No comments about Growing Tomatoes (Step-By-Step Visual Guide).

3 comments about You Bet Your Tomatoes: Fun Facts, Tall Tales, and a Handful of Useful Gardening Tips.

1. If you want to read a funny book on how to grow beautiful tomatoes, then You Bet Your Tomatoes is right up your alley. Mike
   McGrath (NPR host of the gardening radio show, "You Bet Your Tomatoes") not only shows you quick ways to keep your tomato plants happy and thriving, but he tells some funny stories and bizarre factoids along the way. In fact, I why wonder this book isn't also sold in the humor section at the bookstore?



2. You Bet Your Tomatoes! by Mike McGrath is the only how-to grow-tons-of-quality-tomatoes one will ever need. It is the only 'mater book I have and my 'maters are the envy of the neighborhood -- Not bad, since I've only been gardening for a couple of years, as a hobby.
   
   McGrath starts off with a basic question: Why am I Doing This Instead of Enjoying my Summer??? then proceeds to give the reader plenty of logical reasons like "Tomatoes are easier to grow than watermelons..." and "Most other summer endeavors have a much higher risk of death and/or dismemberment." Yes, the god of all-things-humorous seems to reign in this book!
   
   Chapter 1 -- Picking Your Tomatoes (Do all these things have funny, rude, or mysterious names?)
   this chapter contains the names of all the top tomatoes, Determinate or Indeterminate, Hybrid or Open-Pollinated, Days to Maturity, Comments. A must-have reference!
   Chapter 2 -- The Joy of Germination (Or, Killing your own tomatoes from seed)
   Chapter 3 - The Art of Tomato Planting (You want me to BURY them? You MONSTER!!)
   Chapter 4 - Staking and Caging (No, not "or," "AND!" Got it?! "Staking AND Caging"!!!)
   
   The little drawings of all the 'mater-babies are absolutely precious! My favorite is the 'mater-baby sitting in a stroller with a pacifier in its mouth.
   
   Chapter 5 - Food, Water and Basic Keeping-Alive Skills (Ooops---you mean I shouldn't have watered them each and every day?)
   Chapter 6 - Pest Control... (Am I the only creature around here NOT eating my tomatoes???)
   Chapter 7 - Dealing with Disease (Can't we just take them to the hospital?)
   
   Did I mention all that neighbor-envy your are going to bask in -- growing those big, beautiful 'maters. Better than sunshine, to be sure. :) --Katharena Eiermann, 2005, the Realm of Existentialism -- Presidential Hopeful



3. I really did not like this book. I didn't learn any useful tips. The writer mainly talks about his experiences in tomato growing but doesn't really offer any useful info.

No comments about Terrific Tomatoes.

3 comments about Livingston and the Tomato.

1. If you love tomatoes, I mean not just eating, but raising collecting, and learning about them, this is THE book to own. A.W. Livingston was an instrumental force in the breeding and popularizing of tomatoes in the late-19th and early 20th Century. His varieties were perfect, copied and some are still available today. We hope to have at least two of his varieties listed in our catalog next year.



2. If you love tomatoes, I mean not just eating, but raising collecting, and learning about them, this is THE book to own. A.W. Livingston was an instrumental force in the breeding and popularizing of tomatoes in the late-19th and early 20th Century. His varieties were perfect, copied and some are still available today.



3. Andrew Smith deserves great credit for making Alexander Livingston's book on tomatoes available for all to read. The varieties described in this book - Paragon, Acme, Beauty, Stone, Golden Queen, Buckeye State and a few others - are very likely to be varieties that your grandparents and great grandparents grew in their garden. Some diligent searching led to the location of quite a few, thus even today's gardeners can grow and enjoy these varieties. Alexander Livingston made the critical observation in creating improved tomato varieties - plant a field of a particular variety and look for PLANTS that produce superior fruit, rather than saving seed from a particular tomato on a plant as a basis for improvement. This technique - single plant selection - led to all of the improvements in tomatoes right up until the advent of hybrid varieties in the 1940's. This is a great read, and is a centerpiece item for the current popularity in growing heirloom vegetables.

5 comments about In Praise of Tomatoes: A Year in the Life of a Home Tomato Grower.

1. I was fully prepared to enjoy this book. I love travel and gardening memoirs and am an avid tomato (and rose) grower. But after reading three chapters, I tossed it. The author turns out to be a left-liberal who liberally (pun intended) sprinkles his text with snide and insulting remarks about Republicans. Note to the author: Conservatives garden too.



2. More than a gardening reference, and more than a memoir, this book was enjoyable from beginning to end. Whether writing on tomatoes, family and friends, or life in general, the author's warmth and love of life shine through. I read it as slowly as I could, vowing all the while to stop a little more often and smell the tomatoes.



3. What a simple pleasure, a good book can bring to one's life. I dream of gardens... filled with flowers and tomatoes. I love this book so much that it is one of the few books I do not let my fellow gardening friends borrow -- I buy them their own copy. If you love, really love tomatoes read this book.



4. I picked up this book because I've decided to grow tomatoes on my patio in Southern California. I figured that any advice I could glean from the Shepherd's years of growing tomatoes in San Diego would be helpful to me in Laguna Beach...what I didn't expect was the charming "day-in-the-life" subplot to the main tomato growing narrative of life in a working class, multi-cultural San Diego neighborhood. The simply told year-long narrative about of how growing tomatoes has brought Shepherd's neighbors together makes this a heart-warming and interesting book--not to mention all of the wonderful tomato lore that makes the book a gardener's delight.



5. This book is to tomatoes what "Trout Fishing in America" is to trout.I knew Richard Brautigan from Enrico's restaurant and bar in San Francisco in the 70s. I cherish his autographed inscription "to Richard from Richard" on my dog-eared copy of "The Tokyo-Montana Express".I look forward to meeting Steve Shepherd.He, too, is a keen observer of life. However, Shepherd sees the joys of life. He writes with a wry humor and a twinkle in his eye. You'll want to have his Italian-American neighbors over for dinner. You'll want to move to San Diego. You'll want to raise tomatoes. As an ex New Yorker and big fan of the New Jersey tomato, I found this book a joy to read. The title is great, too. "In praise of tomatoes." This book would make a great gift for anyone who has ever tried to grow anything, any place, at any time.

3 comments about Tantalizing Tomatoes (Brooklyn Botanic Garden All-Region Guide).

1. This book is a very good beginner book on growing tomatoes. It gives some history, how to, explains the seed packs, and gave me an idea on different varieties to try. If you already are pretty proficient in these things, I suggest you find something a little more informative. It did leave me with a few questions, but a lot of new ideas to try.



2. This was a good beginner book on growing tomatoes. It included some history, how-to, deciphering seed packet, and information on different varieties of tomatoes. If you are passed the beginner/novice stage, I recommend some thing a little more informative. It was an easy read and it gave me some ideas to try on my suffering tomatoe plants.



3. Those first-time gardeners interested in growing tomatoes will find Tantalizing Tomatoes to be an excellent introduction to North America's most beloved fruit/vegetable. The book covers everything that one needs to know from the history of the tomato through propigation, pest control and, finally, popular tomato recipes.

5 comments about How to Grow World Record Tomatoes: A Guinness Champion Reveals His All-Organic Secrets.

1. This book gives you some new and different ideas on how to grow tomatoes.
   I can't wait for spring to try it.



2. If you have ever thought of turning to organic gardening then this book will be very helpful. If you have been practicing organic gandening for years there are still some enlightning new theories for you here. If you believe you can get good produce to grow from a brick with the proper amount of chemical fertilizer and don't plan on changing your mind then this book is a waste of time.



3. After growing tomatoes for years in a small family garden, I decided to take up the hobby Academically. This book will clearly put my efforts over the top. Armed with all of Mr. Wilbers knowledge and research I should be able to grow the best tomato plants ever. There is lots of conflicting information out there, but from my experience I will go with Mr. Wilber 99%. He gives a clear picture of his purpose. It's all clear and concise. Everyone who reads this book can't help but grow bigger/better Tomatoes! I highly recommend this book.



4. This book is excellent information. I learned so much, especially about composting. Nobody can argue with this man's results. It's just amazing.
   I do wish there were a follow up book for other plants and trees.



5. The most comprehensive tome on growing record breaking amounts of tomatoes on the market.Gives all the information you need to know in one comprhensive resource on how to grow starters, prepare soil and its correct mix, with poignant stries from the authors experience based on proen scientific research that gets the results you would expect from a book with his title.

5 comments about Smith & Hawken: 100 Heirloom Tomatoes for the American Garden.

1. Enjoyed the book enough to buy another to give to my tomato-growing son. Also hooked me to the point of buying three other tomato books from Amazon. The author posts regularly on various tomato websites. Great photographs. For the price that Amazon sells this book - you cannot go wrong.



2. Wonderful book written by Dr Carolyn Male. If you don't own or have not read this book, then you really are found lacking in life!



3. I received this book as a gift, after my small 4-plant tomato plot fared disastrously last summer. 1 of the 4 plants produced decent tomatoes, while the rest died unceremoniously. This year, following the recommendations in this book, my 4 plants are all doing great, and I already have little tomatoes-to-be on 3 of the 4. For that reason alone I would recommend this book. I wish some of the planting and tending suggestions were a little clearer; you have to piece some of them together for yourself. Nevertheless, just two of the express recommendations on their own have made a world of difference for me.
   
   The photographs and descriptions of the different heirloom varieties are fantastic, and will inspire you to pick out some different and unusual tomatoes for your garden. You don't have to be a tomato fanatic to enjoy and learn from this book.



4. I love thumbing through this book. I buy most of my seeds from Seed Savers Exchange so it is especially fun because several of the varieties I was already growing, are featured in this book. Plus I have been inspired to try a few more. Well laid out. Beautiful book.



5. I have a small greenhouse and sell organic heirloom tomato plants. This book is my tomato bible! I am growing many of the plants she lists. Some I already knew about, some will be new this year, based on the information in this book. In addition, this book contains the simplest and clearest instructions I have found for saving seeds.
   
   Her pictures - well, they are REAL! What a concept! Instead of pictures of these pristine tomatoes that were probably airbrushed, the pictures of her cherry tomatoes show a little crack here and there, and she unabashedly shows scarring and other blemishes. She shows top views, bottom views, and each picture shows a cut tomato so one can see the flesh. For a tomato grower like me, this is great information.
   
   Her descriptions are frank, and since I was already growing some of these tomatoes myself, I know they are honest. You ever notice how the descriptions of the tomatoes in the catalogs imply that EVERY tomato is the BEST tomato? Dr. Male tells it like it is! In fact, she describes some of them having some faults, but has listed them for other reasons. (We agree - Amish Paste? Ho-hum. But historically significant and in spite of its faults, a very popular tomato.)
   
   If you are a tomato aficionado, then you must add this book to your library! I will have a copy at my booth at the farmers market - and I bet it will be dog-eared by the end of the tomato season! I may have to buy another!

2 comments about Grow the Best Tomatoes: Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin A-189 (Storey Country Wisdom Bulletin, a-189).

1. A very direct sudy in cultivating one of the best loved crops; tomatoes. Advice is straightforward, as are illustrations. Tomatoes are easy to grow but only after a few seasons of experience. Well, this bulletin gives you all that "experience" in a clear, straightforward manner.



2. Great little pamphlet. Quick to read, a lot of helpful information that I didn't find elsewhere in larger gardening volumes. Highly recommended.

5 comments about Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening.

1. I have been a gardener for several years, and have enjoyed reading this book and using some of the suggestions.



2. This is a well put together volume of information. Companion planting is the way to go for better yields, and natural insect control.



3. So much information in this little book. I loved this book and would recommend it to anyone with a garden!



4. This is a very informational book. I bought two, gave one to my 73 year old mother who just planted her first successful garden!



5. This book has been great with helping to plant my garden using natural methods of pesticides. This is done by planting plants that repel insects and diseases next to each other. It is a very good way to keep from using chemical pesticides, and to get optimal yields of vegetables and fruits. I highly recomend it for the orgainic gardener or the beginning gardener. It is an exellant guide for all.