5 comments about Vegetables, Herbs and Fruit: An Illustrated Encyclopedia.

1. This book is wonderful! Every section gives you a in-depth overview of the vegetable, herb or fruit; detailing different varieties and how they rank in terms of taste and/or hardiness, how to propagate, grow, maintain, harvest and store. Plus gives tips of typical pests/diseases and how to avoid them. Very helpful are the "companion planting" paragraphs, explaining which plants do best next to each other. And to top it all off, each section includes a "culinary" and "medicinal" section, informing you of the best ways to use your crops once harvested. The pictures are beautiful and the wording is easy to understand and to the point. This is a great book for any gardener's reference shelf. Fun to read cover-to-cover, but set up so that you can dip in and out as you choose.



2. This book has the most readable practicle information on every vegetable, herb or fruit I would ever grow plus many others. It covers some history of origin, varieties, cultivation, propagation, container and garden growing, harvesting & storage as well as uses both medicinal and culinary and also some recipies. I have not come across a more extensive book. My son & daughter both in their early 20's and just starting vege gardening use this as their bible. Well worth owning.



3. I didn't really know what shape I expected, even though the description said good condition. 3 days later! Yes, literally 3 days later I got it in the mail and the condition was PERFECT! I was so happy!



4. PRO
   
   - Extensive coverage of fruit, vegetable and herbs.
   The book says it covers 100 fruits, 70 vegetables and 100 herbs.
   Each subject has Cultivation, Companion planting, and Culinary sections. If it's a herb, it also has Medicinal section.
   
   One day I bought a bag of Macadamias nuts from my local grocery store. The label said they were grown in Australia, Hawaii and Africa. I wanted to know more about them. I opened this book to page 555 and voila! I found all the interesting information about them. There were 3 beautiful photos of the nuts, the tree and the dish made from the nuts. It's informative and mouth watering.
   
   - Very well illustrated.
   Each fruit, tree, or vegetable has at least 3 pictures. They're beautiful. The Culianry section always has a picture of the dish made with the fruit, herb or vegetable. It's so colorful and lively that it makes me hungry!
   
   - It's hard covered. So, it will last a long time.
   
   CONS
   
   - It uses the term "Long", "Short", "Medium" to describe the life span of the trees without giving a range in years. This is frustrating because I am not sure approximate how long they live. But I can easily find this information from somewhere else. No book is perfect.
   
   In short, it's definitely worth buying. I use it almost daily for cooking recipes and for general information. Together with Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages http://www.uni-graz.at/~katzer/engl/, it makes a complete reference. You can find any information on these subject with these 2 resources.



5. I gave this to my brother who is a chef as a gift and he absolutely loves it. It has a ton of interesting facts including recipes for the foods.

5 comments about The American Wine Society Presents: Growing Wine Grapes.

1. You could probably learn a lot from this little book even if you weren't going to plant a few vines, but if you're even thinking of growing grapes, this is a great little primer. It isn't going to make you a viticulturist, but it will prepare you for what you're about to get into. In the process, it will probably help you avoid more than a few mistakes.

   The American Wine Society does select good authors. Each chapter is tightly written, adequately illustrated, and easily read and absorbed. Most are simply practical, as they should be. A couple border on being scholarly, which is a plus. Dr. John R. McGrew wrote six of the ten chapters. He's no T. V. Munson, but he is a professional grape breeder and a darn good winemaker, too. You can take his word to the bank.

   If you think you might like to plant a few vines out back, buy this book. Read it cover-to-cover and then read Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines. Long before the planting, you'll be dreaming of future ! harvests and vintage wines.




2. This is the definitive book for growing, fertilization and vineyard care for American Vines. Any questions you have this little book will answer them. J Loenholdt talks in a language that all can understand........



3. If you have simply a curiosity on how to grow grapes, this book will suffice. It reads like a large brochure. However, important topics, such as choosing an appropriate vineyard site, are fully explained in only half a page. The illustrations are few and very poorly drawn, as well as some being so small one needs a magnifiying glass to read them. A few paragraphs are so poorly written (J. R. McGrew), they need to be re-read multiple times. Most importantly, this book is written strictly for the EASTERN UNITED STATES...



4. I thought this book was mediocre at best. I was surprised when got it because it is a small book. I have read others on grape growing and wine making and this didnt hit the top of the list. I was a little surprised because some of the important info of this book contradicted other books which makes me think that there are different methods to do certain things. The book has some very good ideas, but it can sometimes be hard to understand. I found many of the illustrations and tables hard to understand. Being an amateur grape grower, I guess i just had more questions than the illustrations and explanations could answer. Some chapters are very good. For example there is one that talks about specific diseases; this would be a good reference for the amateur grape grower.
   
   I would say to gain more knowledge if you are new to the subject, read this book because it will allow you to see things in a different perspective and it will reinforce certain ideas, but if you had to pick one book, dont pick this one. I really liked Jeff Cox's From Vines to Wines because it had good info on grape growing and wine making.



5. Very basic information at best. Not really much help if you are seriously thinking of growing your own grapes. Many questions, like what variety should I grow, in not addressed properly as far as a Merlot or Cabernet etc. In fact the word "Merlot" is not even in the book! How far apart should the vines be planted? Beats me! I guess I'll have to look in another book.

3 comments about Designing And Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally.

1. One of my most-used books; I'm buying this copy for a wedding. Two negatives -- The cost is high, and even as I wish for more color photographs, I ponder how much the price would rise with them. Also, as a new gardener, I struggled with five-syllable foreign terms and phrases. But he compensates well. After "an inoculant called rhizobium that colonizes the roots of leguminous plants", he says, "Pull up some bean plants. If you can see small pinkish white nodules on the roots" then it's okay. (p. 125)
   
   The range of material is wide yet thorough. Can I grow peaches where I live? He compares 10 varieties, with limitations and virtues. He suggests alternate reading for each subject, and offers a capsule review (e.g., "A good one to browse in the library; only serious tree crops enthusiasts need own it." p. 219). The appendix seems all-encompassing to me, with an expansive index, recommended magazines and supportive organizations, mail order suppliers, & real recipes like "Chayote Parmigiana", with text on everything you'd EVER want to know about growing chayote for the dish, including Effort. (p. 300, 301)
   
   Rosalind Creasy broke ground (ha!) promoting edibles in the landscape, and Kourik credits her. Her book has not been updated, however; this book remains timely.



2. I'm sure this book is interesting to some, but it left me disappointed. The style was too dry and technical to inspire me.



3. I just got the book a week back and I am still reading it. I had to write this review because of the number of stars this book got. It is unfair since only 2 persons have reviewed it. Yes, this book is a little technical, but nothing that a lay person cannot understand. Actually, that is the reason I got this book for. I wanted facts and not stories. I have been reading about permaculture for a while now. I had so many unanswered questions. The minute I read preview pages on Google books, I bought it without the usual second thoughts I get. I am still learning a lot. I liked the section on companion planting and decided not to buy a book on it. Instead I just ordered his book on drip irrigation. I didn't get any color photos in my book. I found I had to download it from his web site. But I don't care much for somebody's landscape photos because I will design my own :) This book has a section on roots too. I also bought his other book on roots as I found it hard to design without knowing what happens underneath. If you are in doubt about buying this book, read the preview to see if this is for you.

No comments about Fruit: Edible, Inedible, Incredible.

4 comments about Keeping the Harvest: Discover the Homegrown Goodness of Putting Up Your Own Fruits, Vegetables & Herbs (Down-to-Earth Book).

1. I found this book in the library and used it for my first garden bounty -- my first canned peaches, my first jam, and my first frozen green beans. Keeping the Harvest is informative, fairly comprehensive and simple to follow. I'm buying it now so I'll be ready for next summer!



2. I bought three books on canning and this book was the best. It is simple to understand, has pictures of the way things should look, such as the canning jars in a not water bath. I was canning tomatos and this book was so easy to follow. It listed the different methods for canning, as stating the best method.

   I bought a pressure cooker and could not understand the manufactures directions, this book explained in simple terms, everything I needed to know, to use the pressure cooker. It has pictures on how to can tomatos from start to finish, which I really appreciated. To me a picture is worth a thousand words.

   I think if you are a first time canner or even experienced, that this easy to use book is for you. I know I will be using it for years to come. Thank you to the authors.




3. I own this book and have purchased it for several people getting married that love to garden. It shows in detail how to can, freeze, store, etc. all of your produce. It is a great book for beginner canners as it explains things that are very easy to understand.



4. This is a very organized book. Since I literally have dozens of this type of book, I can honestly say this is one that I would definelty keep among all the others.

5 comments about Florida's Best Fruiting Plants.

1. I have been using an older, standard book on tropical and sub-tropical fruit for reference when writing my weekly garden article. This book has only black-white photographs, and only covers a small number of tropical fruits. I was so pleased to find a new, up-to-date book, with color photography, and descriptions of many more varieties of fruit. Charles Boning's new book will be a classic, tropical and sub-tropical fruit reference book for many years to come. I liked it so much that I purchased an extra copy for my Master Gardener Reference Library!



2. He puesto la máxima calificación a este libro por su relación calidad-precio, aparte de ser muy barato es bastante interesante puesto que tiene mas de 80 tipos de frutas tanto para climas templados, subtropicales o tropicales. Puede que no venga mucha información sobre cada tipo de fruta pero lo suficiente sobre su adaptabilidad al clima y suelo, características de la planta y del fruto en cuestión y requerimientos para su cultivo. Además hace mención a variedades y a muchas otras frutas. El libro esta pensado para los habitantes de Florida pero se puede extrapolar a otras zonas puesto que esta región tiene una gran diversidad climática. Quizás lo mejor del libro sea todas esas especies exóticas de las que realmente son muy poco conocidas y de las que hace mención. Otro dato importante es que el autor ha escrito el libro por sus experiencias y no por menciones a otros libros. También tiene como ventaja que es fácilmente leído por personas que no tienen mucho conocimiento del ingles y esta bellamente fotografiado e ilustrado.
   En definitiva, un libro interesante por muchos motivos que os lo recomiendo.



3. This is a visually stunning and imminently usable reference book. The author presents some eighty varieties of fruit that grow well in Florida. Most varieties are presented in two-page spreads which include all the basic information one would need (other than an actual taste test) to decide what fruit to include in plans for dooryard gardens, including but not limited to: a full-color illustration of the fruit and how it grows on the plant (most grow on trees); a calendar bar depicting when the fruit is ready to harvest, a map showing where in Florida the fruit will grow (dark green for where it should grow well, light green for where it may grow although conditions are not optimal, and yellow in borderline areas); a silhouette depicting the tree or plant with a scale to indicate the mature size; known hazards (e.g. spines, thorns, pollen, toxic seeds, and so on); soil types and conditions, and much more. There are also many photographs and illustrations showing the fruit cut open.
   
   Of the varieties of fruit presented, I found a total of forty possibilities for growing on my property (central west coast of Florida, on the Nature Coast): thirteen in the dark green area, thirteen in the light green area, and fourteen in the yellow area.
   
   Those totally committed to growing only Florida native plants may be bothered to find fruit like loquat (Japanese plum) presented in this book as it is sometimes considered invasive or a threat to become invasive. Any time a non-native species is planted, there is a risk of its seeds being carried into the wild, including by birds and wildlife. There are advantages to growing plants, including fruit, native to an area; in Florida, the list of native fruit that grows well might be a short list.
   
   In many cases, the author presents representative varieties of the fruit, when in fact there may be hundreds of varieties. The book includes a disappointingly short list of nurseries and could be improved by including more information about where to purchase fruit trees and plants.
   
   Nevertheless, I find no trouble in highly recommending this book. I was considering buying a copy and found it at my local library and decided to check it out and review it first. Now that I have done so, I believe this book would be a bargain at full price.



4. This book reads like a guide put out by the Agricultural Extension Service. It has enough information on culture and new varieties for you to make an intelligent choice for planting in your yard. Covers the common to the exotic. I would definitely read it before I went to a nursery to buy a tree so you can sort the facts from the sales pitches.



5. This book is a must for Florida residents who wish to raise or already are growing plants that bear fruit. I know of nothing better. A great resource.

5 comments about Berry Grower's Companion.

1. I had the pleasure of knowing the author when she was a professor of horticulture at Penn State. She is a remarkable person, combining genuine love for berries with an encyclopedic knowledge of their biology and growing requirements. This book distills that enthusiasm and expertise in a very usable and enjoyable form. If you are interested in growing strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, or other berry crops in your garden, this is the book to have. It is engaging, authoritative, supremely practical, educational, and downright fun to read. Some garden publications are thick on pretty pictures but thin on substance, or may actually propagate horticultural myths not founded in scientific fact. This book is different. Reading it, you will learn a lot about how these plants work, and how to grow them successfully, including delightful sidebar "digressions" about the history and biology of berry species. Although packed with important information needed specifically by berry growers, the book is written in plain language, with clear drawings, color photos, and zest that makes it a delight to read. This is bound to be the best book on the subject for some time, that is, until she writes a second edition!



2. Barbara Bowling's book is well organized and well worth owning. There's an opening chapter about the general principles for growing all kinds of berries (or small fruits, as they are called, not because of the size of the fruits, but because of the size of the plants they grow on). Then, surprisingly, there is an interesting chapter about using berry plants for landscaping. It says, for instance, that elderberry bushes make good hedges.

   There are separate chapters for each of these fruits: strawberries, brambles (raspberries, blackberries and the like), blueberries, grapes and minor berry crops (currants, gooseberries, hardy kiwi, elderberries, highbush cranberries, amelanchiers and still more minor berry crops such as cranberry, edible honeysuckle, jostaberry, ligonberry, maypop, rugosa rose and wineberry).

   There's a highly useful appendix listing nursery sources for berry plants. Also, there's a glossary, a valuable list of references and 12 pages of plant name index and subject index.

   If you're interested in growing one kind of berry, such as raspberries, you can count on having about a hundred pages of information that are directed toward growing raspberries, including the part applicable to growing any berry. And this is true for each of the other kinds of berry.

   The chapter on brambles gives historical background and describes the biology of brambles. It lists many different cultivars of raspberries and blackberries, telling the hardiness, time of berry maturation and relative productivity of each berry cultivar.

   Bowling tells how to select and prepare a site, plant berries and establish their growth, apply nutrition and fertilization, prune brambles and make trellises. She tells how to cope with pests such as viral diseases, gray molds, anthracnose, Phytophthora root rot and a long list of insects. Surprisingly, she chose not to include birds in her list of raspberry pests, although she mentions them in connection with other berries. She doesn't mention any mammals as raspberry pests, either. Most likely, these will be local issues. Not everyone has deer, black bear or rabbits in the neighborhood.

   Of course, you should supplement this book with information from your local ag extension service or nursery. They will have a finer level of local detail about favored cultivars. Sometimes, your local ag extension agent will disagree with this author. For example, this author says that the "Blackhawk" black raspberry cultivar is tender, with medium productivity. The extension service at North Dakota State University, a state with a brutal winter, says that "Blackhawk" is "one of the hardiest black fruited varieties."

   You'll need to adjust the book's information in terms of your specialized knowledge of your own local climate. For instance, this author describes the "Boyne" cultivar as a summer-bearing red raspberry suited for the climate of New England. She doesn't mention it in connection with the Midwest. The North Dakota State University Extension Service, on the other hand, says that "Boyne" is "excellent for [North Dakota] home gardens ... moderately vigorous, sturdy, winter hardy and very productive."

   The important thing is that Bowling has listed many, many cultivars, together with enough information for a grower to know the right climate for each one.




3. In the intro, the author warns (paraphrasing) that her experience is mostly in the eastern and midwest US - and her comments will be of most value for gardeners in those regions. That is a fair thing to state.. What I have a problem with, is the complete neglect of the Southwest - to the point I sensed that she doubts people even garden there - and its all commercial growers.

   For example: in all the tables that mention regions, she has breakouts for New England, Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, South Central, Souteast, and Pacific Northwest... Uh, what about West, or Southwest? We're here trying to grow these things too.

   Other things that bothered me: in her very thorough list of Strawberry cultivars, she omits one of the most common varieties grown in the West (Sequoia). In her list of southern highbush blueberries, most of the best ones are omitted (O'Neal, Georgia Gem, Misty, Reveille, Jubilee are all missing).

   The ommissions themselves are not so significant, its what it implies - which is the lack of consideration for what Western gardeners would deal with including chilling hour issues, high heat, etc. And in the minor berries, there is a dicussion of hardy Kiwi - but why not mention the regular Kiwi which can be grown many places (my point being the bias toward her native region)

   On the positive side, this author has a solid academic background and covers many issues in the kind of detail I enjoy. But that's what makes it frustrating for me to read her book - because she does not apply that know-how evenly to what I consider important and did not seem to spend any time researching what's going on out West.




4. Covers strawberries, brambles, blueberries, and grapes very well. Other vine crops, such as kiwis, are covered too briefly to be of any value.

   From the first chapter: "Recommended cultivars are not provided for California and some of the adjoining desert states."




5. I thought this book provided a great overview of different berries, how to grow them, and which ones to pick. Some of it was a little basic and something that is covered in any good gardening book, but the real value of the book, and thus the 4 stars is the comprehensive list of berry varieties and their qualities.

No comments about All About Citrus and Subtropical Fruits (Ortho's All About Gardening).

2 comments about Landscaping with Fruits and Vegetables.

1. I ordered this book through Amazon.com because we are interested in using fruits and vegetables in landscaping. Actually, we just plain like to garden and eat. Landscaping is secondary.

   Fruit tree catalogues are very basic, and frustrating. You see some closeup's of a fruit, and that's it. No sense of the tree or shrub shape, seasonal looks, the plant's needs, or anything else. So, it's hard to figure out what variety and what plant fits with your yard.

   This book is prob. the best garden reference I have ever purchased, and has become our favorite when planning spring plant orders. Mr. Hagy writes as clear an explanation of landscape design concepts as I have read in any book. He has good illustrations of ways to incorporate fruit and vegetable plants into the landscape. But since the landscaping is secondary to me, what is most helpful for me are the great illustrations and details of the many edible plants that can be used in landscapes. I've learned a lot reading this book, and I'm a farm girl who's been around "edible landscapes" all my life.

   This is truly a 5 star gardening book.




2. This book is wonderful. It is the only one I could find that specifically uses edible plantings in landscape plans. I had gotten this from the library first and quickly realized I wanted it for my collection. The illustrations are beautiful and the author gives just the right amount of information on each species.

4 comments about Growing Fruit (RHS Encyclopedia of Practical Gardening).

1. I have an extensive home orchard with 56 trees (18 varietals) of fruit and nut trees. This little volume covered everything I needed in a short, erudite and amazingly well-detailed volume. I live in the Southeastern US and this book was spot on everything from blueberries to stone fruits and pears and apples, (not to mention Walnuts and Filberts). It covers everything from soil preparation, pruning, fertilization, pests and diseases, propagation, healing-in, ad infinitum. I have nearly every book available on fruit and nut production for the home orchard. This is the best one I own by leaps and bounds.



2. This is an informative book without being boring. Lots of diagrams. The book is laid out well and it's easy to find the information.



3. I am very glad I purchased this book before I started planting my fruit trees. I did not realize what needed to be done, for best results, before the trees were planted. I also got a better idea of the size fruit trees I needed for our use. The book is very informative. I look forward to studying it during the summer and, hopefully, starting the planting of trees in late fall when everything is prepared. It is a little complicated to follow and I found I needed real quiet to get the details lined out. I had to take many notes in order get everything into a easy format to follow.



4. I never tire of looking through my Growing Fruit book, and find endless new things about fruit everytime I do read it. The subject is fascinating and the drawings well executed. I work in a garden nursery, am a horticulture student, and have a small garden of my own; helping customers with their fruit tree problems and small garden fruit needs is one of my tasks. Some people are looking at fruit trees for their smaller gardens, having never been able to consider them before due to size issues and the like. This is a small career investment I am glad I made.