1 comments about Culinary Gardens: From Design to Palate.

1. This book is a great idea, but lacks the particulars needed to actually do the gardens it outlines. Specific dimensions are missing in the individual designs. The knot garden for example gives an overall dimension ... but you just sort of have to guess how big the circles and paths are and how large the corner beds are.
   
   There's no real indication how many plants to use, so developing a shopping list and thus a cost estimate is a nothing but a guess.
   
   Plant locations on the design are indicated by varying shades of often similar colors. One design for example has 7 shades of greens. It's impossible to tell which green is which plant in the design.
   
   The majority of the book is devoted to descriptions of the various plants and rambling history or other material on the different garden types. There are few tips on how to actually construct the design. Like how do you lay out a perfect circle of plants? When should you do the shaping and pruning, the harvesting, and when should the plants go in the ground for the best look of the particular garden? Most of the plant descriptions do not include light requirements or other such practical considerations. In short, a good idea, very poorly executed. Advanced and intermediate gardeners won't really need a book like this, and beginners will just be frustrated.
   
   The best part of the book are the recipes, which salvages an otherwise mediocre book, and earns it three stars instead of one.

1 comments about Small Space, Big Harvest.

1. After moving to NM and killing every plant I put into my yard for 10 years, I finally found this book many years ago. It is exceptional. I have a vast amount of gardening books, good for this and that. This book is one I reach for time and time again. I've been using the formulas for mixing a fertilizer and for creating "super soil" for years. Using that organic fertilizer plus a seaweed liquid has always resulted in transplant success. It has a list of plant companions (likes and dislikes), garden plans for intensive plantings, seed germination temperatures, composting, plant diseases, pest repellant plants, etc. It's not technical -- just easy to reference. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a good, all-around reference book that's easy to use.

No comments about El huerto en casa / The Vegetable Garden at Home: Rapido y Facil / Fast and Easy (Jardin En Casa / Garden at Home).

No comments about The Life Cycle of a Carrot (Pebble Plus).

2 comments about The Jewish Gardening Cookbook: Growing Plants and Cooking for Holidays and Festivals.

1. This book has made my wife and I excited about planting our next year's garden. The book gives easy-to-understand guidance on planting, raising, and cooking many biblical foods, and it explains how the foods relate to Jewish holidays. It's obvious the author loves to garden, and his enthusiasm comes across. The advice is expert and simple. The botanical illustrations are also very pretty. I tried one recipe so far (apple-raisin-nut cake), and it was delicious.



2. This is a great book for home gardeners who want to expand their garden to include some "jewish" plants. The book explains how each plant fits in with jewish history and customs. It also tells you how to care for the plants!

No comments about Vegetables (Rodale Organic Gardening Basics, Vol 3).

No comments about Asparagus: Its Culture For Home Use And For Market - A Practical Treatise On The Planting, Cultivation, Harvesting, Marketing, And Preserving Of Asparagus, With Notes On Its History And Botany.

No comments about Vegetables crops, (Half-title: McGraw-Hill publications in the agricultural sciences, I. J. Cole, consulting editor).

No comments about Growing Vegetables the Big Yield Small Space Way.

No comments about Grow Your Own Square Watermelon.