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
With few exceptions-such as corn and pumpkins-everything edible that's grown in a traditional garden can be raised in a container. And with only one exception-watering-container gardening is a whole lot easier. Beginning with the down-to-earth basics of soil, sun and water, fertilizer, seeds and propagation, The Bountiful Container is an extraordinarily complete, plant-by-plant guide.
Written by two seasoned container gardeners and writers, The Bountiful Container covers Vegetables-not just tomatoes (17 varieties) and peppers (19 varieties), butharicots verts, fava beans, Thumbelina carrots, Chioggia beets, and sugarsnap peas. Herbs, from basil to thyme, and including bay leaves, fennel, and saffron crocus. Edible Flowers, such as begonias, calendula, pansies, violets, and roses. And perhaps most surprising, Fruits, including apples, peaches, Meyer lemons, blueberries, currants, and figs-yes, even in the colder parts of the country. (Another benefit of container gardening: You can bring the less hardy perennials in over the winter.) There are theme gardens (an Italian cook's garden, a Four Seasons garden), lists of sources, and dozens of sidebars on everything from how to be a human honeybee to seeds that are All America Selections.
Customer Reviews:
Well worth the price.......2007-07-18
There's an endless list of titles devoted to container gardening, but it turns out that not many are useful for growing vegetables. I borrowed several from the library, including Bountiful Container, and this is the only one I found useful. It's a valuable reference tool, so I'll be getting my own copy.
I have never gardened before; my parents and grandparents had gardens as I grew up, which convinced me that I don't have the patience to go out and dig a big plot, then spend hours weeding it. In addition, we live in a condo with a small yard, so containers seemed to be the way to go, if only I could figure out how to successfully coax veggies from a container. Still, nobody I knew had really done this, so I found the book invaluable.
A lot of it may be old news to experienced gardeners, but as a beginner, it was extremely helpful to read what conditions each type of plant liked. There are some notes on design, as well as some great suggestions for themed gardens - I particularly liked the idea of attracting hummingbirds with a vibrant red garden. The book is well organized, with several pages devoted to the planting, care, and harvesting of each plant.
I knocked the book down 1 star because I think a few things should really be added. First, some color photos or illustrations. A previous reviewer mentioned that the illustrations are charming but lacking, and I agree. Second, further information about crops that can be planted twice - I know several cool weather plants can be put in for both spring and fall, which the book also mentions. The book walks through the spring planting, but then doesn't discuss the timing of the fall planting. If I have limited space for growing veggies, I really want to plant as much as I can in cycles, and it'd be helpful to have that information! Finally, some sort of chart that groups together plants which like the same conditions would be an extremely helpful addition to this book. You can get by with notes, but a chart would be a great reference tool.
Best Father's Day Gift Ever!.......2007-07-09
My parents are beginning to feel the effects of the years. This spring, my Dad had serious surgery and he and Mom were both depressed that there could be no vegetable garden this year. What luck that I had stumbled onto the Bountiful Container while doing research for a garden class I was asked to teach this spring. I purchased the book and two self watering containers for them for Mothers and Fathers Days this year and they are having a ball with them! Their garden has always been in the back forty, and now, they are in an "intimate relationship" with their tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers. This book is inspiring and hope building. It's the answer for all of us who don't have time, don't have space, don't have money, and simply don't need the overwhelming bounty of an in-ground vegetable garden. If you are such an expert gardener that you can't learn something new from every listing in this book, why didnt' you write this book? This book will ALWAYS be on my book shelf!
McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits and Edible Flowers.......2007-06-01
Will enjoy planting plants in containers of vegetables to eat.
Save your money; the best book around for beginners........2007-05-09
This is hands down the best book on container gardening out there. With the exception of the edible flowers section (unless you're into that sort of thing), it's full of excellent information, from back to front. If you're new to container gardening like I was, I'd suggest that you start here with this book. It's readable, organized exceptionally and just generally well-written and thorough.
Full of Joy and Information.......2007-04-12
I love this book and I will be pulling it out often this growing season. It's packed with very specific information on how to grow every imaginable edible plant --from flowers through vegetables and fruit trees--in containers. You will learn when to plant, which varities do best in containers, whether to start with seed or transplants, how to combine plants in a container for beauty and/or successive harvesting, what size container to use, how often to fertilize and with what, when to harvest...the list goes on and on. The writing itself is delightful, from the descriptions and planting instructions for theme gardens (Victorian Splendor, Tea Time, Childrens' Garden just to name a few) to the history of many of the plants and unusual recipes using the bounty of your containers (Begonia Sorbet, Strawberries with Scented
Geraniums and Creme Fraiche, Stuffed Squash Blossoms with Fresh Tomato Sauce)! The Bountiful Container is a joy to read and really makes you want to get out into your garden and start planting. It's both a feel good book and a very informative book--IMO a rare combination in a reference book. I can't say enough, I'm so glad I bought this book.
Book Description
Most gardeners know how rewarding it is to harvest ripe, sun-warmed tomatoes or pungent herbs straight from the garden. But those pleasures can be multiplied a hundredfold by creating a garden that is not only productive, but also a beautiful, well-integrated part of the home landscape. In this handsome volume, Jennifer Bartley shows how the traditional features of the classic kitchen garden, or potager, can be adapted to contemporary American needs and conditions. The book is informed by her conviction that the nurturing, preparing, and eating of fresh, home-grown vegetables contributes enormously both to our ties with the natural world and our ties to each other. Copiously illustrated with photographs and with the author's delightful watercolors, Designing the New Kitchen Garden offers the perfect blend of inspiration and practical guidance.
Customer Reviews:
Gardener's inspiration.......2007-03-28
This book is filled with beautiful pictures and explanations that inspire and educate. Ms. Bartley has her own garden and I felt that I benefited from her own experience. After reading this book, I was ready to place a potager's garden in my own back yard.
Really, a smallish coffee table book.......2007-03-17
The sub-title for this book might be "A landscape designer dabbles prettily in vegetables" The book is beautifully produced, although I found the strong raking light in some of the photographs actually obscured the plants.
The chapter of historical background is almost worth the price of admission itself (if you're interested in history and the history of gardening) Although somewhat preciously phrased, the author does remind us of the connection of spirit, body, and garden, something we may forget when we in the middle of a vicious battle with cabbage loopers.
But the excursions into real gardens felt to me like a fantasy. If these gardens are meant to be inspiring, they failed with me. Every page I turned reminded me that these gardens are big, and clearly cost a lot of money to build and maintain. I never had a clear sense of the good eating that should be coming out of these gardens. And of course, nothing ever seems to go wrong in these gardens; there is no sense of how the gardeners have learned and evolved their gardens over time.
For a book ostensibly about "American" potager gardening, most of the country was omitted. Including midwest, southern, and western garden would have been a big help.
The design chapter starts off on the wrong foot by discussing a potager garden that was never built. Even worse, it was never built in a large urban space with which few of us will ever have to contend, so I fail to see the point. The second garden design discussed, designed for a small restaurant, also has not been built. The third garden is the author's own, now giving me the uncomfortable feeling that the entire book is a vanity project.
When the winter weather keeps you indoors, this will not a bad book to page through; just don't let it be the only book on your shelf about potager gardening.
Semi-formal vegetable garden?.......2006-08-17
The concept of edible landscaping is given a boost toward a practical and beautiful kitchen garden in this book. The history behind kitchen gardens ("potagers", that is gardens designed around culinary use rather than solely appearance) is interesting and lively, and the sections on a few modern garden case studies is useful.
The book stumbles a bit in assuming you already know elements of design, and doesn't discuss the practical considerations of some of them. The examples of "shade mapping" could use a little explanation alongside the drawings; I found them confusing. And there's very little discussion of what to plant when -- presumably you'll decide these on your own with various seed catalogs spread around you, if you can find catalogs that detail things such as plant height and habit, colors and seasons. I haven't found many vegetable seed catalogs that spend time on these sorts of topics, and I was hoping this book would provide some illumination.
Still, there are plenty of suggestions and examples for making your vegetable garden a place of beauty as well as a producer of foods and herbs for your kitchen. My personal leanings are toward the concept that a vegetable garden is beautiful if you can see the significant amount of food you'll be eating from it and so regular plots of densely packed plants are just fine; but I'm sure my spouse will enjoy the more formal look the veggies and herbs will take on in next year's garden as a result of this book.
Do you want a vegetable garden that people -- non-gardening people -- would actually want to walk through? Are you capable of designing a beautiful layout but need a nudge in the right directions? Then this is a good book for you. I'd have prefered more meat in it, so to speak, particularly for the $35 I spent on it.
A great read on vegetable garden design. Buy It........2006-08-05
`Designing the New Kitchen Garden, An American Potager Handbook' by professional garden design consultant, Jennifer R. Bartley is a very serious book, absolutely perfect for the zone 6 snowbound gardener to buy in December, when nothing is growing, and it's even too cold to start hardscaping projects.
What I mean here is that not only does the book give very serious guidance on how to build a potager garden, it gives oodles of historical perspective on how the potager garden design evolved from pre-Christian times, through the Middle Ages and Renaissance, with it's flowering in the monastary and royal gardens of France.
One thing to point out early in this review is that the book covers practically nothing about things culinary, in spite of the fact that various methods for categorizing this book put it cheek and jowl with books on culinary subjects, which is how I happened to run across it. But as long as I'm on the subject, its important to note that a good reference on gardening techniques must almost by definition have lots of interesting text and pictures for the armchair. While you can always cook, you cannot always garden, and in temperate climes, there will always be many months of down time. This book is the perfect antidote. In fact, as good as this book is, it is almost completely composed of material for thinking and planning and not about digging, laying stone, or planting. The `Designing' of the title must be taken very seriously. There are no recipes here for laying a gravel walk or laying out a herringbone brick path. Go to your Home Depot manuals and hardscaping texts for theses skills. On the other hand, there is a great collection of ideas one may not have normally thought of, should you have the proper venue to lay out the kind of garden discussed in this book.
I must say that the `potager' of the subtitle is the French word for `kitchen garden', which is how this book landed alongside texts on herbs and vegetables. But, the fact that this notion is originally French has as much or more to do with the subject as the `vegetable' part of the notion. The book does not really discuss your garden variety `victory garden'. It really takes on the design of formal gardens which are build to be grand orniments to the spirit as well as resources for the body.
All in all, this book is a kind of knot joining many different strands of ideas, including design for pleasant sights, design for culinary application, design for historical interest, and design for a refuge for the soul. To these ends, it covers a fair number of rather esoteric techniques such as esplanade and pergola design.
Just like the fact that it does not cover a lot of culinary material, it also does not cover a lot of horticultural material. There are no references in the index, for example, on `mulch', `weeding', or `pruning'. It does, however, cover `Christian Symbols', `Roman garden', and `Holy Roman Empire'.
It also gives a list of gardens one can visit, and I'm surprised that neither Longwood Gardens nor the Winthertur Museum are listed. There is a bibliography which I believe should include Amanda Hesser's `The Gardener and the Cook'. Aside from these miniscule nits, this is a great book for sparking wonder and ideas for the gardener.
Customer Reviews:
Beginning Hydroponics: Soilless Gardening : A Beginner's Guide to Growing Vegetables, House Plants, Flowers, and Herbs Without S.......2006-02-19
book recieved in a timely manner. Information is OK. Outdated information, lacks specifics. Need better clarification.
Waste of Money.......2005-04-06
What I was expecting was a guide on how I could start/build/create a hydroponic garden from scratch. What i got was a simpletons generic, vague something that really taught me nothing. I don't need the history of it, or the theories behind it. The title said 'simplified workbook' but it taught me nothing, I'm at square one which is "how do I build and start a hydroponic garden? What supplies and where do I get them?"
As it says..........2004-08-02
It is a beginner's introduction to hydroponics. While it is an exceptionally good overview and a great place to begin studying the topic, it is by no means a canon on the topic. Grab this book, read it cover to cover, photocopy it's tables to tack to the wall in whatever area you do your plant working. It will give you a skeleton, but your flesh is earned via experience and communicating with other gardeners, especially in better hydroponics forums on the internet.
These forums, however, can be confusing without the background provided by books such as this.
An Excellent Intro to a Technology with Proven Potential.......2004-06-19
Hydroponics... presents an open and honest introduction to the subject of growing plants without soil, covering its long history (especially before it was called 'hydroponics' and before Western Europeans happened upon it), the basic principles underlying hydroponics and the more common methods of the field from the simple to the complex. It also includes a chapter on troubleshooting, provides copious resources in the form of a book list for further reading and suppliers to hydroponic growers (from backyard gardeners to commercial growers), and is an all-around accessible text for both beginning non-gardeners and to gardeners of all ability ranges. It also lays out the need for and benefits derived from hydroponics without embellishment, and presents just a small amount of the technology's practical applications and tremendous (and proven) potential.
However, based on this text alone, the reader has no real idea just how big the field of soil-less gardening has become. For example, a sizable amount of commercial tomato production in the United States is done hydroponically, and virtually all of the fresh lettuce in Japan is produced this way. Additionally, the technology has proven itself to be commercially viable for the production of a variety of specialty crops. After reading this book, I could easily think of five or six spin-offs for potential research.
Probably the best endorsement for the power and capability of this applied technology is the fact that more research is done in hydroponics by commercial growers and big multinationals than is done by (and this is in the United States context) both universities and the USDA. As an aside, although not originally intended as an application, more than a few enterprising individuals have co-opted its utilization, and advanced its development in order to cultivate, produce and distribute cannabis!
This in turn may or may not explain the reticence of the United States government, through the USDA, to fund research into improved hydroponic methods. However, a more reasonable possibility may be that the technology is first a proven concept and second is very highly developed. Still, there is considerable room for creative thinking, improvement, improvisation and innovation, as many an enterprising law-breaker has demonstrated.
On the other hand, foreign governments in arid regions of the world, such as Israel, the greater Middle East and the North African region, have invested heavily in hydroponics research as a means to simultaneously produce food for domestic requirements and to conserve scarce water resources. Israel in particular is very aggressive in its attempts to use hydroponics as a basis for export-led agricultural production.
Considering how long this book has been on the market (some 27 years), and how bad the situation in the world is with regard to hunger and food insecurity, and environmental degradation, I have to wonder aloud why environmental types like Lester Brown, Helen Caldicott and environmental groups such as the Worldwatch Institute, Sierra Club and Greenpeace have not bothered to champion this technology. Given all of the benefits of the technology, and the number of greedy corporate fingers using it to rake in beaucoup bucks, you have to wonder exactly where the priorities of many of the so-called 'eco-advocacy' groups lay, as they should be grinning from ear to ear over this water conserving (and in many cases water recycling), decreased energy, pesticide and fertilizer utilizing technology.
A little help for my Greenhouse Business!.......2001-02-11
Good growing information but lacks details. Not a complete guide but worth the price for sure. I got a few good ideas from this one, making it a worthy purchase. Another book for learning the most up to date hydroponic methods is my favorite, "Secrets to a Successful Greenhouse and Business".
Book Description
Kids learn about plants through more than 300 experiments and projects that use apple seeds, beans, potatoes, herbs -- virtually everything that grows! Whether growing space is as small as a windowsill, or as big as a backyard, children understand plant life through actual involvement. Glossary, reading list, and color illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
Fun Facts that helped me greatly!.......2007-10-05
This book was very helpful in giving me ideas to share with others, and use with my own children. As a creator of garden based characters, I particularly enjoyed the background information for some of the common herbs and flowers. For instance I had no idea that Dill seeds were called 'meeting seeds' as on long church services (meetings) the early colonists would chew on dill seeds to stay awake.
MUCH fun was found in this book and it was very helpful to me!
Fiona Finds the Son
Delightful multidimensional book...........2007-06-14
I bought this book as a gift and I am delighted with it. Many books I see for kids are lacking in one or more respects, this book is a clean sweep on every front i.e. well-organized, accurate content, meaningful activities, good cartoons and lots of interesting facts about plants.
The book covers the history and folklore of common vegetables and fruits, various activities that teach principles and appreciate for how plants do what they do and many indoor growing experiments that educate. It even includes sections on raising earthworms, pill bugs, snails and information about growing herbs.
One nice feature of the book is the presentation of provocative questions about plants that are then answered in the text or must be answered through an experiment of some sort. This is top-notch material, even the illustrations are excellent.
Although I believe this book is recommended for children 4-8, I think it is probably more appropriate for 6-12. It is certainly fine for even a very intelligent and motivated 10 year old.
Some great ideas in this book!.......2007-03-26
We love this book! Easy reading, fun project ideas!
Book Description
Did you know that if you can't smell a strawberry, it won't have any taste? That lemon thyme is as effective a mosquito repellent as DEET? That corn with kernels in the straightest lines will taste the best? Do you know which vegetables should never go in the refrigerator? And which freeze beautifully? All of these questions-and many more-are answered in this indispensable guide to vegetables and fruits, whether you shop for them in a farmers' market, buy them in a supermarket, or grow them in your own kitchen garden.
Organized alphabetically from artichoke to zucchini, the main section of the book provides detailed information on how to grow, harvest, select, and store each type of produce, accompanied by magnificent full-page photographs made especially for this book. Also featured are sections on kitchen garden basics, hardware, and the cycle of life (which covers such topics as starting seeds, nurturing, and harvesting). A wonderful combination of beauty and practical advice, this glorious book is essential for anyone who buys produce or owns a kitchen garden. AUTHOR BIO: Mike McGrath, former editor-in-chief of Organic Gardening magazine, has his own program, "You Bet Your Garden," on National Public Radio. He lives in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. Gordon Smith's photographs can be found in museums and private collections throughout the world.
Customer Reviews:
My new favorite veggie picture book.......2005-08-30
There is a place in my home for a coffee table book about gardening. It's on the coffee table, where it can be admired and browsed by family and visitors, or maybe just by me when I am in the mood to look at gorgeous pictures of garden produce and dream about next year's crop.
This book is obviously geared to the rank novice gardener (And where, I ask you, does it claim otherwise?). I am unlikely to use Kitchen Garden A to Z as a reference because I am an intermediate level home gardener who has managed to grow every category of vegetable and herb mentioned in this book. If I were a beginner, however, I would find this book to be indispensable for my starting information and pure inspiration to get going. It would be easy to find whatever I was looking for with the oversized page titles laid out A to Z, on the side edge, graphic-stylish. I would also be awed at the lovely diversity of tomatoes, melons, squash, etc. which I almost never see in my grocery store. The pictures are impeccable and artistically shot, and they feature several varieties and stages of growth for each crop being examined on the spread. The information is short and useful, but doesn't go into much detail; for instance, in the Pumpkin spread under "harvest" it simply says to leave the handle on, cut when the fruit is mature and let cure in the sun for a week. Nothing about thumbnail testing the shell first or whether it should cure on the ground or somewhere else, and if it can be left on the vine for awhile or not. Oh well, most people will do okay with this so I suppose one shouldn't get too picky about short text.
I am grateful that in the first section (which takes up nearly half the book) there is more explanation about how to garden generally and an emphasis on how to do it organically. A first-timer would have been thoroughly primed on how to lay out their garden depending on available sun and how much they could realistically handle. It also shows superb examples of beautiful and clever vegetable gardens above and beyond typical row-style. Beginners will be able to start out right after reading this book and they will have every chance of productive and satisfying crops.
But I still like it mainly for the pictures:).
-Andrea, aka Merribelle
A mouth-watering sight for any Veggie.......2004-11-28
This book gets the end spot in my kitchen cookbook shelf, just to show off the great cover photograph. For a veggie like me, it's a taste of heaven. I love the photographs, not just because the vegetables are all so wonderfully ripe and luscious looking, but because Smith has shot them in such an inventive way. I wish I could visit his produce market! The text is a bit lite, but that's not what I bought the book for. This is a coffee table book that will hold its own with any collection of dazzling images.
Kitchen Garden A to Z.......2004-11-15
As a home gardener and artist, I am delighted and inspired by Kitchen Garden A to Z, which is filled with easy to access "how-to" information and beautiful illustrations. Having heard Mike McGrath on public radio, I find his down-to-earth enthusiasm and knowledge about organic gardening as welcoming as ever. He's written a great reference book that's clear, practical and to-the-point. He doesn't read like an encyclopedia or a scientific journal, but rather, he sounds like the gardener next door who's been there, done that, and wants you to succeed. The wisdom of his experience shows. Of course, the vegetables in the beautiful photographs are a feast for the eyes - something to see now, and (hopefully) grow later.
I think there is certainly something in the book for gardeners of every age and skill level. My sister, who has a lot of vegetable-loving animals in her yard, found an answer to her prayers in the section on container gardening. The information on how to prevent "damping off" and leggy seedlings has given me the courage to start planting from seed again. And when I showed the book to my 87-year old mother, who knows her way around the kitchen, she wanted a copy of the "Storage Basics at a Glance" summery page for her very own.
The book has been wonderful gift. You may discover, as I have, that Kitchen Garden A to Z works beautifully both on the coffee table and the back porch.
Maybe a nice photo book for a beginning gardner.......2004-11-14
An oversized volume that is well organized and has beautiful pictures; unfortunately, what it has for visual impact it sorely lacks in useful detail. The primary purpose for my purchasing the book were harvesting and storage options of vegatables. However for each plant covered, at best a sentence or two is offered. Best example of where it failed me - for carrots it offers 2 choices; refrigeration or long term storage buried in sand. No comment on canning, freezing, drying, etc -- and who in suburbia is going to have a box o' sand?
Other topics, garden design, tools, mulching are all treated on the same "high level" aspect. Its like reading a collection of highlights to chapters that somehow never made it to the printers.
While it might be useful for someone whose never worked in a garden before, or perhaps a child who is interested in learning about gardening, on the whole its little more than a well organized collection of interesting tidbits of knowledge. Its not worth the $45.00 cover charge in either case.
Book Description
Hands-on instructions for sowing seeds from more than 100 common vegetables, annuals, perennials, herbs, and wildflowers.
Customer Reviews:
Very informative and easy to use.......2006-11-03
I purchased two books at the same time. This one is excellant for a beginner in gardening as well as an old timer. Easy to use and understand.
my review.......2005-02-12
I liked the fact that this book not only contained information on saving & sowing seeds for EACH type of flower of vegetable, but also contained info about starting seeds in general. It contains VERY, VERY, VERY useful info. I thought I was an advanced gardener, but I learned some things from this book.
Just what I needed.......2003-01-06
I bought this after seeing it as one of the few books offered by Vesseys Seeds (vesseys.com). (It was listed at[money] - lucky for me I often comparison shop.) Many propagation books contain information on seed starting, but because this one concentrates on seed propagation, it has more room to expand on the topic and gives more than books that have to save space to discuss other techniques like cuttings, dividing, layering etc. It discusses seed saving plant by plant, and contained an entry for nearly every plant I looked up.
A book for saving seeds from your garden........2000-06-07
Judging by the table of contents, this book appears to cover all the basics for seed saving from your garden for flowers, vegetables and herbs. It also has over 300 photos of flowers, vegetables and herbs. This will help in identifying plants in your garden. The book comes in both paperback and hardcover and is reasonably priced. The author appears to be well-educated on gardening matters. My only negative is I had wished a more complex review access to information about the book.
Average customer rating:
- Informative and Humorous
- Helped alot
- Jerry Baker's Old Time Gardening Wisdom
- Keep your garden healthy
- Fun to Read, Great Resource, Reap the Rewards
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Jerry Baker's Old-Time Gardening Wisdom: Lessons Learned from Grandma Putt's Kitchen Cupboard, Medicine Cabinet, and Garden Shed! (Jerry Baker's Good Gardening series)
Jerry Baker
Manufacturer: American Master Products, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
 Jerry Baker
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Jerry Baker's Giant Book of Garden Solutions: 1,954 Natural Remedies to Handle Your Toughest Garden Problems (Jerry Baker's Good Gardening series)
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The Impatient Gardener
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Jerry Baker's Great Green Book of Garden Secrets: Handy Hints, Timely Tonics, and Super Solutions to Turn Your Yard into a Green Garden Paradise! (Jerry Baker's Good Gardening series)
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ASIN: 0922433356 |
Book Description
Many, many years ago, Jerry went to live with his Grandma Putt, who had an amazing amount of knowledge and folklore about old-time, natural gardening. Although he resisted at first, Jerry was soon drawn into her magical world, where plants were treated like people and given kindness, courtesy, and respect. They, in turn,provided her with beauty, bounty, and an abundance ofnatural remedies. Grandma Putt shared her knowledge witheveryone, and soon, Jerry was on his way toward a new relationship with nature.In this book, Jerry shares the gardening secrets and old-time wisdom he first learned from his Grandma Putt. In addition, he`s added hundreds of tips, tricks, and tonics that he`s picked up along the way, including chapters on: Victorious Vegetable Gardening; The All-American Lawn; Eating...Weeds?; The Spice of Life - Herbs; Puttin` By and Storin` Away.
Customer Reviews:
Informative and Humorous.......2007-06-02
I originally checked this book out at the library. Some of the stories that he relates as a young boy learning from his Grandmother are both humorous and informative. After trying a few of jerry's concoctions I decided it was one of the books that would be handy to have on hand for future reference.
Helped alot.......2007-05-08
This book, along with the other books was very informative. It answered all my questions before I started my planting. Plus, being able to use products you have at home to take care of a problem, is a definite plus.
Jerry Baker's Old Time Gardening Wisdom.......2006-08-07
I have been looking for this book forever.....At least 12 years ago,when I became my mother's caregiver, the only thing that we
could pass time away together in the summer was gardening. I
watched every PBS show Mr.Baker appeared, wrote down everything
he advised and used it in the garden. Our garden was beautiful and MOM was in her wheel chair giving the instructions while I worked. When the ingredients called for beer, we mixed as called by his recipe, and (smile)drank the rest. Tobacco, fels naptha soap, all of it we tried out, all of it worked, and she and I had wonderful times before she passed.
Thanks Jerry Baker
P.S. The garden is still the best in the neighborhood. I now live in the Bahamas 7 months of the year, so I will be trying out exotic flowers with instructions from the book.
Keep your garden healthy.......2005-07-24
This book contains a lot of information that helps to keep your lawn and garden healthy. Most problems can be solved by using formulas contained in this book rather than comercial products that are expensive and confusing.
Fun to Read, Great Resource, Reap the Rewards.......2002-03-01
Have you ever wondered how gardeners of the past produced such magnificent greenery without the big name chemical companies?
Easy, old-fashioned remedies, many of which you have right in your kitchen. Grandma Putt taught Jerry Baker her wonderful methods, then he wrote this book to share them with all of us.
I have always preferred the natural ways, especially now that I live surrounded by farm land that is being destroyed by chemicals to control pests while killing the good pests and soil too. Why damage mother nature when Jerry Baker tells us how to without environmental consequences?
There is a fabulous section on growing and storing herbs, as well as veggie's ( my favorite as a vegetarian!), and growing a lush thriving lawn. We're talking beautiful Green grass, the kind you want to walk on barefoot!
Reap the rewards of the millions who have watched Baker on TV, on the radio and in his dozens of books. You might want to keep this book with your cookbooks- just grab it, mix up an easy potion and be the envy of all the green thumbers.
This would be an excellent gift for yourself or a fellow gardener.
Customer Reviews:
My 2nd most important gardening book.......2006-03-06
I love this book. I have never read it all the way through, but rather I look up things that I am interested in.
The seed company (and variety) recommendations are likely out of date.
I really appreciate Peirce's reports about her experiences with different plants.
A Wonderful Book --Particularly for those in the SF Bay Area.......2001-09-28
This is a good book both for the avid gardener as well as the beginner. I've given this book as gifts to many people throughout the SF Bay area and everyone has loved this book!It is particularly a good gift if they grow vegetables and have had limited success in some aspects of gardening such as trying to grow tomotoes the coastal areas of the Bay Area. This book has growing charts of when to plant and harvest, best varieties for the bay area, and covers points to explain the many microclimates even within the same city.
A great book with lots of pointers. Note that this is not a book to compete with Sunset's Western Garden Book but rather to supplement it. This book doesn't have the details with regard to horticultural specifics.
The idiots' OR experts' guide to Bay Area gardening........1997-09-28
So this past spring I decided, once and for all, that I wanted to start a garden. I had no experience in this subject, and I searched for a good book at the library. I found this book. I ended up renewing it five times, and finally ordering it from Amazon.com. It has truly been a life saver. What I like best is the way the book is laid out, with sections on vegetables, fruits, and flowers, as well as special sections on pests and other problems. The book is well organized and the index points the reader in the right directions, making it easy to find what I'm looking for down to the tiniest detail. The charts make it clear which San Francisco Bay Area microclimates are suitable for which plants, and the book explains down to the tiniest detail how to start plants, transplant them, grow them, and harvest them. At the same time that this book is informative beyond all my original expections, is also excels in not being condescending (one of my pet peeves). I believe it is the perfect book for the seasoned gardener just moving into the area, the seasoned gardener in need of more detailed information, and someone like me, with no gardening experience whatsoever.
helpful regional grow guide for S.F. area food gardeners.......1997-06-16
Don't let the cumbersome title scare you away from this handy book for Bay Area and coastal California gardeners. Pam Pierce understands the unique Mediterranean microclimate(s) of our great gardening region, and offers sound advice on what to grow, when and how to grow it best. Very helpful and well-organized.
Havi Hoffman
Vegetable Gardens
Growing food in Berkeley, CA
Book Description
The definitive sourcebook for growing, harvesting, preserving and cooking.
Gardeners who want to grow their own vegetables, herbs and fruit will find this book a definitive reference and a remarkable value.
Three expert authors combine superb illustrations with reliable information on choosing vegetables, herbs and fruit that can be cultivated to bountiful success. The information is organized for easy access, with an A-Z directory featuring full color photographs along with thorough information. Cooks will appreciate the nutritional material and the featured recipes.
Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit is useful year-round -- from planning next year's garden to enjoying the harvest. Readers will frequently refer to its wealth of tips and advice, which cover:
- Edibility and nutritional value
- The most useful and most recommended varieties
- Plant hardiness, propagation and growing guidelines
- Cropping, harvesting and storing
- Weed, pest and disease control
- Ornamental and wildlife value
- A maintenance calendar
- Pruning and training
- Companion planting
- Container growing.
Practical aspects of gardening are explained in detail, with in-depth sections on creating a garden, pollination, soil fertility and greenhouse growing. A glossary, further reading, seed sources, hardiness zones and detailed index round out this outstanding book.
Customer Reviews:
The best gardening book I own.......2005-12-07
This book has the most readable practicle information on every vegetable, herb or fruit I would ever grow plus many others. It covers some history of origin, varieties, cultivation, propagation, container and garden growing, harvesting & storage as well as uses both medicinal and culinary and also some recipies. I have not come across a more extensive book. My son & daughter both in their early 20's and just starting vege gardening use this as their bible. Well worth owning.
Fun and informative!.......2004-01-16
This book is wonderful! Every section gives you a in-depth overview of the vegetable, herb or fruit; detailing different varieties and how they rank in terms of taste and/or hardiness, how to propagate, grow, maintain, harvest and store. Plus gives tips of typical pests/diseases and how to avoid them. Very helpful are the "companion planting" paragraphs, explaining which plants do best next to each other. And to top it all off, each section includes a "culinary" and "medicinal" section, informing you of the best ways to use your crops once harvested. The pictures are beautiful and the wording is easy to understand and to the point. This is a great book for any gardener's reference shelf. Fun to read cover-to-cover, but set up so that you can dip in and out as you choose.
Books:
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: Materia Medica, Third Edition
- Classic Bulbs: Hidden Treasures for the Modern Garden
- Creating Your Own Japanese Garden
- Designing with Succulents
- Diseases of Trees and Shrubs (Comstock Book)
- Dreaming of Tuscany: Where to Find the Best There Is: Perfect Hilltowns; Splendid Palazzos; Rustic Farmhouses; Glorious Gardens; Authentic Cuisine; Great Wines; Intriguing Shops;
- Earthly Joys: A Novel
- Easy Care Native Plants: A Guide to Selecting and Using Beautiful American Flowers, Shrubs, and Trees in Gardens and Landscapes
- Edible Forest Gardens (2 volume set)
- Elementary, My Dear Watkins (Smart Chick Mysteries, Book 3)
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