Great Garden Reads

 

My book collection about gardening and related subjects seems to grow faster than my gardens do. My preference, for the most part, is for works published 50 to 70 years ago, when no one used the word organic to describe growing flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs. There was no need to add the adjective organic because it was the only way to grow.

When I hold a gardening workshop, especially one aimed at beginning gardeners, I suggest they forget books and rely on the instructions on the seed pack when planting. A few words about soil, hours of sunlight and watering, and they are all set to begin.

Once experience is gained it is time to broaden the knowledge base and read a few books.

The difficult can be in selecting two or three books from the hundreds that are available. Add to this the web pages and gardening articles found on the internet and the choice can be perplexing.

Where to begin?

First, answer a few questions. Are you new to gardening or a seasoned pro? Do you primarily grow vegetables, flowers or herbs? Are perennials your thing or do the possibilities of annuals turn you on?

Do you want the latest organic gardening tips?

The choice of a book will also depend upon your overall gardening goals; are you seeking to grow brilliant roses or to transform your yard into a market garden? Both are possible.

If you are interested in converting your backyard into a food garden then the book, I’d suggest is Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. It is published by Chelsea Green, 2001, and has a foreword by John Todd.  A second edition is available.

Hemenway’s book is for the people who are really determined to increase their ability to grow their own food. If that describes you then check out this book.

Speaking of checking out books, the local public library is a great source for gardening information. You can browse through the books until you garden fix is satisfied then check out the one(s) that you want to take a more detailed look through.

Book sales are another excellent source for getting great garden books; much of my ever growing collection comes from book sales. In the gardening world, there is much that is new again and the date a book was printed often does not matter.

Used book sales have added quite a few books to my collection.

I recommend getting at least one plant guide for flowers; make sure it covers plants that will grow in your area. The guide can help you make plant choices; a good one will have colour photos or illustrations of the plants plus information about the plant’s requirements and maintenance.

For anyone in the Canadian Maritimes, this is a good choice, The Atlantic Gardener's Greenbook, by Jodi DeLong (Nova Scotia, Canada).

 Gardening can be a very simple and enjoyable activity and a good book or three can enhance the practice and the pleasure.