Editorial Review

The demand for high-quality, organically grown food is skyrocketing with people's gradual understanding of the health risks and dangers of chemical pesticides and "industrialized" farming, yet good organic apples are still hard to find in many places. Phillips has employed hard work and keen observation of nature to make the best use of our great-grandparents' experiences and techniques. He then examines the latest scientific knowledge of apple pests and their life cycles to produce a thorough guide to growing wonderful, delicious varieties of apples in an orchard that is safe for animals, birds, and children playing under its tree branches. Each chapter has practical advice for the backyard fruit grower, and while this book is filled with useful facts and tactics, Phillips also adds a gentle, Earth-friendly, philosophical writing style that makes for quite an enjoyable read. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

For the love of apples
In (old) England where I live we are losing our orchards, especially small family ones, as the apple trade looks overseas to places with low wages, constant sunshine and scant environmental controls. Michael's book was a relief!
A great resource
I could not put the book down.It reads more like a conversation between friends than a step-by-step how to.The author is present several schools of thought on organic farming and encourages others to try different approaches.A goldmine of information, it is comprehensive in its treatment of the organic apple growing.I highly recommend it to any one interested in raising apple trees for fun or profit.

A rare gardening book imparting as much wisdom as fact
Most gardening books tend to be fairly dry, with step-by-step instructions, lots of tables, etc.This book is the opposite.This book reads like a long story told by the fire which happens to be about serious apple orcharding.And maybe a bit like a sermon, but I mean that in a good way, not preachy.Those with wisdom should impart it.After reading so many impersonal gardening books, this one is a breath of fresh air and reminds me why I love gardening.Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Apples    3. Fruit    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Organic    8. Organic farming    9. United States    10. Crop husbandry    11. Fruit & vegetables    12. Organic gardening   

Reviews (2)

The best gardening book I own
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!
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. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Herb Gardening    6. Herbs    7. Vegetable Crops    8. Vegetables    9. Gardening / Vegetables   

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Blueberries    3. Congresses    4. Food Research    5. Fruit Crops    6. North America    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Technology    9. Technology & Industrial Arts    10. Food & Drink / Cookery   

Reviews (3)

Wonderful book--passionate but balanced writing
Beautiful photos. Well-researched. Passionate, but balanced assessments. Writing comes from intimate and in-depth experience. I would have liked even more technical information on growing habits, morphology, and horticultural groups, but it is a wonderful book as it stands.Highly recommended

Move over, Sugar Pie:there's a new gang of pepos in town
I knew this would be good from the moment I first saw it on the endcap display. A few years earlier, Amy Goldman had impressed me with her scrumptious homage to melons in Melons for the Passionate Grower; now she's done it again, this time for cucurbitas (summer and winter squashes, which include my favorite vegetable-the Pumpkin!).
Beautiful art book, forget the gardening or gourds.......
THE COMPLEAT SQUASH is about squash and pumpkins.Unless I am blind, there is nary a gourd to be found in these pages-at least not as I would know them.Billed as such, I expected Amy Goldman's book to cover all the members of the Cucurbita family (squash), as well as other items mentioned on the cover (pumpkins and gourds-especially the relatively inedible bird's nest gourd (birds sometimes like the seeds)). I've grown some great bird's nest gourds this summer, and I want to preserve them for next spring's bird's nests and this book won't be a bit helpful.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Gourds    7. Pumpkin    8. Squashes    9. Vegetables    10. Fruit & vegetables    11. Gardening / Fruit   

Reviews (1)

EVERYTHING CITRUS
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT BOOK ON CITRUS. THE ILLUSTRATIONS,PICTURES AND OVERALL PRESENTATION MAKES FOR QUICK AND PLEASANT READING. I HAVE MORE THAN 15 CITRUS VARIETIES IN MY FLORIDA GARDEN AND AM ALWAYS INTERESTED IN INDULGING THEM WITH THE BEST CARE POSSIBLE. THIS BOOK PROVIDES STRAIGHTFORWARD ANSWERS TO DISEASES, FERTILISERS, INSECT CONTROL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS THAT ARE DIFFICULT TO FIND IN SEVERAL OTHER BOOKS I HAVE. THIS BOOK ALSO COVERS ALL THE COMMON CITRUS VARIETIES AVAILABLE.THE FIRST TIME HOME GARDENER INTERESTED IN ORANGES AND OTHER CITRUS WILL FIND ALL THE INFORMATION HE NEEDS TO GET GOING AND KEEP GOING! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Citrus    3. Citrus fruit    4. Fruit    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Cookery by ingredient   

Reviews (1)

More a history than a cookbook
The natural history and evolution of the world's edible nuts are presented in detail in The Book Of Edible Nuts, a discussion by Frederic Rosengarten Jr. which originally appeared in 1984 and here will reach new audiences in its paperback reprint version. Illustrations include rare drawings from world botanical collections but the heart of the survey rests on a range of edible nut facts, from processing and propagation to dishes containing nuts. More a history than a cookbook, The Book Of Edible Nuts deserves a place in any serious college-level culinary collection.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture & Animal Husbandry - General    2. Agriculture - General    3. Cookery (Nuts)    4. Cooking    5. Fruit Crops    6. General    7. Nuts    8. Technology & Industrial Arts   

Reviews (1)

Could be improved
Physically the book is attractive with nice layout, color photographs, calendar paper, and sewn binding.Timber Press usually does well in this regard.It'll make for an interesting winter-time diversion.It brings to mind another Timber Press book, "Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden" by Lee Reich.Both books seem to target the backyard orchard enthusiast."Fruit & Nuts" is much more encyclopedic in organization, style and number of fruits covered (i.e. many tropical/subtropical entries).Mr. Reich's book focuses on a few, less-common fruits that can be grown in temperate areas, so his would be the better choice for the average enthusiast in most areas of the U.S.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Fruits And Orchards    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Reference    7. Gardening / Fruit   

Reviews (1)

Avocado Botany: Acquired Reading
Acquired Reading. Since the 1980s, avocado has become an important crop in many tropical and subtropical regions. Our family commercially grew Hass, Fuertes and other avocados in California.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Agricultural Economics    2. Agriculture - Agronomy    3. Avocado    4. Foreign Language Study    5. Fruit    6. Fruit Crops    7. German    8. Language    9. Life Sciences - Botany    10. Science/Mathematics    11. Technology & Industrial Arts    12. Agriculture | Agronomy, Soil & Crop Science    13. Botany & plant sciences    14. Food manufacturing & related industries    15. Horticulture    16. Technology / Agriculture / Crop Science   

Reviews (15)

The Bible of Gardening for our Household
I have read a few of the reviews below, and feel compelled to add my experience.
self promoting and little information
I am surprised by the good reviews here.
good book
This book is very good.If you're into sustainable agriculture and trying to grow your own food, it is a must. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Ecology    2. Fruit    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Home Gardening    7. Organic    8. Techniques    9. Vegetable Crops    10. Vegetables   

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic Gardening    5. Organiculture    6. Vegetable Processing    7. Vegetable gardening    8. Vegetables   

Reviews (3)

K. Wilson
Decent overview of general gardening.Not much info on zone specific gardening techniques or when is best to start different crops. A good book for beginners.

life renewing spirit
The Organic Home Garden is a navigator to both growing an organic home garden and creating a sustainable lifestyle through hope and love. It resonates with life and will bring both inspiration and practical bounties to the reader. The photos are beautiful and the writing smooth and human. Its extensive organic techniques along with practical applications put this book above many of its kind. An inspirational and knowledgeable book that is first rate amongst my garden books.

Covers fresh and healthy foods and how to grow them
Newcomers to organic gardening will find Patrick Lima's Organic Home Garden an excellent, basic introduction which covers fresh and healthy foods and how to grow them with a minimum of additives. From selecting hardy varieties of seeds and seedlings to choosing appropriate compost and controlling pests and diseases through non-chemical means, Organic Home Garden is packed with charts, drawings, and even recipes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Organic    6. Vegetables    7. Fruit-culture - Handbooks, manuals, etc.    8. Gardening / Organic    9. Organic gardening    10. Vegetable gardening - Handbooks, manuals, etc.   

Editorial Review

California peach farmer David Mas Masumoto's Read more

Reviews (3)

Love of the Land
The writer is a farmer who grows organic peaches and grapes (for raisins) in California. That's about like saying that Mother Teresa is a nun from Eastern Europe...true enough as far as it goes, but it misses the point. The writer is a gentle philosopher who loves his farm and his crops and celebrates both with all of his senses throughout the year. To read this book is to share that intense feeling about the land and growing things, along with the hope and despair that accompanies each crop. Peach love
Reading David Masumoto's Epitaph for a Peach changed the way I viewed peaches.While I always liked peaches, Masumoto's passion for peaches elevated them to the top of the fruit ladder.However, I felt that he had reached the end of that genre.How much more was there to say about peaches and peach growing?I was wrong.Four Seasons and Five Senses is a wonderful book which deepens my affection of peaches and enhances my knowledge of the process. What a delightful book
Reading David Masumoto's Epitaph for a Peach changed the way I viewed peaches.While I always liked peaches, Masumoto's passion for peaches elevated them to the top of the fruit ladder.However, I felt that he had reached the end of that genre.How much more was there to say about peaches and peach growing?I was wrong.Four Seasons and Five Senses is a wonderful book which deepens my affection of peaches and enhances my knowledge of the process.Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography & Autobiography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Biography/Autobiography    4. Farmers & Ranchers    5. Fruit Crops    6. General    7. Personal Memoirs    8. California    9. National & regional cuisine   

Reviews (5)

What you need to know
Super book with answers to tough gardening questions for gourd growers. Helpful, detailed & practical. I always return to this book, so much useful information.

LOADS OF INFO, GREAT IDEAS!
This really is a complete book for gourds. Gourds for food, crafting and Medicine. It tells you all about planting, pests, diseases and common remedies. Lots of suppliers for seeds and dried gourds as well. Discriptions of the grown gourds and pictures -- Great pictures through out and well done drawings. 121 pages of pure intrest for the gourd lover!

A must for the home gardener !
As a novice gourd grower, I found this book to be an excellent, easy to follow guide on all aspects of gourd growing. The photos were a big plus! This is THE book for beginning gourders. If you can only buy one book on gourding, this is the one! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Flowers - General    2. Fruit    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Gourds    7. Techniques    8. Utilization    9. Vegetables    10. Fruit & vegetables    11. Crafts   

Reviews (2)

Great Resource!
This book was full of helpful information in the production and care of the berry plants.Recomended for those who are wanting to learn more about your berries and how to get the best out of your plants.

Required reading for the serious Blackberry grower!
I found the information in this book essential to producing theRead more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Blackberries    3. Business & Economics    4. Business/Economics    5. Fruit Crops    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. General    8. Industrial Management    9. Marketing    10. Raspberries    11. Crop husbandry    12. Horticulture   

Reviews (1)

The best gardening book that I ever purchased!
I have many organic type gardening books, but this is the most informative and common sense book that I have ever purchased. It takes you through the whole process of setting up a garden and super charging your soil so thatyour vegetables will be packed with good nutrition! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Food    2. Fruit    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Home Gardening    7. Organic gardening    8. Organiculture    9. Regional - General    10. Vegetable gardening    11. Vegetables    12. Diets & dieting   

Reviews (1)

A nice little book
This book apparently is written for the housewife who likes serving pecan nuts or likes baking pecan pies and wants to have some background information. It is very nicely printed, nicely bound and nicely written, with brief easy-to-digest chapters.Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Fruit    3. History    4. History: American    5. Native American    6. Nature    7. Pecan    8. Texas    9. Trees    10. Trees & Forests - General    11. Ethnography    12. History of specific racial & ethnic groups    13. North America   

Reviews (1)

Fascinating read, beautifully illustrated.
A wonderfully written exploration of the story of the apple. The author traces the tale through the botany, history, geology, art, literature, zoology that influenced this important fruit. Extremely readable, and beautifully illustrated with original artwork and photos, the author guides us through thousands of years of history from Adam and Eve through to Johnny Appleseed. Loved the book. Highly recommend.
Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Apples    3. Fruit    4. Fruit Crops    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. History    9. Botany & plant sciences    10. Gardening / Fruit    11. Shrubs & trees   

Reviews (10)

This is THE absolute BEST gardening reference and bible!
This is the absolute best vegetable gardening book you can buy.Period!I have looked through hundreds of books and this is the easiest to follow, best illustrated and most down to earth book I've ever found.The information is definitely not out of date even though it's a bit of an older book.There is information on every page that I have found useful and it is an "easy read".He explains how he came about discovering his raised bed, wide row method - not in a pretentious way but because he has a bad back and wants to be efficient about growing the most amount of veggies in the smallest amount of space.He walks through how to prepare garden soils (all types), how to plan a vegetable garden (and why) and then gives detailed descriptions of each vegetable that you would want to grow.Dick had a gardening TV show at one point so there are many, many colour pictures and there are also detailed drawings illustrating his points.He tells you the best and cheapest way to garden and reading his book reminds me of talking with a true "down home" farmer.He also talks of how to improve the soil throughout the winter season by planting ground covers.The other added bonus is that he tells you how to store the veggies you've worked so hard to grow.So much good information.....
A Must for Clay Type Soils!
Dick made me think of garden in a whole different way. I was just about ready to give up. But now I'm giving up my Mother's way of gardening and wow, Dick's way is working. I love the sense of humor and easy reading style he has. I find myself rereading chapters late into the night and running from the garden into the house to check "The Book" first. This book is a blessing, thank you Dick!

Reminds me of home! Fun, simple and insightful
When I first glanced over Dick's book I thought that it would be based a little too much on his sponser (garden way-great carts by the way, have used them for 20 years) and perhaps some fertilizer company. Although he supports the use of some chemical fertilizers and tills quite a bit more than I might support, he has really terrific organic methods, green manures and old-fashioned thinking that remind me of what gardening used to be - a means to feeding the family with all of the fun short cuts and ideas!Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Vegetable Crops    5. Vegetable gardening    6. Vegetables    7. Fruit & vegetables   

Reviews (1)

Great Reference
I ordered this book through Amazon.com because we are interested in using fruits and vegetables in landscaping. Actually, we just plain like to garden and eat. Landscaping is secondary.Read more

Subjects:  1. Edible landscaping    2. Edible plants    3. Fruit    4. Fruit-culture    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. Landscape    9. Landscape gardening    10. Vegetable gardening    11. Vegetables    12. Gardening / Landscape   

Reviews (1)

A Beautiful and Little-Known Children's Masterpiece
There is a strange sense of magic in this book. There are no fanciful illustrations or other-worldly story lines that have become so common in so much children's literature. Rather, it is a simple tale of a celebration on a farm in October, in which glowing pumpkins, squash, and gourds are set adrift in the ocean. Through this folk tale, we learn a simple and beautiful lesson about the life cycle of birth, death, and everything in between. It is a must-read for adults as well as children, and the feeling of the season is so strong that you can almost smell the apple cider and pumpkins in it's pages. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Jack-o-lanterns    4. Juvenile literature    5. Pumpkin    6. Squash    7. Squashes