Reviews (20)

GREAT GIFT BOOK
This was a great gift book for a co-worker!All I knew was this person was a big time gardener and that his 2 acres were lovely.So I purchased this book as a gift...he still is raving about the book and how well it is put together...and other gardening stuff I did not grasp.So if you want to give a great gardening book...get ready to be loved for the purchase.

Some Gardning!!!
Since I purchased the book and began using it, I have found so many people who have done so too and are delighted with their results both in flowers and in produce they are getting for their families.

Great Book
This is a great book filled with pictures and very informative information for Square Foot Gardening. I highly recommend it to anyone who is considering Square Foot Gardening, you will not be disappointed. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Container    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Square foot gardening    6. Vegetable gardening    7. Vegetables    8. Gardening / Vegetables   

Reviews (16)

Just What I was looking for!
I've been working for several years to become more self-sufficient, at least in growing my own food, but I have a very small lot, and growing for long-term subsistence (for canning and freezing) would be difficult on such a small piece of land.Mr. Coleman's book is just what I needed, and the fact that he's also in Maine is definitely a PLUS!
GeosminMom
After joining a farmer's market, this book/author was mentioned several times in conversation with other growers. Since we had recently "retired" to upstate NY, I thought it might be a good thing to see how someone else turned a negative to a positive(such as our frozen north).The result- with the help of my 81 year old friend we are building a hoop house (or 2)instead of the green house I originally desired. Simple and useful-sums the book up best!

Grow vegetables year 'round!
Coleman is an experienced organic gardener and has written previous books on organic gardening.Whether you are looking for new organic gardening techniques or ways to improve a self-sustaining lifestyle, Coleman's book will be a valuable resource.He explains how to grow delicious, organically-grown vegetables from your home garden year 'round. Organically-grown vegetables can be harvested throughout the coldest months in all climate zones in the Lower 48 without much extra effort or time. He shows how to design inexpensive, simple cold frames and unheated mobile greenhouses.He explains how to use them along with a root cellar to grow a variety of organic vegetables each suited to their season.Success depends on growing a large variety of vegetables each suited to their season, and in cold frames, mobile greenhouses, and root cellars.Coleman's book will surely guide the grower to extend the growing season! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic Gardening    6. Vegetable Crops    7. Vegetable gardening    8. Vegetables    9. Fruit & vegetables   

Reviews (4)

Knott's handbook review
Very comprehensive but somewhat esoteric. This handbook is not for casual reading, but yields results for specific research. The more the book is consulted, one has a better understanding of how the information is presented. The handbook contains a wealth of material.

Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 4th Edition
I give it five stars. This book, which contains a variety of information from a wide number of sources, is not a "how-to" book. Its information is mostly in table form, so the book's main use is as a reference. Some chapters, such as the one on water and irrigation, contain information I've never seen anywhere else, except in technical publications. The chapter contains line illustrations and descriptions that are accessible to the layman. The chapter on vegetable pests also contains (black and white) line illustrations of the insects. Rather than try to list all the information this book contains, I list the table of contents:
A helpful reference tool
First published in 1956, this handbook is an indispensable, up-to-date companion both in the field and in the marketplace.Topics include the vegetable industry, greenhouse vegetable production, soils and fertilizers,water, pests, weed control, harvesting, storage, and seed production. Packed with quick-access graphs, tables, charts, and line drawings, the 4thedition offers new information on drip irrigation, seed germination, planttissue and sap testing, windbreaks, and weed management.It also givesadvice on allowable pesticide and herbicide use and on the latest workerprotection standards. The appendix contains sources of vegetableinformation, providers of vegetable seeds, periodicals for vegetablegrowers, and U.S. units of measurement and the metric conversion factors. Achange from the spiral-bound 3rd edition is a sturdy, flexible cover tohelp hold pages flat. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Environmental Science    3. Environmental Studies    4. Gardening    5. Gardening/Plants    6. General    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Truck farming    9. Vegetable Crops    10. Vegetable gardening    11. Vegetables    12. Crop husbandry    13. Gardening / Vegetables   

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. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic gardening    6. Techniques    7. Vegetable gardening    8. Vegetables    9. Fruit & vegetables    10. Specialized gardening methods   

Editorial Review

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, Read more

Reviews (28)

intellectual plagiarism of traditional Chinese agricultural methods...
This method is what Chinese farmers have done for eons (4000+ years).Every letter of W-O-R-D is a componenent of Chinese deep bed agriculture.I find it shocking that someone can reinvent the wheel and proudly trumpet the reinvention.I suspect he has read "Better Vegetable Gardens the Chinese Way" by Peter Chan with Spencer Gill(1977) and ripped it off.
Helpful Tips!
I had learned so much about gardening from my mother and thought that I had enough knowledge and experience to start my own garden.But when I had several problems go wrong I searched high and low for advice to help take back my garden.This book gives you so many helpful tips on how to start from scratch, how to maintain, and how to develope a garden that you can enjoy for years to come.I would recommend this book for beginners and experienced gardeners.

Top Notch Guide - Comprehensive, User-Friendly, Proven but (best of all) Natural & Organic!
Looking to have a productive vegetable garden using an organic approach with less work and more pleasure?Well, Ed Smith has figured it all out for you and presents it in a wonderfully useful book which, as the title suggests, will serve as your 'bible'.
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Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic gardening    6. Vegetable gardening    7. Vegetables    8. Fruit & vegetables    9. Gardening / Vegetables   

Reviews (18)

Funny and Sad at the same time
It is a story as old as America itself. When we dream, we dream big. Big houses, big cars and, in the case of The $64 Tomato, big gardens. In this book, author William Alexander details his love/hate relationship with his garden. I knew I was going to love this book within the first chapter, when I found myself laughing out loud time and time again. Alexander perfectly captures the idealism and absurdity that usually accompany any home improvement project.
This Book Will Grow On You!
What a riot, an absolute riot...and yet strangely quixotic as well!Here we enter the realm of one man's passion for gardening, which at times borders on obsession. The $64 Tomato is the tale of Alexander's journey from homeowner with a few tomatoes to homeowner with a huge garden and small orchard, a goal that was achieved through hard work, healthy dose of hilarity (rather at the author's expense), and a constant battle with nature and all the her many critters.This is not a how to book, it's not chock full of handy tips and hints on how to grow/build/create the perfect garden...this is more of a memoir...a record of his particular journey from the very start of his passion for this garden and all the many foibles it involves.
Laugh, relate right through this really quick read.
How much does it cost per tomato from a vision of a garden to a garden?Add up the fertilizer, fencing, flaky landscaping contractors, hysterical accounts of the epic of his yard and the author estimates he spent $64 for each tomato he grew.
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Subjects:  1. Agriculture - General    2. Anecdotes    3. Biography / Autobiography    4. Farmers & Ranchers    5. Gardeners    6. Gardening    7. Gardening/Plants    8. Home Gardening    9. Hudson River Valley Region (N.Y. and N.J.)    10. Personal Memoirs    11. Pest Control In Horticultural Crops    12. Vegetable gardening    13. Vegetables    14. Biography & Autobiography / Personal Memoirs    15. HUMOR / General   

Editorial Review

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. ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Well Organized, Comprehensive, Excellent Layout
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. Vegatable Gardening Made Really Easy
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. Absolutely awesome
My daughter bought this for me on fathers day and it has helped me immensely.From the sections on soil testing and conditioning to the extensive vegetable articles, it has really helped make this year a total success.Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Herb Gardening    5. Herbs    6. Organic    7. Organic gardening    8. Vegetable Crops    9. Vegetable gardening    10. Vegetables    11. Fruit & vegetables    12. Gardening / Vegetables   

Reviews (13)

simply down to earth - literally
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.

A complete organic guide.
This is a very thorough and complete book that guides the reader through the set-up and maintenance of an organic garden.Great info on building the soil via natural and sustainable methods.Green manuring/cover croping is covered in great detail.This is also a complete plan for someone interested in running a market garden.Eliot Coleman shows that organic gardening is very simple, and that it can produce better quality items with less inputs.Overall, a great book that shows how we can protect and build our soils the natural way while harvesting a healthier and more quality crop.

Difficult to beat this book
Practical idealists, the Shakers demonstrated that it is possible for man to create the environment and way of life he wants, not by complaining about the system but by building their own domain arranged to their liking. Eliot Coleman, farm manager of the Mountain School Program of Milton Academy in Vershire, Vermont, has demonstrated that it is possible to undertake small-scale, commercial farming and gardening without the use of harmful pesticides by using cost-effective, environmentally sustainable methods to produce spectacular results with economy of effort and means. By offering a wealth of ideas; by identifying the most efficient and practical machinery and tools; by offering simple and efficient production techniques; and advising on the most remunerative marketing methods, this book is for the gardener and small farmer who has an unfulfilled dream to established an organic enterprise with minimal expense. When low cost production methods are allied with the right machinery and marketing practices, the viability of the 1-5 acre farm producing high quality food is not only possible but also enjoyable and profitable. Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Organic    5. Organic Gardening    6. Organic farming    7. Techniques    8. Truck farming    9. Vegetable Crops    10. Vegetable gardening   

Reviews (1)

Excellent book to understand the physiologhy of vegetables
This book is one of the best vegetable physiology books I have ever read. First couple of chapters provide you with complete understanding of basic vegetable physiology, where as later chapters deal with major vegetable crops individually. It is a very good and valuable source of informationfor students majoring in horticulture as well as researchers. As anhorticulturist, I am planning to use this book as a textbook for my"the principles of growing vegetables" course which I will beteaching soon. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Agriculture - Crop Science    2. Children's All Ages - Gardening    3. Gardening    4. General    5. Physiology    6. Plant Physiology    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Vegetable Crops    9. Vegetables    10. Agriculture | Plant Physiology    11. Crop husbandry    12. Technology / Agriculture / Crop Science   

Reviews (4)

Wealth of knowledge
Loaded with good no-nonsense information on preparing a productive garden in an efficient and economical manner.

gardening when it counts
I own Steve's previous book and have gardened for years using his method. This book explains in great detail how plants grow and survive down to the line drawings of root structure for most vegetables. That helped me to understand just how important it is to space my plants correctly. His description of how to manage the soil before planting is great! I can't wait to get out in the garden and amaze my neighbors!!

A good, basic, orgainic vegtable gardening book
This is an excellent vegetable gardening book. Although Mr. Solomon has moved to Tasmania and now expands his scope to much of the English speaking world; if you have read his "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades", you will find much that is familiar here.If not, you will find excellent information on seeds, where to buy them, how to prepare the garden bed and plant them, how to choose and maintain quality tools, composting and fertilizing, pest and disease problems, irrigation, and some specific plant growing advice.
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Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. General    6. Organic    7. Vegetables    8. Gardening / General   

Reviews (3)

Great work, great photography and writing!
I really love a how-to book that uses great photos to illustrate. This book is perhaps that best thatI have seen in this regard. The photos aresimply superb. I think photos in a book like thisshould be one part"eye candy" to draw interest,and two parts used to illustrate apoint or toinform. Again, this book is the best I've seen onthispoint. Don't go in the patch until you read this book, period!
This colorful, informative book covers everything a grower needs to know to grow a pumpkin that will be the envy of the neighborhood. I give a tremendous amount of credit to this book for having helped me to grow an 819 pound pumpkin. If you have any desire to grow a giant pumpkin, then this book is worth itsweight in gourds. WONDERFUL BOOK for giant pumpkin growers!
I have read and enjoyed this book - more importantly the information was great in helping my pumpkins grow larger. The intended audience is one who wishes to grow BIG, and I mean BIG pumpkins. Growing large pumpkins can bedone by anyone (with the help of this book). It is also a fun hobby thatyou can enjoy with your children. There is nothing like putting a 500+pound orange jack-o-lantern on your front porch on Halloween and lettingthe neighborhood enjoy the sight of it. No one I have ever met does notsmile when they see a big object like a giant pumpkin, it is guaranteed agreat conversation piece. This book helps you learn about seed, soil,growing techniques, watering, and contests and even displaying your fruitafter it is harvested. The author has spent lots of time fully researchingthis hobby and has done a great job of presenting the material of thisunique endeavor to anyone who might enjoy gardening or growing largecurabits. The pictures alone are worth the price of this book!This bookis much better than World Class Giant Pumpkins the previous one by the sameauthor. There are three or four other books or articles regarding thissubject that are not as extensive as this one. If growing pumpkins issomething you might enjoy or you have already tried to grow pumpkins andwere not happy with the results this book will prove invaluable. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening/Plants    3. Pumpkin    4. Vegetables   

Reviews (11)

Very creative
Nicolle Aimee Meyer and Amanda Pilar Smith have created a book that is part travel guide, part cookbook, part biography -- and all wonderful!The photographs are terrific.The text brings the markets and their people to life.And I can't wait to try some of the recipes, which are for many classic French favorites. Altogether a complete success!Bravo!!

A Parisian's Paris ...
A must for anyone seeking out the real Paris, off the beaten track of tourist traps.Even if you can't visit more than two or three markets per visit to this wonderful city, this book will continue to be a major reference for seeking out these fascinating places of food, drink and 'objets'.Happy exploring!

A lovely gem of a book
I love this book!The cover roped me right in and before I knew it I was buying it.I am so glad I did.The book is organized by arrondissement; each chapter is devoted to one of them.They tend to focus on the biggest or best market in each arrondissement but they devote paragraphs to the others.The text itself is gracefully written and yet very convivial.For each of the main markets, the authors start you out on a typical Parisian morning and gently suggest the path you might want to follow as you navigate that particular market; it is almost as though they are walking along with you.They tell you what's available at each market and what are each market's strengths and weaknesses.You will be introduced to a lot of people - the butcher at the March� d'Aligre, the poissonier at the Richard Lenoir, the organic farmer at the Batignolles market, the interesting old fellow who hawks bath salts as he soaks his feet in green water... I feel as though I'd be able to walk up to them and say hi.There's some history mixed in there, too, so you'll get to see some nice old photos and learn about everday Parisians of the past.And of course there are the recipes.Most of them appear delicious and a few rather exotic.Many of them come from the very people that you "met" in the chapter preceding, so you know they're authentic and the human element makes you want to try the recipe all the more.Read more

Subjects:  1. Europe - France    2. Gardening    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Vegetables    6. Paris (France)    7. Cooking / Wine   

Reviews (2)

A Must Have
Part III of the "trilogy" is a beautifully done book that you will read again and again. It introduces you to some of the top growers in the world and gives the latest growing techniques. I would suggest getting part II as well.

What A GREAT BOOK!!
This is a great follow up to the other two books. It goes into great detail about genetics inparticular. It also covers just about everything else very nicely. As a pumpkin grower myself this book helped me grow a 370.6 pound pumpkin my first year! You could grow one too with the expert advice of this book! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fruit    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Vegetables   

Reviews (8)

Delightful
This book is a joy-containing not only the facts about the Medieval herbs and plants-but also charming references to the amazing character of Cadfael.
Cadfael's pictures
This is most useful as a guide to Elis Peters' novels. The index of plants is oriented toward the fictional Cadfael and his uses, rather than to mediaval practice. Medieval Plants and Brother Cadfael
Not only is this gorgeous books with excellent pictures of plants, it shows a deep insight into Brother Cadfael's herbarium and his respect forplants. I loved the excerpts from the many Brother Cadfael books. I wouldhave liked to have seen a bit more on the layout of Brother Cadfael'sgarden and perhaps some recipes and potions. Still the authors produced abeautiful book at a reasonable price with the pages crammed with in-depthinformation on herbs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. England    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Herb gardens    6. Herbal Medications    7. Herbs    8. History    9. Plants, Useful    10. Shrewsbury    11. Therapeutic use    12. Vegetables    13. Gardening / Vegetables   

Reviews (2)

Semi-formal vegetable garden?
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.
A great read on vegetable garden design. Buy It.
`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.
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Subjects:  1. Design    2. English Garden Design And Planting    3. Fruit    4. Garden Design    5. Gardening    6. Gardening / Horticulture    7. Gardening/Plants    8. Herbs    9. Kitchen gardens    10. Organic gardening    11. Vegetable Crops    12. Vegetable gardening    13. Vegetables    14. Fruit & vegetables    15. Gardening / Garden Design   

Reviews (64)

GREAT SELFHELP BOOK
I BOUGHT THIS BOOK FOR MY MOMS BIRTHDAY AND SHE LOVES IT. GIVES YOU GREAT TIPS ON GARDENING AND SOME EXTRA STUFF ALSO.

Great way to garden
I have been gardening for fifty years due to space I've went to raised beds. Should have done this years ago. Square foot methed even a better way to use your raised beds. Great book and info for any gardener.

Very informative!!
I'm a novice and have learned a great deal from this book. If you have never grown anything this book will take you from square one. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening / Horticulture    2. Gardening/Plants    3. Square foot gardening    4. Techniques    5. Vegetable gardening    6. Gardening    7. Vegetables   

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 (11)

worst gardening book I ever read
There is nothing new in this 'method'. If you have read Square Foot Gardening you have read everything worth reading in this book.
Excellent Choice
A excellent choice. Cubed foot gardening takes Square foot to an other level. An excellant companion book.

More new ideas in Raised Intensive Bed Gardening
As someone who cut my gardening "teeth" with Mel Bartholomew's "Square Foot Gardening", I was interested in what differing suggestions Chris Bird's Cubed Foot Gardening would impart.What was he talking about? Cubed foot? 3' by 3'? NOT. 1' x 1' x 1' deep. I was using raised beds, even with the square foot method...but now I learn that my 2 x 8 boxes aren't nearly tall enough for plants with deep root systems. Next year, I'll add another level of depth to the boxes to at least 2 x 12, if not 2 x 16. I've grown the verticle pumpkins and cantilope. It DOES work. I found Mr. Bird's spacing suggestions a bit more realistic, and he's included several hilarious comments.A great supplement to "Square Foot Gardening". ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Container    2. Gardening    3. Gardening / Horticulture    4. Gardening/Plants    5. Vegetables    6. Gardening / Vegetables   

Reviews (1)

Seeding Made Easy
Whether you're a home grower or beginning a commercial/retail greenhouse you'll find this book to be one of the best tools at your disposal. The tabled information is clear, concise, consistantly conveyed, and very easy to understand. Information includes germination temperature, light requirements, grow-on conditions, days to finishing/sales, and much more. I have used this book as my sole reference for production and have had great success, even with the more difficult seeds to germinate. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Gardening    2. Gardening / Horticulture    3. Gardening/Plants    4. Handbooks, manuals, etc    5. Life Sciences - Horticulture    6. Ornamental Plants    7. Plants, Ornamental    8. Propagation    9. Reference    10. Seeds    11. Vegetable Crops    12. Vegetables    13. Agriculture & related industries