Garden Books
March 11, 2010
The New Seed Starter's Handbook is well worth a second look
This is a timely book which is detailed and encourages the gardener to start her own plants from seed. The book begins with the reasons for starting plants at home. You get stronger, healthier and organic plants. The varieties are also much more diverse if you grow your own vegetables.
The author takes you step by step through picking the seed and understand the conditions that encourage sprouting and growth. There is a section on diseases and pests. She covers greenhouses and their benefits and problems, potting soil mixes, and everything you should know about seeds. I like that she mentions planting flowers and vegetables together. I have never done that, but why not make the rows beautiful by mixing in colorful flowers? This is a great book for those of us who would like to try or continue to improve our ability to grow our own plants from seed.
The book is out now in paperback so the price is right.
At The New Seed Starter's Handbook (Paperback)
February 19, 2010
Territorial Seed catalog has everything I need
It's time to order seed and the Territorial seed catalog is here. Although i spend time perusing every catalog that comes, I keep coming back to Territorial to buy everything but the specialty items that have caught my eye elsewhere. Here I get all the standard vegetables whose seed I haven't saved from last year's garden and also the hybrids that I have to buy new every year.
Territorial is located in Oregon and their catalog covers everything from artichokes to Zznnias, with ten pages on tomaotes and again on lettuce and European greens. I'm always amused to see Purslane in the greens section of catalog because it grows as a weed in my garden and the first few years, I tired finding a way of making it delicious and failed. Now I till it under as it makes a good green manure. They have large section on herbs and also flowers and are introducing a gorgeous orange red Coral Reef echinacea that comes only as a plant, but would really brighten a tall border.
The catalog includes fruits and berries and the obliatory seed starter kits. There are greenhouse growing supplies and season extenders. Now red mulch is being sold as well as the red Kozy-coat water filled plant protectors which I'm going to try as my family is coming in early summer and it would be great to have some tomatoes for them to pick. I'm also getting the BirdBlock protective netting. It is 3/4" propylene mesh and will go over my corn row to see if I can keep the crows and bluejays from eating the corn before I can get to it.
It's a great feeling to know the seeds are ordered and on the way. I can sit back and relax and wait for the soil to warm up(and dry out!)
At Territorial Seed
February 17, 2010
The New Seed Starter's Handbook is revised and informative
This is a timely book which is detailed and encourages the gardener to start her own plants from seed. The book begins with the reasons for starting plants at home. You get stronger, healthier and organic plants. The varieties are also much more diverse.
The author takes you step by step through picking the seed and understand the conditions that encourage sprouting and growth. There is a section on diseases and pests. She covers greenhouses and their benefits and problems, potting soil mixes, and everything you should know about seeds. I like that she mentions planting flowers and vegetables together. I have never done that, but why not make the rows beautiful by mixing in colorful flowers? This is a great book for those of us who would like to try or continue to improve our ability to grow our own plants from seed.
At The New Seed Starter's Handbook (Paperback)
January 8, 2010
How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office
This is a great book. I bought it for my daughter and her husband when they first moved into their house. The place had just been painted and I was worried about the fumes from carpeting and paint. But the book offered much more. There are studies conducted by NASA which show that plants remove pollutants from the air. The book has great photos of houseplants and a very easy to read scale which shows what pollutants each plant removes, how easy the plant is to care for, and how beset by insects it might be. We went for a Fincus, Dumb Cane, Peace plant, and an English Ivy. My strategy was to buy the easy to care for plants that removed a lot of pollutants and to see how well they survived in my daughter's household where no one much is interested in caring for them.
The Fincus lasted several years and finally for no apparent reason, started dropping all it's leaves and died. But the several year were worth it. It's a lovely tree and can grow very tall under the right conditions. A teacher friend of mine had one ten feet tall in her classroom. The Dumb Cane was very attractive and lasted longer. The three suvivors of the original picks are Pothos, Snake plant, the English Ivy, and Spider plant.
I'm building a new house and am going to use this book to pick out house plants. I'll have plenty of light and so am looking forward to another Fincus and some rubber plants. I want to grow a Dumb Cane really big also. I loved that plant. It's exciting to think that these lovely plants will also help clean the air and keep it fresh for me year round.
I repeat. "This is a great book!"
At How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office
December 22, 2009
The Medici Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquillity
Here is a inspiring book to give to someone interested in healing arts and garden herbs. It give ideas for creating garden space that uses Native American mystical symbolism to describe how to put together a garden that heals body and soul. The author clearly explains the basic layout of a "medicine wheel" garden. Also covered are traditional plants and why certain colored plants belong in the different quadrants of the circle. He also offers an illustrated encyclopedia of 50 healing herbs, as well as recipes that incorporate those herbs. The author observed that his happiest and healthiest patients had green thumbs. He introduces his concept of the "soul garden" and he draws from literature and scientific studies, among other sources, to back up his claim that, like Voltaire's Candide, people would be happier and less stressed out if they would just sit back and watch their gardens grow.
At The Medicine Wheel Garden: Creating Sacred Space for Healing, Celebration, and Tranquillity
December 8, 2009
From Vines to Wines: A complete beginners guide to making wine
Now that I am set on planting some wine grapes, I'm getting this book recommended by a local vintner. This book gives the basics in understandable terms. It helps you select the best grapes for the area and discusses varieties so that you can choose a grape that will grow and produce the wine you want. But it doesn't stop there. It goes into the winemaking process and does so in a conversational tone which gives you confidence that, you too, can make some really good wine. I'm still thinking about "new wine" and have decided that 10 plants should give me enough juice to have several gallons of tangy fermented grape juice. A great holiday drink.
At From Vines to Wines: The Complete Guide to Growing Grapes and Making Your Own Wine (Paperback)
December 1, 2009
Renovation Nation: Watch Your Green Grow is a dvd to inspire and inform you
You can learn how to get the biggest environmental benefit from your own backyard. From simple water conservation techniques to plant selection and placement, it s all about keeping your landscaping in tune with nature. This dvd shows us how planting smart can reduce runoff, boost the ecosystem, clean and filter water and provide a healthy, organic food source. It also means less maintenance and long-term expense. And you don't have to turn a page!
At Renovation Nation: Gardening - Watch Your Green Grow (2009)
November 6, 2009
Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide simplifies composting for you
Here is a very down to earth book about the process of turning garden and yard waste into compost. The book is comprehensive and detailed but never looses its humorous and clear instructions. It explains what you need to make compost work quickly and is a good book for winter reading.
At Let it Rot!: The Gardener's Guide to Composting (Third Edition) (Storey's Down-to-Earth Guides) (Paperback)
October 15, 2009
The Sprouting Book: How to Grow and Use Sprouts to Maximize Your Health
At last the first big rain of the winter season is here. It's a great relief that the fire danger is over and it also means it's time to bring the sprinklers and timers and tools inside. This winter I'm going to set up a sprout growing area near the sink. This book has all the information needed to get the sprouts growing and keeping a succession of sprouts coming.
At The Sprouting Book: How to Grow and Use Sprouts to Maximize Your Health and Vitality (Avery Health Guides) (Paperback)
September 21, 2009
The Organic Gardener's Handbook: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals
This is a really helpful book which has descriptions of diseases and insects and how to save your plants if they show signs of infestation. There are entries for common fruits, flowering plants, vegetables, and trees. Each listing has information on disease and pest problems and tips on how to solve them without chemicals. Especially useful sections feature photos of garden insects and diseases.
At The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals (Paperback)
August 17, 2009
The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer
Here is a book that tells you how to design and plant a perennial garden. Perennials come back year after and a good design includes a sequence of colorful flowers during the growing season. The book helps you balance sun and shade plants as well as size. It has a relaxed attitude about the process so that any gardener feels at ease with the process of building a beautiful flower garden.
At The Perennial Gardener's Design Primer (Paperback)
August 7, 2009
Square Foot Gardening for small spaces and easy growing
If you don't have much space, but would really like a small and easy to manage garden, this book has the solution for you. Instead of planting in rows, you build a box above the ground fill it with a fertile soil mix(he has recipe), and plant using a small grid space for each vegetable. Perfect for those who want fresh vegetables and don't have space or time for big time gardening. It's not too late in the year to make this happen!
At All New Square Foot Gardening (Paperback)
July 30, 2009
Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
Here is a book with some tips on growing vegetables all year. The first chapter begins with picking a salad from a cold frame while it is snowing. It includes details about how each vegetable should be grown. The book is written with a sense of humor and has instructions on how to build a cold frame and do succession planting while at the same time keeping the advice simple.
At Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long
July 28, 2009
The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production
For those of you interested in winter gardening, here is a book with all the tips and techniques you will need. The author uses unheated greenhouses and discusses in depth the possibilities and rewards of winter gardening. He lives in Maine where the winters are really icy and is successful with year round harvesting. Those of us in more southern locations can benefit from his expertise and be sure of success.
At The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses (Paperback)
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