Product Description
Herbs are among the most versatile of all plants. For centuries they have been cultivated for their culinary, medicinal and aromatic qualities; and today, herbs are still invaluable in the kitchen, as well as being an essential ingredient in the decorative garden (whatever its size or style), contributing a pleasing range of colour, form and fragrance to beds, borders and containers. Using a month-by-month format, this book offers practical information on cultivating, harvesting and using a wide variety of herbs. Each monthly chapter provides an introduction to the herb garden at that time of year, straightforward instructions and a checklist for seasonal tasks, profiles of plants which are at their best, and a detailed practical project. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Beyond a Doubt THE Herb Gardening Book to Have
This book, purchased nearly as an afterthought, turned out to be the cream of the gadening crop.A fairly slim volume, it is crammed with information beautifully presented, with illustrations in full color (photographs/watercolors) and black and white (line drawings).Tasks of practical, seasonal upkeep are presented on a month-to-month basis, and the advice is sound.Punctuating the planting diagrams are insets with "Practical Projects", such as the construction of a simple but sturdy arbor--a delight for the individual who likes to "build" a garden.The herbs themselves are described in detail, often with accompanying line drawings, and the list is fairly extensive.The book itself is slim enough to be comfortably carried outside or tucked inside a notebook, and has not an inch of wasted layout space.I have purchased many herb books over the years, but have found this to be the most practical to date; it would be a bargain at twice the price! ! .I would love to see an accompanying volume dealing solely with the plants to complement the first book (perhaps there is one, but if so I have not yet read it).I cannot recommend this book highly enough--in summary, it is simple, practical, beautiful, and compact.It is a hidden gem amidst the glut of herb and gardening books already on the market, some of which are four times the size, but have not one quarter of the sensible, step-by-step information. ... Read more

Product Description
Herbs have been cultivated for thousands of years for their aromatic, health-giving, and culinary qualities. Today they are also valued as attractive additions to any garden or as sweet-smelling decoration in the home. In this book, herb expert Barbara Segall, Food writer Louise Pickford, and stylist Rose Hammick pool their knowledge to celebrate every aspect of herbs, from growing conditions in beds, borders, and containers, and indoors to decorative ideas for herbs in the home. Cooking with herbs is explored in 35 recipes, from snacks to sweet things. The book ends with a directory of 75 common herbs. With special photography by Caroline Arber and William Lingwood.*over 30,000 copies sold in hardcover*Includes profiles of the top 20 herbs, such as basil and lavender.*The perfect gift for anyone who enjoys growing and using herbs indoors or out--cooks, gardeners, aromatherapy fans; herbal tea drinkers, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent for the crafter and herb lover!
I really enjoyed reading this book and am reading it again right now.I loved the recipes and the photos are great.Good reference book for those getting into the field of herbs, whether it be for growing or for crafting.

Had to have one for myself
I bought this book as a gift, but had to buy two so I could keep one. It covers all the standard herbs in the standard way, but what stands out in this little book are the photos of some very creative uses for the herbs. The "cooking with herbs" section is also well done and I've actually used some of the recipes! The print is very small, but the typeface is clear and simple so that helps to keep it readable. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Fresh herbs offer a healthy and delicious way to spice up any meal, but growing and cooking with these delectable plants are endeavors fraught with uncertainty.What herbs will grow year-round on my kitchen windowsill?What foods complement rosemary?Which part of a lemongrass plant has the best flavor?Can I really eat the geraniums growing in my flower bed?This indispensable guide from The Herb Society of America takes the guesswork out of using herbs in the garden and in the kitchen by providing detailed information for cultivating a wide variety of herbs, along with easy-to-follow recipes that will surely impress even the most discerning palate.

Ranging from Alliums (onions, chives, and garlic) to Zingiber (ginger), the volume's first section provides horticultural information for each of the sixty-three herbs found in the National Herb Garden's Culinary Garden, including common and botanical names, family, place of origin, hardiness, and general light and soil requirements. Botanical sketches accompany many of the entries.Each entry also includes a short history of the herb, gardening basics, and suggestions for using the herb in your kitchen.Culinary herbs without Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Status are included in a separate section, with an explanation of their history and ornamental value.An informative introduction to this section compares several different definitions of the word herb, explains the advantages of fresh over dried herbs, describes the proper storage and use of spices, and suggests the best timing and methods for harvesting herbs.

In the second part of the book, HSA members offer classic and creative recipes for more than two hundred dishes incorporating a variety of herbs.Learn how to use the aromatic and flavorful herbs in your garden to enhance stews and casseroles, create dips and pestos, and add a new dimension to your favorite liqueurs.Among the mouth-watering recipes featured are Lemon Basil Tea Bread, Chicken Linguine with Fennel and Tarragon, Five-Herb Pasta Salad, and Rosemary Fizz.

The concluding section of the book contains a fascinating personal tour of the two-and-one-half-acre National Herb Garden, which lies in the heart of Washington, D.C., at the center of the United States National Arboretum, and of its various themed areas, including the Knot Garden, the Antique and Heritage Rose Garden, the Dye Garden, the Colonial Garden, the Native American Garden, the Beverage Garden, the Medicinal Garden, and many others.Complete plant lists accompany the description of each garden.

Green thumbs and gourmets alike will find inspiration in these pages to look at herbs in new ways--perhaps to see beyond their cupboards and into their own yards for ways to liven up their meals--and will gain the knowledge and confidence to grow and use herbs effectively. More than a gardening book, more than a cookbook, The Herb Society of America's Essential Guide to Growing and Cooking with Herbs will prove to be an indispensable companion for all herb lovers.

376 pages, 7 Halftones, 32 Line Drawings, 6.25 x 9.25 ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Great Cookbook
I received this book as a gift since I have recently begun growing my own herbs. The basic info about the herbs is interesting and helpful but the recipes are fantastic. Usually cookbook recipes are hit or miss but every recipe I've tried was good and most exceptionally so. I loved this book so much that I got one for my daughter who also loves to cook and use fresh herbs.

HSA member review
Although happy with the information on individual herbs and wonderful recipes, this is not a book I could recommend to a beginning herb gardener because NO color drawings or photographs of any of the herbs described.

Herb society book
This is a very good book for people who are looking for a practical guide on the use and growing of herbs. It is not a flashy book but has information that I have not found elsewhere such as lists of herbs grown in the National Herb gardens. Although the recipes are not extensive, the ones included are interesting and unusual.
This is a wonderful book to add to a collection of herb books but could easily be the only book a person would need to get started with herbs.

Creative Ideas
The book is a great source of information about incorporating fresh herbs into your every day cooking.After looking for some time, I finally found a comprehensive cookbook for cooking with herbs.

Church-Group Cookbook
I expectated plenty of good evidence-based information on growing herbs from the Herb Society of America.What I got was 100 pages of general info on every herb out there and then 150 pages of unproven recipes. I have better herb information from most other sources. I would never have bought this book off the shelf. I felt like I was reading a church fundraising cookbookWhat a disappointment. I expected better from the Herb Society of America. ... Read more

Product Description
Practical advice on budgets, locations, business plans, bookkeeping, staffing, inventory, and pricing. Case histories of 50 thriving herb businesses. Additional topics include developing products, packaging, special events, and methods for expanding. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Indispensable
This book is deservedly considered a classic.Though fifteen-plus years old, this advice is based upon Reppert's experience with people, plants and products, and so isn't dependent upon market conditions for its relevance and usefulness.Easy to read, widely applicable.

Great book!Great advice!
Bertha Ruppert gives down to earth, tried and true advice about starting your own herb business.It's an easy read of every aspect of growing a business.Even though I have owned my own small business, I gained new and innovative ideas that could apply to almost any small retail store.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book and will be rereading it many times in the future.

No thyme like the present to start your herb business
"Growing Your Herb Business" is a quick, chatty read consisting of herb talk (25%) and business talk (75%).I loved the anecdotal information about different herbal start-up businesses, even though much of it sounded like ad copy, and when the author got to talking about herbs, it was like chatting with an old neighbor over the fence:

"My Aunt Bertha went to her grave with jet black hair thanks to the sage dye bath she boiled in an old iron skillet.I tried her trick and, by Jove, it also cleans the skillet."

Thanks to this book, I now know why my rosemary topiaries keep dying, how to plant mint so it doesn't take over the whole garden plot, and how to start tarragon (NOT from seed).

Do not expect too much detail about herbs--only the top thirteen (a baker's dozen) are discussed in any detail.There's also none of that fuzzy New Age business about cutting veronica in the dark of the moon and putting in your true love's mead.This author is primarily a businesswoman:

"'Oh Rosetta,' I protested, 'you'll never make money this way.''But I'm so happy,' was the soft reply."

Rosetta didn't have a business plan, didn't pay attention to marketing her product, labeling her herbs, and restocking them.Basically, she had a hobby that she enjoyed, not a business.

This book has got literally hundreds of tips on how to make your herbal business a success.If you just grow herbs for your own enjoyment, Bertha and her friends still have a lot of great information for you in this book.You might even want to try boiling a few sage leaves in your skillet after you read it.

Tried and True Examples of What Works & What Doesn't
The author clearly demonstrates her early years of establishing her herb business and shares with us what has worked for her and what has not. It is a lessons learned oriented view point. She offers guidelines, stories of others who have started their herb businesses, samples of worksheets, tax considerations and many other practical elements that are worth noting when looking to start a herb business. This book is definitely a keeper and to have as a reference material.

Starting your own business
I am thinking about starting a business with herbs.This book has been easy to read and understand.It was full of information that will let me contact other people for further information.The book was also full of titles of other books that were equaly a good.
I would recommend this book to anyone starting a business. ... Read more

Product Description
Walk down the garden path as you've never done before with this magical guide to herbs and lore * From the bestselling author of Everyday Magic - over 4,000 UK copies sold * Includes 125 spells, invocations, rituals and recipes, and shows how to plant and grow a magical herb garden indoors or out * Explains how to predict the weather, and explores magical garden themes, garden shapes, and planting ideas * Offers recipes for cullnary, cosmetic and first-aid use In one single volume, everthing you need to know about herbs, both the mundane and the magical. Do you want to know how to tend them with hydroponic magic? Use them to clean your home? Or brew them into fine wines fit for the Gods? This book not only answers these questions, but takes you on a magical journey down the garden path. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Wonderful!
There is a lot of useful information. The signifigance of the shape of your garden (ties into Feng Shui which I also use), as well as what order to plant herbs etc in.
My daughter (age 15) also found this book "realy good, I liked it".

love it,
i loved the book. it has so much in it, from start to finish, it ll help at every stage. i love her idea of enchanting everything. it's so much fun to do that. i also met this author, she is a lovely, nice lady, who seemed very sincere, its hard to imagine her "laughing all the way to the bank" as another reviewer suggested. So about that gardening? well, i have a nearly black thumb, seriously, i had these little seeds that really didnt want to grow, they would wither as soon as they sprouted, or not sprout at all. well they are hardly little sprouts now and are doing great. her stuff is easy to follow, set up in a good format, AND easy for me, the black thumbed beginner, to understand and utilize. i cant wait for the next growing season to start becuase i m going to be a bit more ambitious. theres also recipies in there for getting rid of ants and roaches, keeping fungus from getting your plants and all kinds of things, honestly, even if you throw out all the magickal stuff, theres plenty of good gardening advice, at least seems to me to be.

Another treasure by Dorothy Morrison!
This is the perfect gift for the "green-thumbed" Witch in your circle of friends or family, as I'm sure that they will love it as much as I do. I started "magickally gardening" before I got this book, and I almost wish I had waited until getting this book before starting, due to Morrison's ability to inspire the reader to enchant every step of the gardening process. One can tell by reading this that she is VERY much into gardening, and wants to get the reader motivated to feel the same, at least to some extent. I was also pleasantly surprised to find the chapter about Mother Nature's Household - natural ways to remove pests from the home without killing them or using harsh chemicals, and natural housecleaning without the potentially-deadly side effects.

I have quite a few books by Ms Morrison, and this one shines.

all around great information
From preparing the soil, to designing the space, to collecting the harvest, and finally to using your herbs, Dorothy Morrison has covered everything.She gave me ideas for planting, composting, and crafting that I had not thought of before.Whether you are a beginning herbalist, like I am, or experienced, I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't find good ideas.I especially liked the fact that the herbal recipes were for cooking, cleaning, crafts, skin care, and other uses.

Delightful, practical and magical
I've had this book for some time and hadn't seriously read it till today.Its enjoyable, practical, and well organized.For those looking for more--and for the author to do ALL the work for you, look elsewhere.This is a witch's garden at its simpliest, something I prefer. Who has time for more?The spells and chants are simple, to the point, and yes there are other books out there that are more in depth, but for me... gardening, harvesting and using plants and herbs in my daily magical life IS simple. If you want the plot of a garden, or indept herbal/plant usage, I suggest Cunningham, Rodale's Herbs, or Garden Witchery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

More than just a cookbook!
Full of herbal lore and facinating info, the author describes a celebration each month and covers "thymely" seasonal recipes to help with the festivities. From January's "Twelfth Night" to"Leyden Day" in October, these wild and often forgottencelebrations are a wonderful framework for fun and frivolity through theseasons. Recipes range from out of the ordinary- Queen Anne's Lace Jelly IIand Fennel Tuna with Lavender, to tried and true- Oven Omlete and Chili ConCarne. Tips and Hints abound as well. I really enjoyed the herbal lorewoven throughout the monthly themes- (it is said that parsley goes seventimes to the Devil because it germinates so slowly!) I will be turning tothis book again and again as the year turns. ... Read more

Product Description
A unique and handsome book for novice and professional gardeners. The plans, with full commentary and plant lists, offer a wide range of designs easily adapted to one's own needs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Solid Information (as you would expect from Rodale Press)
Quite useful!I love the sample gardens (knot garden, informal garden, kitchen garden).The book is a hefty 600+ pages so there's a lot of information here.
There are 267 pages covering an encyclopedia of herbs from Aconite to Yerba Santa.Each plant has a page or more with a mix of history, planting care, and uses.The plant photos are in black and white.
I believe a new edition of this is available with more illustrations.

Not the Ordinary "how to get well with herbs" book
This book tells how to grow herbs, (with a variety of herb garden designing ideas) what the herbs and "spices" are used with and for. Thru-out the book there are "recipes" of different ways to use the herbs. How to make scented beads, soap,
herbal oils, candles, perfumes, plus recipes for different food dishes. That is by no means all of the book, just a small part. Great reference for those who are looking to learn more about herbs, as well as gardeners. ... Read more

Product Description
Every aspect of growing, identifying, harvesting, preserving, and using over 500 species of herbs is provided in this compendium. Home gardeners, commercial horticulturists, and academics will benefit from the vast knowledge and the 165 meticulous botanical drawings in this text. A typical herb profile provides a plant's botanical name and family, whether it is an annual or perennial, its height, hardiness, light requirements, water consumption, required soil type, and pH. The history of the plant, its chemistry, how to propagate it, and its culinary, landscape, and craft uses are also included. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

One Of the Best Herb Books
I ordered this book when it was first published and of all the herb books that I have it is the best. It is not a pretty picture book, but it has tons of information on a huge variety of herbs.

Great Service...Fast
Super fast delivery, I ordered it for a birthday gift later than I should have, and it still arrived the day of my friends birthday.. Thanks.

VERY INFORMATIVE BOOK!
I have been "collecting" herbal books for a couple years now. I am a Master Gardener, and have been studying herbal medicine in various cultures. I would highly recommend this book for beginning herbalists. It has information on plant identification,how to grow and propagate herbs, identifying diseases and pests, and scientific information on different species.It also includes color pictures and sketches. It does'nt have a ton of herbs, but most of the more common ones used in gardens, and for potpourris. ... Read more

Product Description
Now in paperback, Herbs in Bloom is a delightful A-Z selection of 80 favorite groups of flowering herbs. Full of detailed information on how to grow each herb from seed or cuttings, the book offers systematic advice on site selection, soils, transplanting, and other practical concerns. Over 700 herbs are included in all. In the author's words, "It is my aim to convince fellow gardeners that herbs also have beautiful flowers and can be used to advantage anywhere in the landscape." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A great read, and a great guide
This book is a keeper for me...and i've read many gardening and herb books.I grow many herbs on my property, and this book is helping me grow my garden/yard into what i've always wanted it to be.

I love herbs as ornamentals, and for their scents.This is an awesome guide!Very well written and illustrated.I dont keep many books any more, and this one i WILL.

Not for Southern Gardens....
In the May/June 2005 issue of THE AMERICAN GARDENER, Jo Ann Gardener wrote a rather good article about her favorite herbs for medicinal and culinary purposes.Reading her article and subsequently her book HERBS IN BLOOM I realized her medicinal knowledge was mostly gleaned from books, not hands on experience.The article includes the "cream" of what is found in the book, so I could have done without the book, but I am a book-addict, particularly a garden book addict, so I bought the book.I like the inventory she provides covering the herbs she has apparently grown in her own garden, but as she gardens in NY (and formerly New England), her ideas are of limited use for one who lives and gardens in the upper South, on an urban lot.She doesn't spend much time on "herbs in pots" which is the way I must grow many of my herbs, but she does have a nice section on Valerian, which I shall never again confuse with Centranthus.I wish I had known sooner rather than later that Valerian required moist conditions and sun.Unfortunately, I planted it where the sun shines all day, but where it grows relatively dry. So I discovered the hard way, that not all herbs like dry conditions, or moist shady ones for that matter. This is a nice, but slightly outdated book.Look for the works of Rosemary Gladstar and Deb Soule for more information about the medicinal properties of herbs.

Perfect Herbs for the Garden
With this book you will read and read again.  What better compliment can a book and its author receive? 

The emphasis here is on pizzazz for the garden. But, it is not fussy plants with difficult requirements, Ms. Gardner is suggesting, rather the uncomplicated perfection of blooming herbs. What could be easier than herbs? Plants that are disregarded as weeds by the unknowing, but prized by those who value their tenacious and giving nature. And, since Ms. Gardner gardens in Nova Scotia, a zone 4 climate, she is very familiar with the word difficult.

Indeed one of the aspects of this book that makes it valuable is her familiarity with colder zones. Another plus is that she is truly a gardener. How do we know? Because only a gardener would describe Catmint as smelling like Cinnamon. This book is full of personal revelations that come only from experience. Experience that we can benefit from by reading this book.

Eighty herbs are profiled for their value in beautifying the landscape or garden. There are many photos of her selections, including photos of more unusual herbs like Dittany.Also, while discussing Oregano, for example, she mentions numerous kinds, which brings the number of herbs discussed to around 700.

Herbs in Bloom: a simply perfect idea.

HERBS IN BLOOM a perfect complement to LIVING WITH HERBS
"The layout, illustrations and photographs are marvelous; the font and leading easy to read; the use of bluish-lavender for the boxed quotations and plant names not only attractive but easy on the eyes; thecommon name cross-reference a special boon. There are many flowers I wouldnever have thought of as herbs, but the concise definition of herbs in yourpreface cleared up my previous misconceptions...HERBS IN BLOOM is a perfectcomplement to LIVING WITH HERBS." ... Read more

Product Description
Preserve the color, shape, flavor, and even fragrance of more than 60 of your favorite herbs by instantly drying them in your microwave under the expert guidance of the HERB DRYING HANDBOOK. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs and drawings of individual plants, herb gardens, and craft projects. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

herb-drying handbook made simple
This is a nice book for someone like me who is a want-to-be herb dryer.It is interesting reading as it included herbs I would not have even thought about drying. I liked the idea of using the microwave for drying rather than a drying rack because I don't have a good area to place one. ... Read more

Product Description
This book is made up of a series of 14 previously published articles on gardening.These articles cover a wide variety of topics including container gardening, garden pests, herbs, hostas, garden tools and growing zones.As the title says, they contain practical advice on many aspects of home gardening.

The author has been an avid gardener for many years and conducts workshops on growing herbs and hostas.Gardening is one of the favorite pass times of her murder mystery detective, Rachel Myers. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Garden Book!
I don't usually do reviews.In fact, this is the first one I have done since my wife got our Kindle a couple of years ago.

I'm a reader first, then a few other things but somewhere along the line I'm a gardener.Practical Gardening is (unlike many gardening books) a fascinating read.

Each article is self-contained which means it's like reading a book of short stories; just choose the one you want to read without having to start at the beginning.I especially liked the one on Voles and Slugs.Very entertaining!

Also, do check out the photographs offered under the Cover Image.Beautiful! ... Read more

Product Description
The indispensable new reference book for every herb enthusiast

With over 400 plants illustrated in full color, this is the most comprehensive photographic guide to herbs and plants grown all over the world for their culinary and medicinal properties.

Included are descriptions of the plants' distinctive features for identification, botanical information showing where each is found, and how to grow it or gather it from the wild. The text relates the history of the plant, describes its traditional uses in cooking, medicine, or cosmetics, and where appropriate details modem research supporting long-held beliefs about the effectiveness of the plant. ... Read more

Product Description
Are you tired of throwing away time, energy, and money on a perfectly manicured, water-guzzling, weed-producing lawn? Are you longing to feed your family in more healthful and eco-friendly ways but shocked by organic produce prices at the grocery store? Do you fantasize about growing your own food but hesitate to take on more than you can manage?
 
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it’s time for you to get down and dirty—and take the plunge that will please your taste buds and your pocket-book! In Small-Plot, High-Yield Gardening, Sal Gilbertie and Larry Sheehan will help you turn your sprawling suburban acreage or postage stamp–sized plot into a low-impact, all-organic, totally sustainable produce garden.
 
You’ll learn about the most effective natural fertilizers, drought-resistant cultivation methods, pest-repellent companion plantings, trends in heirloom herb and vegetable varieties, and raised-bed techniques for achieving maximum productivity in a limited space. You can even add a cutting garden so you’ll always have fresh flowers on a kitchen table that’s groaning under the weight of incomparably fresh vegetables seasoned with a variety of home-grown herbs.
 
Whether you’re filling a 10’ x 10’ sandbox or digging up your 3,000-square-foot tennis court, any yard has the potential to produce a multi-crop bonanza. And anyone with a little soil and a lot of heart can do it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Good introduction to gardening but light on detail
While I found the book informative and a good read, there are better references out there for the first time or seasoned gardener.

Based on the title of the book, I expected to find several garden plans built for smaller spaces.Instead, the main garden plan in the book is 3000 sq ft (50' x 60') which is FAR from being small in my region.A few smaller plans are included but they don't have the same detailed planting summary that is devoted to the larger plan.(How many vegetables can I grow in the smaller plans?)

The sowing and transplanting dates are based on the authors' hardiness zone and there is no zone chart for anyone outside the NY-Connecticut area.Everyone can easily find this information online but it seems like a strange omission in a gardening book.

There's a handy dollar and crop yield chart for the 3000 sq ft garden but I would have preferred a concise summary table of all vegetables that includes sowing dates (# of weeks from last/first frost), planting depth, yield per plant, etc. that could be adapted to a garden of any size.

The section on insect and disease control is too simplistic for any gardener. Instead, the authors could have described the common pest or disease problems that can affect vegetables included in the book's garden plans.

There could also have been more than a passing mention on how to store the fruits of your labour.I'm sure families won't have any trouble eating most crops as they are harvested, but how does one manage 100 heads of fennel or 540lbs of eggplant?(Yes, the "small-plot" 3000 sq ft garden plan in this book includes these yields!)

Book layout/format:
The book's large type size, wide margins, and sparse layout are easy on the eyes but not visually interesting.
There is no photography (except for a small photo of one of the author's children) and very few line illustrations in the book.

Pacific Book Review, April 8 , 2010
Reviewed by:Barbara Miller, Pacific Book Review
Title:Small-plot, High-Yield Gardening

This is truly a must own for any gardener."Small-Plot, High Yield Gardening:How to Grow like a Pro, Save Money, and Eat Well by Turning Your Back Yard into a Organic Garden" is an in-depth guide covering everything you need to know:Where to plant your garden, soil, seeds diseases, and details on specific veggies from artichokes to thyme.What sets this apart from other garden guides is its attention to detail, complete with photos and illustrations.Though Gilbertie and Sheehan nearly go off the rails when they introduce symbolism or describe the design value of an element without noting that it is also good horticultural practice (like topdressing alpines), this is otherwise a deft and lucid guide to ways of seeing the garden.

The rest of the book deals usefully enough with practical matters--choosing a pot (there are gorgeous ones in this book), container mixes, watering, fertilizers, and the like--and offers a selection of plant groups for containers. Gilbertie cautions that "container plants must be managed more attentively" than the same plants in the open garden he claims that containers "can be easily maintained in a short amount of time") and that "it is not as easy living life in a pot as it is in the ground." Gilbertie states, that "in most areas, hardy perennials need some sort of protection to keep them alive over winter" and "with reasonable care, a tree or shrub will survive for several years in a pot."There isn't any aspect of vegetable gardening that's not included here, even storing the harvest, discouraging animal pests and composting.

With this guidebook, you aren't left guessing.Between the superb blend of written explanation, drawings, and bullet-points, the authors have truly covered your entire gardening basis.I would not hesitate to recommend this book to any gardener or anyone interested in growing a garden.

It's just what I was looking for
This book is just what I was looking for. It was written for people just like me-wanna be gardeners. Gardening is just my hobby but I want to get results for all my work. I enjoy working outdoors. I find it so relaxing. Knowing how to do it right gives me more confidence. Just love the book. Can't wait for Spring so I can start planting.

Josephine

Gardening/Small Places
This book is very comprehensive and has a great deal of good detail for small-plot gardening. Lots of good tips that are easy to follow. I can seen that it will be a good reference book for me. I ordered this book after seeing the author on Martha Stewart one morning. It was a good investment.

Great source of information
I wasn't expecting it to be as interesting as it is.I read the whole thing in one sitting!If you're planning your first garden and don't want to overdo it, the garden plans may not help you much (the smallest is 10' X 10') but they'll give you some ideas of how to arrange things and what you can do when you're ready to expand.The details are great, especially for me since I'm about to start my first garden this year.I do wish he had a bigger variety of suggestions for fertilizer, but he's a really big fan of rabbit pellets and doesn't really discuss much else.Overall, it's going to be a huge help for me not only this first season, but for years to come. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (20)

Great deal for Jerry Baker
I have been looking for Jerry Baker's books at a reasonable price for years.This was a great deal and I was able to share them with my sister who is redoing her back yard. I had friends that raved about how great this guy was.

old time gardening with Jerry Baker
I have about 7 of Jerry Baker's books and they are so great and so much info. you can read it over and over and still fine something you missed the first time.the books are great.

Had to send back
I liked this book, but it was more for the outdoor critters.I was in need of kitchen critters who think they own the house.

I'm sending it back, & will try to find something that will work indoors. "Ask the Bugman" will be my next purchase.

Great Advice!
I bought this book for my Aunt several years ago and she loved it.In conversations over time, she shared a lot of the good advice she learned from the book with my husband.He started to write it down on Post-its and scraps of paper so that we could remember what to do in our garden.Too many scraps of paper were lost!I decided that I'd better get him a copy of the book.I gave it to him for his birthday this year, and now our garden is getting the benefit of the great homegrown wisdom in Jerry Baker's amazing book.It will take a long time to try all of his recipes, but we're looking forward to reaping the rewards!

Great Information
I was very pleased with the variety of information in this book, there were several of the recipes for bugs and fertilizer that I tried and they worked.I love the old ways of doing things. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Seems to have everything!
Kind of overwhelming, honestly, because I'm new to gardening, but the chapters are organized in a reasonable way and information was easy to find. This may turn out to be my main resource in the future

Buy it.Then use it.
The best book on intensive spacing for garden plants.I purchased an extra copy for my son-in-law who had great success with it's recommendations.

excellent veggie garden book
This is an excellent book on vegetable gardening. I like it enough to be buying a second copy for my daughter. No one book covers everything but this is one I consult fairly regularly, especially when laying out a new bed or design. I also recommend Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew and Postage Stamp Gardening, can't remember author. ... Read more