to gardening problems, and a huge listing of organic gardening resources. It's one of the most thorough guides I have seen for organic gardeners--it is well indexed and annotated, and covers all climate zones and growing conditions. If this book doesn't get your motor running about the garden, well, maybe you'll want to try a different hobby. I think it should be a part of any true gardener's library, covered with notes, muddy fingerprints, and with the well-worn pages.
Customer Reviews:
Comprehensive.......2004-09-10
The Organic Gardener's Home Reference is a chart book, plant by plant, in alphabetical order, for vegetables, fruits and nuts, and herbs. The final two sections offer charts for controlling diseases and pests and suggestions for companion plants.
Each chart includes growth conditions, from when and how to plant to what to expect from the mature plant. Following this at-a-glance information is harvest advice, storage requirements and growing tips. Pests, diseases, companion plants and incompatible plants are also listed and the opposing page offers selected varieties (not localized enough to be really useful), special notes, and space for the gardener's notes. A useful quick-reference guide with concise, sometimes unusual advice. For example, the tomato entry suggests solarizing the soil during the growing season to control disease.
Organic Gardener's Home Helper.......2001-10-24
I have found this book to be loaded with helpful information. Some basic info, which we can forget, to detailed info to help with particular problems is wonderful. The best thing is, if the book gives you options to fix a problem, it tells you why it works and whether the method is a certain or uncertain fix. It covers everything from planting by variety to pests vs beneficial insests, fungus, soil, and a large index/appendices to lead you elsewhere if needed. It covers companions/ally planting quite well. The only thing I have noted which appears not to be covered is crop rotation. Great Reference book.
Book Description
This book shows you how to have a healthy soil and recommends environmentally safe products and even some homemade remedies to control pests and disease in your garden. You'll get nuts and bolts information on companion planting and the use of beneficial insects.
Customer Reviews:
Extension Agent information only.......2007-01-10
This book is nothing more than a compilation of information that can be had for free from the county extension agents. I found nothing new in it. Your time would be better spent talking to the county agent and getting specific information for you county, as it would be easier to find that way, than in this book.
Best Texas vege gardening book!.......2004-07-25
This book has been indispensable to me!!! This book, along with The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, have been my "text books" in starting a garden. Without them, I wouldn't have such a great garden. These books take the guess work out of what to do. Thanks Mr. Garrett and Mr Beck!!!
Great Book On Organic Gardening.......2000-02-28
Howard covers the essentials of Basic Organic Gardening as well as the how to's. I bought the book at Rohde's for about the same price before shipping. If you can't get to Garland; but it here. We just completed our 20'x20' raised bed garden. Our front yard is the lushest greenest yard in the neighborhood with NO CHEMICALS. We have been a fan of Howard for a few years now.
Grant Wiscour Irving, TX
Average customer rating:
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The Natural Food Garden: Growing Vegetables and Fruits Chemical-Free
Prima
Manufacturer: Prima Lifestyles
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Fruit
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Organic
| Techniques
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Vegetables
| Gardening & Horticulture
| Home & Garden
| Subjects
| Books
Organic Cooking
| Cooking, Food & Wine
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1559582022
Release Date: 1992-04-25 |
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- CREATIVE LICENSE, THE: GIVING YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE THE ARTIST YOU TRULY ARE
- Edges of the Earth: A Man, a Woman, a Child in the Alaskan Wilderness
- Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- Ferrets, Rabbits and Rodents: Clinical Medicine and Surgery (Ferrets, Rabbits & Rodents)
- Fish Nutrition
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