Suggest a good book for someone that has never gardened before?
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Sarapan di Lang Son.
Question by Mel: Suggest a good book for someone that has never gardened before?
I have never done a garden before but my husband and I would like to try one this year. Any suggestions on a book that explains everything?
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3 Responses to Suggest a good book for someone that has never gardened before?
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I have not seen any “one” book that covers all aspects of gardening. I use the internet for getting different theories on varieties of growing. It’s free and you get more than one persons opinion on whats best.
sensible_man
October 6, 2013 at 7:49 pm
Welcome to gardening! Vegetable gardening? Flower gardening? Both? More? 🙂
My favorite beginner’s book is Rodale’s Chemical Free Yard and Garden. It’s an older title, so I’d guess you can probably pick one up for about $ 2 used. It won’t cover *everything*,
but it’s a good start.
What I like about this book is that it’s easy to read and covers basic soil preparation and improvement, water and watering, plant nutrition/fertilization, mulch for weed control, building a compost pile, common pests and diseases, plant selection, etc. There’s an extensive discussion of basic US plant materials, including garden veggies, common flowers, common trees and shrubs.
It is an organic gardening book, so it does not recommend pesticides any more complex than soapy water, and it does not cover the use of commercial fertilizers. One of its great strengths, imho, is that you can’t really damage yourself with any of the recommendations, and you will probably learn some basic pest identification techniques. If you choose to go a “chemical route” later, this book will still provide a solid foundation for your gardening.
I garden on the LISA model — low input, sustainable agriculture. That means I use a lot of techniques and controls the organic gardeners do, but I will use commercial fertilizers when needed, and some (but not all) synthetic pest controls if I consider them safe and well-targeted and truly needed. That’s an easy step from the techniques in this book — in fact, you might consider commercial fertilizers this growing season if you don’t have access to manure, matured compost, etc.
Just be gentle and thoughtful in application.
You should also check your state extension service website if you’re in the US (and for the neighboring states, too). There’s often a listing of specific plants that do well in your climate, and information on controlling pests and diseases common in your area.
You might also consider regional garden books in addition to the title above if there are some for your area. For instance, the Sunset Western Garden Book is practically the gardener’s bible in the western US states. There are several good books for Texas, etc., etc., etc.
kay
October 6, 2013 at 8:07 pm
Anything about organic gardening.
Just guessing
October 6, 2013 at 8:13 pm