Subjects:  1. Self-Help    2. Organic farming    3. Organic gardening    4. Reference works    5. Self-Help & Practical Interests    6. Small businesses & self-employed   

Reviews (28)

A good book, but it may be time for a new edition.
I've been organic gardening for several years and I find this book contains very useful information for the gardener who wants to work with Mother Nature instead of against her. As described by the author (and others elsewhere), permaculture uses organic gardening principles to deal with big as well as little problems.
Best garden design book I've seen
A friend loaned me this book and I'm ordering my own copy.Or rather a new one for her since we've used hers so much.A great book if you're starting a new garden and want to match your landscape to the surrounding countryside, as we do, especially since we have oak savannah, like the author.Super vegetable garden ideas, great landscaping ideas, good stuff on swales, windbreaks, nurse plants, lots of good concepts you can use now.

inspiring, clear, very well-written book
Hemenway is amazingly realistic and practical while being very inspiring. He is easy to follow and understand while including scientifically grounded and very technically sound explanations. Read this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Gaia hypothesis    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Landscape gardening    7. Natural landscaping    8. Organic    9. Organic gardening    10. Permaculture    11. Techniques    12. Cookery dishes & courses    13. Environmentalist thought & ideology    14. Natural & wild gardening   

Reviews (10)

Not for the small-scale, backyard compost operation
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
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
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'.
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Subjects:  1. Compost    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Organic    6. Reference    7. Techniques    8. Gardening / Organic   

Reviews (5)

Very comprehensive!
I Lightly read part of this book when i first began to read about cannabis. Boy oh boy was it a handful. This is a very advanced book. If you are simply a toker then i wouldn't suggest this book, but if you are an advanced grower/breeder this is for you.
Serious Marijuana (a book for all plant lovers who want advanced material)
To have gone through this book and come out the other side is a profound experience, like some sort of a futuristic biology class that specialized in the stuff that gets you best baked. I would not hesitate to force any kind of plant lover to gravitate towards this book like it was about a rose bush or an apple tree. It is a progressively deeper and meaningful insight into the world of plants and the humans who care for them. On one page we are getting an illustrated history of the evolution of the cannabis plant and on the next page how to use materials to enhance the genes that make flowers big like they where back in the prehistoric ages. It is unparalleled in the way its advanced scientific information is brought out in a practical and applicable manner to your grow. The best part is that we can have it all now. The fact that Greg Green is a cotemporary makes now the best time to repeat what he is advising because you can do it the same way with the same stuff. The evidence is in the book. Nowhere else, anywhere else, has anything, even remotely addressed the kind of topics in this book, let alone experiment and produce consistent results with them. This kind of detail is avant-garde marijuana research. It is influencing and changing the way cannabis cultivation is done on daily bases.
Recommended for the amount of information
This is one of the best books about the cannabis plant I have read. It is dedicated to the science of the cannabis plant. There is some advanced growing material in here also but the cannabis plant is talked about for nearly 300 pages without getting boring. You will reference this for life. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Field Crop Breeding    2. Marijuana (Pharmacological Aspects)    3. Organic    4. Popular Culture - Counter Culture    5. Popular Culture - General    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Popular culture    9. Social Science / Popular Culture   

Reviews (6)

Everthing you need to know about worms and composting
As a self reliant or self sufficiency person who tries to grow more and more of their own food every year this book is valuable for a variety of reasons.First off there are more than one type of garden worm for composting and garden purposes, which this book discusses in detail. As an example she writes of Red Wigglers (Eisenia fetida) that the common names are Tiger worm, Garlic worm, Manure worm, Brandling worm. That they are rust colouredwith a membrane between each segment, and are about three inches in length.They live a few inches below the soil and are considered a shallow dweller.They prefer very rich compost, manure piles and decaying plant and animal material. And temperatures between 59 and 77 degrees and have a cocoon hatching period of between 35 and 70 days depending on conditions. The author also notes it is an excellent vermicomposting worm because it can process large amounts of organic matter.
Everything worms
This is an excellent book for a beginner in vermicomposting as well as someone with an established bin.It contains everything you could possibly need to know--information on different worm species, kinds of bins, problem shooting, starting a worm business, as well as the strange and bizzare such as worm poetry, recipes, and using worms in art!I have a small collection of worm books as well as an established bin, and I still find myself referring to the book frequently.My worms are doing so well I've started providing bins for friends and family...along with a copy of this book!

All About Worms
My husband liked this book enough he wanted to immediately set up a worm bin. It has so much info on worms and how they help our planet. They are vital to our soil. Short read. Excellent book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Earthworm culture    2. Earthworms    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Organic    7. Reference    8. Techniques    9. NATURAL HISTORY, COUNTRY LIFE & PETS    10. Organic gardening   

Reviews (31)

I read it-I did it-It works!
It's a great idea, one that saved me backbreaking work on getting new garden beds established in a very short time. I wish I had heard of this book years before.
The Only Way to Garden
This is the best book I have ever purchased.It is worth every cent.
The easiest way to get perfect soil
I have owned this book for over a year now.I was expecting my second child last year and didn't have the time or energy to do as much gardening as I would have liked.After reading 'lasagna gardening' I got out and made one 20 foot long lasagna bed.It took me a couple of hours.After that I just didn't want to do much because I felt gigantic. I didn't have any compost available so I used fresh chicken and horse manure.My garden was way too hot to actually use that season... I didn't have time anyway.This spring when I went to start a real garden I dug under the straw mulch I had placed over my lasagna bed.I have over 1 foot of the most perfect, weed free soil you have ever seen. Mrs. Lanza talks about using your own compost and then planting immediately.I am sure that is the best way to do it BUT if you are a lazy gardener like myself that doesn't even take the time to make your own compost THIS IS YOUR BOOK! She covers tons of different 'ingredients' for your bed depending on where you live. As soon as I uncovered that beautiful soil I went out and started another 50 foot bed with compost.It took me three hours (don't do it on a windy day) and I plan to plant it in a month or two. This book is an easy read and you can be out and making your own lasagna garden within a few hours. I use it as a constant reference. I can't recommend it enough. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic gardening    6. Techniques   

Reviews (3)

Great Comprehensive Text
Organic Gardening for the 21st Century is a must-have book for the organic gardener.It's well-written, enjoyable to read, very interesting, and full of realistic "how to" tips.Mr. Fedor explains different perspectives and he says why certain things are important, rather than just telling readers what to do.I like to understand why, so I can consider all the options and consequences.He does a great job of describing pests and how to deal with them.It would have helped me immensely to see photos of each pest by the description. There's enough technical information to make it specific (i.e. plant names), but not so much that it's like reading a Latin textbook.The photos and illustrations are terrific.It's just a beautiful AND useful book.Not only did I read it cover to cover, but I continue to use it as a reference book.It's well worth the purchase price!

A Pleasure To Read
I enjoy books that talk to me.John Fedor writes this book in the first person using his grandparents and then his own gardening experiences.He communicates in a style that makes you feel as if you are right there beside him in his gardens.I was hooked immediately.The book is a treasure chest of practical information (as a Reader's Digest book always is) without the overload of information that can cause you to give up your garden before you have begun.He assures you with wit and wonderful drawings that you can accomplish an organic garden in even the most humble of spaces with the most humble of budgets.The photographs are worthy of being published in a DK book.They are always practical though and relate to Fedor's text.They are realistic of what you can and can't expect.I call it practical eye candy. For those gardeners who already have a basic knowledge of gardening...this book won't disappoint you.There is a wealth of intermediate level information that will help you too.Enjoy!

A very complete guide
This Reader's Digest published book covers a lot of material (from compost to saving seed, from pest control to crop rotation, from companion planting to heritage varieties, from herbs to even landscaping and tools) in only 288 pages, yet manages to answer most common gardening questions. There is even a directory in the back of the book coveringvegetables, fruits & herbs that commonly grow in the U.S. and Canada, giving varieties & growing instructions.The photos in the book are beautiful and inspiring for the aspiring gardener.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic gardening    6. Techniques    7. Gardening / General   

Reviews (1)

THE GRASSROOTS MOVEMENT TO GROW FOOD, NOT GRASS
Food Not Lawns is a terrific and timely new paperback from activist and urban gardener H.C. Flores.
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Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Agronomy    2. Edible forest gardens    3. Garden Design    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Home Gardening    8. Organic    9. Permaculture    10. Urban   

Reviews (15)

Wonderful and easy to understand
After reading several other books and articles on companion gardening, I purchased "Great Garden Companions."What a breath of fresh air!Sally Jean Cunningham writes in a lovely, conversational manner that makes the vast amount of information she provides easy to understand.The anecdotes she offers are very helpful, and I love the fact that she's offered the plan of her own garden for all of her readers to see.If you're like me, you always want to know just what is in a writer's garden, and Ms. Cunningham lets it all out in the open.The pictures are beautiful too!
Wonderful Gardening Book
This book is a must have for any gardener!
I don't have this book any more!
So why is it getting 5 stars from me?
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Subjects:  1. Companion crops    2. Companion planting    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. General    7. Organic    8. Organic gardening    9. Techniques    10. Vegetable gardening    11. Vegetables   

Reviews (2)

organicmommy
I find this book to be very helpful.This is my first garden, and so far am having great success, in no small part because of this book.It has great advice on the how to's of everything you'll need to know to have a successful garden from composting to pest control, planting to harvesting.The photography is outstanding, it's a welcome return to nature for a busy mom of two young sons.You'll enjoy reading this book as well as the viewing experience you will also have.Enjoy!!

Great book; great service
This is an excellent book for organic gardeners and even for others interested in better gardening and farming practices.Will be a book you return to over and over. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Reference    6. Gardening / Organic   

Reviews (4)

Jerry's book of garden solutions
Great book!A gradening book with humor and great "old-fashion" advice that actually works.What more can you want from a book.Easy to read, fun to read and very informative.I recommend it highly!

jerry bakers giant book of garden solutions
i really liked the book and found it very user friendly

Great Resource for gardening tips
As with many other Jerry Baker books, this one is filled with unique recipes that are easy to make.He also gives out a variety of tips on gardening in general, and then on a variety of plants. The scope of this book is broad as he covers getting your beds ready, chosing what to plant, what to plant next to each other, and how to keep your garden growing well.He also tells you how to harvest, store your veggies, and he even tells you how to cook some of the items that come out your garden.
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Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Home Gardening    5. Organic    6. Reference    7. Techniques    8. Gardening / Techniques   

Reviews (4)

Garden Guru?
Everyone has heard stories from self-proclaimed master gardeners, this book is the mythbuster of those stories. Although, I didn't gain any knowledge of use, I aquired some history of gardening and enjoyed a fun read.

Garden secrets
Gillman breaks down every known and some I never heard of remedies to help fight against those nasty bugs that attack our gardens and how to grow a more productive or colorful one. From fertilizers to soda pop and many more urban myths and legends are revealed with a very useful rating system that your neighbor or uncle Joe couldn't offer with their sure fire remedy they swear works on their gardens. A must read for all of those who love to garden.

Professor finds it worth-while to test
All the home remedies and suggestions that some of us have used for years if not generations.
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Subjects:  1. Agricultural Botany    2. Biological control    3. Garden pests    4. Gardening    5. Gardening / Horticulture    6. Gardening/Plants    7. Organic Gardening    8. Plant diseases    9. Plants, Protection of    10. Reference    11. Techniques    12. Gardening / Reference   

Reviews (4)

Holy Cow - One Consumer's Transformation
This book has transformed the way I look at the food on my family's table.For pretty much my whole life, I had absolutely no problems with "industrial" food products.I trusted them as being safe, somewhat nutritious, and fairly tasty.I didn't make any effort to avoid processed foods - heck, I figured they were actually pretty nutritious with all the vitamins and minerals that were sprayed on them.
Intended to empower food buyers to choose other than from the big industrialized farm system
Written by a farmer, Holy Cows & Hog Heaven: The Food Buyer's Guide To Farm Friendly Food is intended to empower food buyers to choose other than from the big industrialized farm system. Menus and what's chosen for them is a conscious decision, Joel Salatin maintains: eating in sync with the season rather than choosing imported foods, understanding specialty and diversification in foods, and getting sanity back into food regulations are only a few of the topics addressed in a title designed to return eaters to neighbor-friendly terms.
The Future of America's Food Supply, one way or another.
Most of Joel Salatin's books have been aimed at small farmers or land-owners looking for an agriculture enterprise.Being in that category, I have enjoyed them all.But trying to explain to most people why it's important to understand the difference between industrial food and local food, has been hard.
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Subjects:  1. Cooking    2. Handbooks & Manuals    3. Organic    4. Personal & Practical Guides    5. Reference    6. Specific Ingredients - Meat   

Reviews (5)

Soma Review
I was pleasantly surprised that a such a small book could deliver so much information.I have yet to discover a better book on Organic Cannibis cultivation.Even if you are not growing in Soil or totally organic it will still give you some great growing ideas.

Nice to have, not must have.
Good book, but not comprehensive.
If I learned anything..
..I learned to respect the plant as a living object.I really enjoyed this book.This is not for the beginner but should greatly improve someone who has a basic understanding.I think it's more for turning the hobby into a form of artwork.He teaches you how to look for body language in your garden and grow the healthiest organic medicine you can. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Crop Science    2. Field Crops    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Herbal Medications    6. House Plants & Indoor    7. Medical Botany    8. Pharmacy    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology    11. Gardening / House Plants    12. Organic gardening    13. Popular culture   

Reviews (8)

Finally some actual DATA!
I am thankful to find this book, because it is so rare to find any gardening book that actually tells you how many seeds you need for so much ground, or how to predict yield.
at best an introduction
I was very dissapointed in the length of this book. Compared to other organic gardening books, this should be listed as a brochure, or maybe as a synopsis of "How to Grow More Vegetables..." A buyer's money could be better spent. Personally, I would not buy it again. Figuring that it would cost me half of the cost of the book to return it to Amazon, I'll probably just give it away as a gift to a new gardener. This is not to say that there is no useful information in the book, but more information can be found in other, -longer- books

In-depth answers for NOW questions
This is not a book to read in winter when you're dreaming of your perfect garden.This is a book that correctly lists the five plants that have been proven to help deter the Striped Bean Beetle when it's eating your garden down to the nubs.And the intercropping to keep the bean beetle away next year.And soil treatments to keep it from coming back.And what kinds of flowers will attract the beetle's predators.And did you know that veggies will generally produce just fine with up to 30% of their leaf surface eaten, or even produce more when it's attacked just like this?I didn't, until I read this book.
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Subjects:  1. Biointensive gardening    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Organic    6. Vegetable gardening    7. Vegetables    8. Fruit & vegetables    9. Organic gardening   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (5)

One of my favorites
This was my first gardening book, and I feel so very lucky, because the author's sensibility matches my own, and her emphasis on planting for wildlife makes her a kindred spirit.Here I first learned the definition of a meadow garden, a woodland garden, and even the names of birds and butterflies.I first became aware of Joe Pye Weed and Spicebush, Bee Balm, Milkweed and New England Aster.
too muddled to be useful or recommended
I speak on the subject of natural landscaping frequently - I've been doing this for years. Good ideas
This book offers some basic ideas in landscpaing your property in order to maintain a natural look.It offers beautiful uses for wet areas instead of trying to correct it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Garden Design    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Landscape    5. Landscape Horticulture    6. Landscape gardening    7. Natural landscaping    8. Gardening / Organic    9. Natural & wild gardening   

Subjects:  1. Compost    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Organic    7. Organic Gardening    8. Techniques    9. Gardening / General    10. JUVY-WORKBOOKS - JUV WORKBOOKS   

Subjects:  1. Companion crops    2. Companion planting    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Organic Gardening    7. Plants, Useful    8. Gardening: plants   

Reviews (2)

More about "Other Secrets" than "Companion Planting"
I was a bit disappointed in this book.There were some references as to what plants complement each other, and what ones are used to repel certain insects, but those references were too few and buried deep within certain textual descriptions of various plants.Many, if not most, plant references did not even have companion planting information.Then there were the chapters referring to cosmetics, fragrances, and skin care that better belonged in a health and beauty aid book. I will be looking for a different book to supply my needs on companion planting--but this time will preview the book at a bookstore or library so I know what I am getting.

Companion planting at its finest
Roses Love Garlic is a great book for novice and experienced gardeners alike. For the beginning gardener, chapter 19 offers many sample garden plans for both small and large plots. The more experienced gardeners mightenjoy chapters 12 and 13 which provide projects involve dried flowers andthe use of natural dyes. My personal favorite is chapter 7, "Companionplanting with flowers and herbs." This book is a must own for anyoneinterested in chemical free gardening. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Companion crops    2. Companion planting    3. Gardening    4. Gardening / Horticulture    5. Gardening/Plants    6. Organic    7. Organic gardening    8. Plants    9. Plants, Useful    10. Techniques    11. Flowers    12. Garden design & planning    13. Gardening / Techniques   

Reviews (10)

An Eye-Opener for Every Food Consumer
Keith Stewart gently prods us, especially those of us who live in urban areas,to become acutely aware of every bit of food we choose to eat:how it is grown, where, by whom, at what heavy physical and financial cost to the farmer and to society.The book is an engrossing essay about the author's difficult journey from being an unfulfilled middle aged city-dweller to becoming someone in touch with the acres he feels privileged to tend. Woven into the narrative is much wisdom about the choices we as consumers and as a nation have made (hugh subsidies to agribusiness that encourage production of unhealthy food heavily reliant on petrochemical fertilizers).
This book changed my life
This simple, beautiful story describes with perfect eloquence our elemental relationship with the planet by way of the food we eat. This book changed my life. If everyone read this book, we'd live in a much better world. It's wise and delicious from cover to cover.

food for thought
A truly delightful read. Written with great care and concern for the world in which we live, Mr. Stewart has given all of us, and not only New Yorkers, a real taste for a different way of life and not necessarily a simpler one.
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Subjects:  1. Anecdotes    2. Biography    3. Essays    4. Farmers    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. New York (State)    9. Orange County    10. Organic    11. Organic Gardening    12. Organic farming    13. Regional - Middle Atlantic (DC, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)    14. Truck farming    15. Gardening / Essays