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
Amazon.com
Wouldn't it be lovely to have a patch of corn, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, and beans just steps from your kitchen door? Would you like to learn how to control your zucchini plant? Ed Smith, an experienced vegetable gardener from Vermont, has put together this amazingly comprehensive and commonsensical manual, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible. Basically, Ed and his family have been growing a wide variety of vegetables for years and he's figured out what works. This book, filled with step-by-step info and color photos, breaks it all down for you.
Ed's system is based on W-O-R-D: Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, Deep soil. With deep, raised beds, vegetable roots have more room to grow and expand. In traditional narrow-row beds, over half the soil is compacted into walkways while a garden with wide, deep, raised beds, plants get to use most of the soil. In Ed's plan, growing space gets about three-quarters of the garden plot and only about a quarter is used for the walkway. Ed teaches you how to create raised beds both in a larger garden or in separate planked beds. One of the most important--and most often overlooked--aspects of successful vegetable gardening is crop rotation. Leaving a crop in the same place for years can deplete nutrients in that area and makes the crop more likely to be attacked by insects. Rotate at least every two years and your vegetables will be healthier and bug-free. There's also a good section on insect and blight control.
Before choosing what to grow, go through the last third of the book, where Ed takes a look at the individual growing, harvesting, and best varieties of a large number of both common and more exotic vegetables and herbs. Whether you are a putterer or a serious gardener, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is an excellent resource to have handy. --Dana Van Nest
Book Description
Discover the last W.O.R.D. in vegetable gardening with Ed Smith's amazing gardening system. By integrating four principles -- Wide beds, Organic methods, Raised beds, and Deep beds -- Smith reinvents vegetable gardening, making it possible for everyone to have the best, most successful garden ever. By following this complete system you cultivate deep, powerful soil that nourishes plants and discourages pests and disease. The result is fewer weeds, healthier plants, and lots of great-tasting vegetables. Plus, you'll enjoy gardening as you never have before. The Vegetable Gardener's Bible -- the last W.O.R.D. in vegetable gardening.
Customer Reviews:
excellent.......2007-07-30
this book will be especially useful for the beginner. i've gardened for a long time, but rarely taken advice. but after reading this one, i will.
Really good book! Money well spent!.......2007-07-21
I will not regret I bought this book. Other people already said all the good things about this book. All I can add is that Mr. Smith uses photos of his own vegetable garden in his book. It really makes a book different and adds a personality to it. You can really see how he does it.
I also really like the structure of the book and vegetable description.
Awesome!.......2007-07-08
I got this as a gift for my husband who loves to garden. He LOVES this book. He already has gotten so many ideas for next year's garden. He thinks the W-O-R-D system is a great idea.
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible.......2007-06-19
I was very disappointed in this book, its like he took all the info from 20 other books and compiled it, as all he talks about is what every other book has already stated.
Great Organization.......2007-06-04
This book not only has good information, but it is organized in a way that makes it much more convenient than many books. Each vegetable has it's own page in alphabetical order, and each has a block of the most important details such as: plant spacing, growing temperatures, seed longevity, etc... All the most important stuff is laid out in an easy to access format. I have only 2 gardening books, the handbook of gardening from the american horticultural society, and this one. I grow a lot of vegetables and find myself referencing this one more often. It would help if they released another book of this style for fruit.
Book Description
Over 400 entries of the most practical, up-to-date gardening information ever, collected from garden experts and writers nationwide!"Gardens are places to renew yourself in mind and body, to reawaken to the truth and beauty of the natural world, and to feel the life force inside and around you. And the organic way to garden is safer, cheaper, and more satisfying. Organic gardeners have shown that it's possible to have pleasant and productive gardens in every part of this country without using toxic chemicals. They make their home grounds an island of purity."--Robert Rodale
Customer Reviews:
Very imformative.......2007-09-07
This book was recommended by a friend and it is exceptionally informative and well written. I would recommend it to anyone seeking more info on organic gardening. It has ideas that are cheap to do that work wonderfully!
Organic is not a synonym for boring.......2007-07-23
This book is so bland and boring it is nearly generic. If you are at all excited by the prospect of things organic, don't buy this book. Look for something with juices flowing in the veins or you will find yourself semi-comatose and bored with organic before you begin.
This book could have been more than just a [quite generalized] reference book. It could have been an inspiration. Fortunately it's recyclable.
It's okay, but it's not the original!.......2007-05-15
I was in a used book store recently and compared the old and new versions side-by-side. I bought the old one. The old version has so much great detailed information that the new one lacks.
Don't get me wrong, the new version is "prettier". It's still got some great stuff in it you might not find in some other sources. But, it is more of a treatise or "Cliff's Notes" version--it isn't exhaustive.
Still a great reference for those new to gardening. However, it should have been called "Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: LITE".
Encyclopedia... That's Just What It Is!.......2007-02-07
Rodale always does an excellent job of researching what we gardeners want to know about. And the ALL-NEW ENCYCLOPEDIA of ORGANIC GARDENING is no exception. I refer to it frequently and usually find the information I'm looking for.
A Great Beginner's Reference (with a small "bug" of an error).......2007-01-18
I have repeatedly returned to my copy of this book, usually when I am about to embark on a garden chore and want a refresher course in the hows and whys. The alphabetical topics include "Animal Pests", "Asparagus", "Beneficial Insects", "Cold Frames", "Edible Landscaping", Garlic, "Irrigation", "Pelargoniums", "Trees" and hundreds more, all simple to locate as though you were reading a phone book. Each entry contains an encyclopedia-style summary with an organic method slant. Beginners and intermediate gardeners will find the info provided invaluable, but if you want an in-depth explanation, seek a more expert book.
Other features include a recommended reading list, an index of common plant names paired with their botanical names, and simple line drawings illustrating many of the book's topics.
That said, I was sad to see a mistake in the "tomato" entry as I was reading it just now... the book recommends planting dill near your tomatoes to attract tomato hornworms. Unfortunately, these are not the same species and killing caterpillars found on dill will simply reduce the number of swallowtail butterflies in your garden (tomato hornworms are a type of sphinx/hawk moth.) I advocate planting the dill anyway and leaving the caterpillars alone! The rest of the 5 pages devoted to tomatoes includes an overview on choosing plants or seeds, bed preparation and planting, tomato pruning tips, recommended fertilizers, how to make long-lasting tomato cages, a disease summary, harvesting information, recommended cultivars for organic growers, and tomatoes raised in small spaces.
A nice reference for the gardener who is in a hurry to get outside and plant!
Book Description
End your worries about garden problems with safe, effective solutions from The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control!* Easy-to-use problem-solving encyclopedia covers more than 200 vegetables, fruits, herbs, flowers, trees, and shrubs* Complete directions on how, when, and where to use preventive methods, insect traps and barriers, biocontrols, homemade remedies, botanical insecticides, and more* More than 350 color photos for quick identification of insect pests, beneficial insects, and plant diseasesNewly revised with the latest, safest organic controls.A New York Times Best Gardening Book
Customer Reviews:
found to be useful.......2007-10-03
this book was well organized in its presentation of problems for each type of plant covered. set in A-Z format of common plant names (though Latin names are used as well), the editors (Barbara Ellis, and Fern Bradley)give several ways to combat garden issues from an organic methodology. most of the ways of working with organics that they outline are not high cost, but are high maintainence as is all organic gardening, if done right.
the book also covers some common insects a gardener would see and if they are beneficial or not and how to work with the beneficials (what to plant to attract, etc) and to control the "bad bugs". they also outline some diseases and how to fight those with organic methods. then they touch on other ways to fight garden pests (cultural, physical, and biological contols). they also talk about different organic dusts and sprays and how to use them effectively.
Organic gardener's bible.......2007-10-02
If you want to garden organically and can only afford to buy one book on insect and disease control -- this is it! I go for this book first whenever I think I have problems in the garden, in the landscape, in the orchard. It's an all around great reference book!
The Organic Gardener's Handbook.......2007-08-25
Excellent Book with lots of informative teaching! Money well spent. Fast and professional delivery! Much appreciated!
The most amazing book about pests and diseases!.......2007-07-21
This is so far the best book about pests and diseases. Easy to read, great ! photos which really help to identify a pest and good structure make this book a winner.
The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control.......2007-07-15
Detailed descriptions and photographs combine to make this book essential for every organic (or conscientious) gardener/farmer to own and keep handy. We wish we'd bought it years ago.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing Book... A must have for organic gardening.......2007-07-15
This book is awesome. Eliot presents an abundance of information. The information is organized and clear. Eliot does not assume what we already know, and what we have at our disposal. For example, many books will tell you how to create a mulch pile. You need this much brown matter, this much green matter, ... . That is all fine and dandy, but where do I magically get all of this material! Eliot understands this and explains many ways we can obtain the mulch material. He also does not assume your knowledge basis. For example, he will explain what and how a lugume works. This book is a constant resource for the organic gardener.
A great book!
Get This Book.......2007-03-17
I live in Northwest Washington. Cool, dry in July in August, generally mild and wet the rest of the year. If you are thinking tomatoes, long season sweet corn, peaches, melons, peppers, etc. you are on the wrong side of the state - try Eastern Washington. Either way, or where ever you grow, this is the bible. Its the most comprehensive, holistic guide I know. You might also read other guides, embellish or adapt Eliot's system to fit your situation, but you won't find a better collection of techniques to start from! Get this book!
Wooo..........2007-02-09
Got me hiped up for my next several years here in Missouri. Practical, simplified systems for both the new and novice organic gardener. Definitely a fun read. Bring your highlighter. Thank you to the author, and all of the great shoulders that he stood on to get to this point...
My new constant companion.......2006-12-22
Mr. Coleman has packed so much information into this wonderful book! I have started to use many of his suggestions. Keeping the costs of growing food down was one of the first subjects that caught my attention.
simply down to earth - literally.......2006-08-11
This is absolutely the best, straightforward, down to earth, organic gardening book I have ever read. No hype, no buzzwords, no new age crap, no agenda. Simply down to earth - literally.
Book Description
Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life — not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial substances, many of them toxic to humans as well as other forms of life. But there is an alternative to this vicious circle: to garden in a way that strengthens, rather than destroys, the soil food web — the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. By eschewing jargon and overly technical language, the authors make the benefits of cultivating the soil food web available to a wide audience, from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent - have the best yard on the block with half the work!.......2007-10-10
This book is awesome for explaining the why behind organic gardening. It also tells you how to have an almost fertilizer-free lawn using microbes in compost tea and compost, and how to encourage the right kind of microbes for your various plants through the use of different kinds of mulches. It explains each step in the soil food web, how to identify any holes in your soil food web, and different steps you can take to improve the health and variety of microbes in your yard and garden. I was surprised at some common gardening practices which are actually bad for your yard!!! It was an enjoyable read with lots of interesting pictures, and made absolutely clear the importance of healthy soil when growing plants, and how to achieve it naturally and easily.
Very good book.......2007-09-30
I am a very seasoned gardener already using many of the techniques proposed by the book. However my approach was based on intuition and experience. This book explains how all fits together in a simpler and more accessible way than the Soil Microbiology treatises.
Strongly recommended for gardeners of all levels.
Learned a great deal about improving my gardens.......2007-09-18
I has astonished at how much new information this book covered. Just the section on new oxygen activated compost teas was worth the price of the book. Highly recommended. I am starting to use the teas and can't wait to see the results.
A must read for anyone who cares about the environment.......2007-07-07
As other reviewers noted this is a 5+ star book. I agree w/ their comments and really have little more to add. I think the authors are passionate about their subject, not only as shown by the book's interesting content, but the presentation of this book. They choose high quality paper (should it have been recycled???) with beautiful photos of the soil's hidden helpers. I read it in an afternoon as one would a novel and highlighted pssages as I went along for easy reference.
Easy reading and informative.......2007-06-27
I had to get this book for a botanical class I am taking. As I began to read this book I am grateful that this is the recommended text. It is pleasant to read and informative.
Book Description
The essential guide to composting for all gardeners and enviromentally conscious peopleComposting is fast becoming a household word. Gardeners know it is the best way to feed the soil, while others look to composting as a way to dispose of grass clippings, autumn leaves, and tree trimmings. The Rodale Book of Composting offers:* Easy-to-follow instructions for making and using compost* Helpful tips for apartment dwellers, suburbanites, farmers and community leaders* Ecologically sound solutions to growing waste disposal problems
Customer Reviews:
Not for the small-scale, backyard compost operation.......2006-08-22
If all you plan to do is improve your garden using kitchen scraps and some yard waste, this book is not for you. It is very technical, and best-suited to those with lots of space and time on their hands to manage large composting projects. Don't let this be your first book on the subject, since it will probably (wrongly) convince you that you need a Masters in Agriculture or Ecology to do accomplish what will naturally happen if you get any of a number of inexpensive composting bins, toss in some banana peels, coffee grinds and dead leaves, mix in some dirt and let the microbes get to work.
It really is the Bible of composting.......2006-06-11
This is the most thumbed-through book on composting I have. Easily 90% of anything you would want to know about composting is inside this book. A small amount of the material may not be useful to the typical gardener, but it is interesting none the less. An excellent guide for the beginner and a good reference for the advanced composter.
Awesome book for any serious gardener.......2005-09-23
As a serious gardener I appreciate well written books that I can own and have in my book shelf for yearly reading. And Rodale is a well respected publisher of gardening books.The subtitle says it all 'Easy methods for every gardener'.
This means even apartment dwellers with a porch or patio can have a small compost setup. The book covers numerous ways to construct a composter as well as the many types of organic or natural materials one can compost. Even cardboard in moderation, as well as the traditional eggshells, coffee grounds, banana peels, vegetable and fruit scraps.
The book also discusses year round composting and how and why composting works and the positive environmental impact of everyone have some type of a compost set up. This is one of those books every serious gardener should have or at least buy, read and donate to ones public library.
The Rodale Book of Composting:Easy Methods for Every Gardener.......2005-07-28
What a great book! Easy to read, lots of information and even gives you idea's on building your compost bins. If you are a gardener and are planning on composting you really should buy this book.
If you buy no other compost book..........2004-09-17
This is the one you want. Everything you need to know about compost is available to you here, from the small household garden to municipal waste disposal programs.
Most of the book deals with the biochemistry of compost, teaching you how to maintain and balance your fertilizer.
Average customer rating:
- Good, but not Great (3 stars)
- Reflects my values
- At last!
- Missing the point
- Connecting
|
Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, ... America (or at least the Republican Party)
Rod Dreher
Manufacturer: Crown Forum
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Binding: Hardcover
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Crunchy Cons: The New Conservative Counterculture and Its Return to Roots
ASIN: 1400050642
Release Date: 2006-02-21 |
Book Description
When a National Review colleague teased writer Rod Dreher one day about his visit to the local food co-op to pick up a week’s supply of organic vegetables (“Ewww, that’s so lefty”), he started thinking about the ways he and his conservative family lived that put them outside the bounds of conventional Republican politics. Shortly thereafter Dreher wrote an essay about “crunchy cons,” people whose “Small Is Beautiful” style of conservative politics often put them at odds with GOP orthodoxy, and sometimes even in the same camp as lefties outside the Democratic mainstream. The response to the article was impassioned: Dreher was deluged by e-mails from conservatives across America—everyone from a pro-life vegetarian Buddhist Republican to an NRA staffer with a passion for organic gardening—who responded to say, “Hey, me too!”
In Crunchy Cons, Dreher reports on the amazing depth and scope of this phenomenon, which is redefining the taxonomy of America’s political and cultural landscape. At a time when the Republican party, and the conservative movement in general, is bitterly divided over what it means to be a conservative, Dreher introduces us to people who are pioneering a way back to the future by reclaiming what’s best in conservatism—people who believe that being a truly committed conservative today means protecting the environment, standing against the depredations of big business, returning to traditional religion, and living out conservative godfather Russell Kirk’s teaching that the family is the institution most necessary to preserve.
In these pages we meet crunchy cons from all over America: a Texas clan of evangelical Christian free-range livestock farmers, the policy director of Republicans for Environmental Protection, homeschooling moms in New York City, an Orthodox Jew who helped start a kosher organic farm in the Berkshires, and an ex-sixties hippie from Alabama who became a devout Catholic without losing his antiestablishment sensibilities.
Crunchy Cons is both a useful primer to living the crunchy con way and a passionate affirmation of those things that give our lives weight and measure. In chapters dedicated to food, religion, consumerism, education, and the environment, Dreher shows how to live in a way that preserves what Kirk called “the permanent things,” among them faith, family, community, and a legacy of ancient truths. This, says Dreher, is the kind of roots conservatism that more and more Americans want to practice. And in Crunchy Cons, he lets them know how far they are from being alone.
A Crunchy Con Manifesto
1. We are conservatives who stand outside the conservative mainstream; therefore, we can see things that matter more clearly.
2. Modern conservatism has become too focused on money, power, and the accumulation of stuff, and insufficiently concerned with the content of our individual and social character.
3. Big business deserves as much skepticism as big government.
4. Culture is more important than politics and economics.
5. A conservatism that does not practice restraint, humility, and good stewardship—especially of the natural world—is not fundamentally conservative.
6. Small, Local, Old, and Particular are almost always better than Big, Global, New, and Abstract.
7. Beauty is more important than efficiency.
8. The relentlessness of media-driven pop culture deadens our senses to authentic truth, beauty, and wisdom.
9. We share Russell Kirk’s conviction that “the institution most essential to conserve is the family.”
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not Great (3 stars).......2007-05-31
There must be something afresh in the waters of conservativism. I became a Christian about 12 years ago and immediately hopped into the "Christian Right". After a period of studying I became "disenfranchised" with many of my views and those of my friends. I slowly started to return to a more "grassroots" conservativism. A conservativism that actually sought to conserve, enjoy, and cherish local traditions, including foods, architecture, nature, and farming. I found myself at Wild Oats and Whole Foods and conversing with the "enemy" - "those tree hugging, dirty hippies". Before long, I realized I was not alone. There were many conservatives that didn't think economic expansion and big business was the only way to be conservative or Republican. For those of us who found ourselves in that boat, then this is our book. A manifesto of sorts. Actually, this book is more of a collection of stories of men and women that became "crunchy cons", people that found themselves valuing the "free-market" and many things oft association with Republicans or conservatives, but also many things assumed to be left wing - the environment, local farming, organic farming, etc.
So, for those individuals that find themselves out of the current stream and spirit of the Republican Party, although they value some of the things most often associated with it, then this is a very good book to read. A book that you can give to your liberal friends, assuming you haven't isolated yourself, and you can find MANY points of agreement. For the left, it is also a good book to read, because it breaks down many walls and barriers from conversation and might enable both sides to see that they have a lot to agree upon. For example, the book points out how government laws hurt the small farmer. Both the right and left can agree that this is bad, although they may do it for different reasons. However you look at it you cannot agree that this is the "free market" at work, because corporations and the state are preventing entry to the market. My favorite chapters deal with architecture, farming/food, and religion (despite major differences). He writes in a winsome, appealing fashion that enables almost anyone to enjoy and breeze through the book.
The draw back of the book is that it could probably be cut in half. The stories of the various crunchy cons start off interesting, but become repetitious. You get the point of each chapter about halfway through the pages and much of the supporting material is not necessary. In fact, you can read his "10 Points" and then read the opening and close of each chapter to get a good flavor for what "crunchy conservativism" is. More than buying the book I hope that many buy into the ideas of this book and begin to implement some of the practical things found herein, because it would make our local communities a more valuable and sustainable places.
Reflects my values.......2007-05-25
Rod Dreher has the exact same values as I do. I have the exact same feelings as he does, both because I am socially conservative like he is, and because I care about the environment and everybody's health like he does. Although I am a socially conservative Christian, I care about the environment, and until recently, I wondered if I was the only socially conservative Christian who cares about the environment and living a simple lifestyle (apart from the Old Order Mennonites and the Amish). No, I am not an Old Order Mennonite or an Amish! I am very pleased to have discovered that there are other socially conservative people (besides myself, or the Old Order Mennonites or the Amish) who care more about the environment and everybody's health than about big business, materialism, etc.!!!
At last!.......2007-03-05
As a Roman Catholic Republican, I was glad to vote GOP but wondered how I could combine my religious and political sensibilities. Rod has helped show me the way with Crunchy Cons. Since I love to cook, the parts on food were especially helpful and interesting for me.
The only two parts of the book I didn't really respond to were Rod's critiques of Catholicism (incidentially he has since left the Church and joined the Orthodox religion) and suburban life. Not that I can't stand some critiques of my religion but I thought that some of Rod's were a little much.
Missing the point.......2007-01-27
From the reviews posted here it looks like Dreher certainly and unnecessarily left himself open to easy criticism. Urban folks criticize him for urging a return to the rural, rural folks accuse him of being a rich urban yuppie, poor people criticize him for demanding people purchase expensive goods, rich people criticize him for demanding we give up material goods and live in poverty. It seems like everyone has missed the point which is that Dreher is looking to emphasize family and community and is in favor of the values that strengthen these things. Family and community used to be the soul of what we call conservativism, but it has been taken over by those forces that isolate families and destroy communities: sprawl, mass-consumerism, materialism, mass-media. The community can be urban--Drehar lived in Brooklyn and has repeatedly praised the neighborhoods there--or rural. It can even be suburban, if suburbia regains its support for small, independent, capitalism epitomized by the small business owner, and gives up the mass market, big box store, sprawling, consumerism. Corporation worshippers need to realize that big business can destroy communities, unrestrained free-marketers need to realize that the family is harmed by the values of materialism it fosters, and anti-government Republicans need to realize the the environment is worthy of protection for a good life. These are the true points of Drehar's thesis and they are not as easy to refute as his critics make out.
Connecting.......2007-01-04
Crunchy Cons is an excellent book that does not "start a movement" as some have said. Instead, it brings back an old one. I take the phrase "gun-loving organic gardeners" from the onerous and far too long subtitle. Before pesticides and gun control laws, ALL gardeners were organic gardeners, and most of them had guns. Let's bring back Teddy Roosevelt Conservatism. The man who started the National Park System, was an avid hunter, and broke up the trusts should be the mascot of the Grassroots, new-oldfangled, conservatives. Modern politicians, Republican and Democrat alike, can learn from him. Everyone, and I mean everyone, can also learn from his successor, President Taft, who, when someone threw a cabbage at him during a political rally, said "It seems one of my opponents has lost his head." We need to take a breath of fresh air (but not Air America) and take this country back from the Party of Lust and the Party of Greed
Author's Note: If Taft and Roosevelt had not split up the Republican vote and given Woodrow Wilson the presidency, Either one of them would have gotten into WW1 sooner, thus actually trying to quell the bloodshed on the Somme and at Verdun. If I recall correctly, there were more than one million casualties for each battle. If you can't contemplate that, just think of the whole St. Paul/Minneapolis region, including the suburbs and Western Wisconsin, was suddenly swallowed up by a giant crack in the ground. That is what 2 million casualties looks like.(Added 2-15-07)
Customer Reviews:
a great guide for everyone.......2000-06-14
a gardening friend of mine recommended this book to me to begin learning about organic vegetable gardening. although i don't have much gardening experience, this book is easy to follow and very helpful, explaining things step by step. it gives garden designs as well as information on composting and on growing specific vegetables. a great resource for experts and beginners alike!
Book Description
Combining practical advice with stunning photography, The Complete Gardener shows gardeners how to create a self sustainable, environmentally friendly garden for the 21st century, by making the most of the available natural resources to grow organic fruits and vegetables, as well as beautiful plants and flowers. Monty Don's personal chronicle of a year in his garden, including both successes and failures, shows how an organic lifestyle can be adopted by anyone, and organic gardening can be practiced in a yard of any size.
Customer Reviews:
Of all my gardening books, this is my favourite.......2005-08-24
Inspiring, warm, homely, earthy... a book to read, not just for reference... Monty takes you so deep into his garden, you can feel the mud squishing under your wellies, smell the lavender and taste the ripe tomatoes, with the feel of gentle sunshine on the back of your neck, and the scent of a thousand sweet peas helping you to forget the scratches from the pruning job you just finished.
The book is written in England, about a English garden with a particular climate and environment. But the practises can be adopted anywhere: know your land, know the climate, experiment, and don't be afraid to make mistakes.
I will read this book over and over and over again. Sweet peas don't do so well in Sacramento as they used to back home in Leicestershire, but... maybe this year I'll try them at a time of year that suits them, not me!
Monty, Monty, Monty.......2004-10-30
Monty Don is very cool. I've not seen him on television, but he comes across as defiantly insistent on the inescapable value of organic gardening for our souls and our bodies. A great read that you will treasure forever.
Praise for The Complete Gardener.......2004-10-27
This is one of the most practical and comprehensive books on organic gardening I have come across. It is full of useful advice on the plants he,(Monty Don) grows in his own farm, turned garden. It is also nice that it is not your standard gardening book, that is, one that gives sterile advice on every species(hight:10',hardy to:-5 ect.). He even has information on taking care of small livestock(chickens,ducks) In order to "complete the livestock circle". All in all this book is a must on the bookshelf of any gardener, as much for inspiration from Montys beautyful british garden as for the wealth of practical advice it holds.
Inspiring.......2004-01-29
A great read. Made me want to get out there and start digging. Make everything sound so simple.
Books:
- Chinese Herbal Medicine: Formulas and Strategies
- Coffee: Growing, Processing, Sustainable Production: A Guidebook for Growers, Processors, Traders, and Researchers
- Colonials: Design Ideas for Renovating, Remodeling, and Building New (Updating Classic America)
- Color Atlas of Turfgrass Diseases
- Construction Scheduling: Principles and Practices
- Continuous Productive Urban Landscapes: Designing Urban Agriculture for Sustainable Cities
- Creating and Planting Garden Troughs
- Creating Your Own Japanese Garden
- Designing with Succulents
- Dynamic General Equilibrium Modelling: Computational Methods and Applications
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