5 comments about Gardening with Heirloom Seeds: Tried-and-True Flowers, Fruits, and Vegetables for a New Generation.

1. Vintage, antique, old-timey. Use your own choice of words to apply to collecting venerable items. Antique automobiles, vintage clothing, and heirloom seeds. All have their unique charm and attraction to certain aficionados.
   
   Numerous authoritative books have been written about antique automobiles and vintage clothing to informally educate the reader in those subjects. Now, I'm pleased to see a book written that performs the same function for home gardeners.
   
   My wife and I prize our ginger, brought from Hawaii in 1960 by her mother. Each fall its incredibly aromatic blooms transform our front entrance into a perfumery envied and enjoyed by all. While the ginger is a bulb rather than a seed, it is heirloom and extremely valuable to us.
   
   Through the years, my wife and I have often stopped at old homesteads and gotten cuttings and seeds from their generous owners. These people, proud of their plants, many times have regaled us with the history of their unique plants.
   
   Even so, I never really thought of documenting the history behind many of these rare finds that I wanted for their color, overall structure, or scent. Indeed, I had never considered many aspects of heirloom seeds, per se, until I read this wonderfully researched and informative book. I am very grateful that Lynn Coulter has taken the time and made the effort to document this information.
   
   Most people today are familiar with Angel Trumpet (moonflower) vine, a night bloomer that is unique in its own right. But we have moonflower shrubs that came many years ago from an old homestead in Stamps, Arkansas. Their history can be traced back generations. It is the importance of these types of seeds that makes Gardening With Heirloom Seeds such a valuable, informative, and interesting book to read.
   
   Knowing the history and availability of heirloom seeds will once again send me to my planning template as I search for just the right location to put `one more gem'. I strongly urge anyone interested in bringing a touch of the past to their modern gardens to get a copy of this book for their use and reference. It is one volume every serious gardener should have.



2. This is a book that should be in everyone's collection. Not only does it tell you what you need to know about heirloom seeds it has some of the most beautiful and real pictures of flowers, fruits and vegetables. The section on where to find seeds is most helpful.



3. This is a great book. I got it for my mom the advid gardener who loves local/organic gardening. The pictures are beautiful and there is ample knowledge for the advanced gardener.



4. Not much more than you would get out of a seed catalog, should have been cheaper.



5. I find myself going back to this book for reference so often while I'm researching plants to consider for planting our garden of around 1860.
   I just love to read the discriptions of the plants and where they originated.

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.

2 comments about The Perfect Pumpkin: Growing/Cooking/Carving.

1. This has to be the definitive book on growing and using pumpkins. The author covers everything from starting seeds, preparing the field, caring for the plants, troubleshooting and finally harvesting and enjoying the fruits of your labors. There is detailed information on pumpkin varieties and pumpkin pests. The final chapters have extensive recipes for pumpkin. The writing is clear and the scope is comprehensive. I highly recommend it.



2. This book was a wonderful addition to my book collection because I had been looking for a good pumpkin book for a while. There are tons of them here on amazon but the vast majority of them are mainly for very young children and aren't very informative for an adult who would like to aquire some practical knowledge on our favorite Winter Squash.
   The Perfect pumpkin is really the perfect sampler of all types of pumpkin information, such as the history of pumpkins, how to grow them, how to carve them, how to cook with them( an entire recipe section! ) and even crafty things such as how to make your very own pumpkin hand soap. This is a very pleasant and interesting book that should satisfy both children and adults. My only gripe about the book is that the growing section wasn't as informative and comprehensive as I was hoping it would be. There is more than enough information for the first time grower, but for anyone who is a novice grower or professional grower should probably also buy "How to grow world class giant pumpkins" as a companion to this book. But for the first time pumpkin grower also looking for some fun facts and information about pumpkins in general, this is ideal.

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.

2 comments about Taming the Truffle: The History, Lore, and Science of the Ultimate Mushroom.

1. As a self described Truffle afficianado, I would say this is the best book that I have seen on truffles. I have not finished reading the entire book, but can say that it is the most comprehensive and informative book on truffles that I have found. It does not rate one truffle over the next like some books do. I highly recomend this book.
   Tom Mackie



2. This book is beautifully presented through excellent printing, and wonderful photographs. It is superbly researched in dealing with the science of truffles and their distribution. If you want to know about truffles, in principle, this is the book to have.
   
   If you're thinking about undertaking truffle culture in North America, this book will not be much help. It has much to say about how people have been successful in Europe and New Zealand but essentially nothing about the U.S. This is unfortunate as there are a number of successful truffieres in Oregon, North Carolina and Tennessee. It would have been good to talk about their efforts/methods. The book would have been more helpful if the authors had captured some of the experience and wisdom embodied in Dr. Charles Lefevre of New World Truffieres. He's the preeminent North American truffle expert.

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.

4 comments about Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver.

1. I am not a novice to organic gardening, but I have never focused on growing vegetables before. I bought this book thinking it would be a good reference book to get started. It is that and more.
   
   The book is extremely easy to navigate; everything is arranged alphabetically. Under each vegetable there is a section on crop basics; site, soil, timing of planting, planting method, crucial care and harvesting. I was also very pleased and surprised to find information on growing each vegetable in containers, with the size of the container often mentioned. There is also sections for secret to success, regional notes, preventing problems and troubleshooting (diseases, pests, etc.)
   
   If you are looking for a specific pest, these too are alphabetically arranged. There is a pest profile, pictures of the various stages, control methods and a control calendar. Under diseases, there is a description, crops at risk, etc.
   
   The book also contains information on crop rotation, companion planting, composting and many other topics - all organized alphabetically.
   
   I am sure that I will be using this book often during the growing season. I am now looking for a book just like this for growing organic fruit.



2. In "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver", lifelong organic gardener Fern Marshall Bradley has knowledgeably compiled and skillfully organized a wealth of practical, applicable, 'user friendly' advice and instruction on dealing with pests, diseases, weeds, and other problems that beset the vegetable garden. The solutions to these diverse issues that vegetable gardens must commonly deal with are based on the cutting edge of horticultural research and offer gardeners hundreds of organic and natural solutions for plant disease, pests, and weed problems. From polytape and mesh fences, to deer repellents, to flea beetle infestations, "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver" offers safe, effective remedies that will enhance a vegetable garden's performance producing healthy, bountiful, 'bumper crop' yields. If you have a vegetable garden of your own, you need to avail yourself of the "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver", Fern Marshall Bradley's essential 'how to' manual.



3. This is a very good book. Very easy to read. This book covers just about every problem in the garden. It is easy to understand. It covers preventing problems to troubleshooting problems. Just about everything you need to know about problems in your garden is in this book.



4. I have 6-8 gardening books by various authors- all good - but this gives the most specific information for each vegetable crop. This will be my ready reference for all my garden problems. This is a good book for both the novice and the experienced gardener. A great resource for those wanting to try growing new varieties.

1 comments about Creative Vegetable Gardening.

1. Nice book lots of information with some nice pictures
   Joy Larkcom has written severl other books on gardening
   I got the book for my wife and she like it

3 comments about Sharing the Harvest: A Citizen's Guide to Community Supported Agriculture, Revised and Expanded.

1. This book describes many problems of the current food production & distribution system. More importantly, it provides a solution using Community Supported Agriculture. The book outlines the steps necessary to set up a CSA, discusses options and issues for each step, and includes examples from CSAs all over the country. Many references and a resource list guide readers to other sources of information in a variety of media. I am a CSA consumer, not a farmer or an organizer; I enjoyed the book and am much more optimistic about the power groups of individuals have to change the system



2. If you're new to market gardening and looking for solid info on how to run a CSA, this is *not* the book for you. For example, the chapter on harvesting and processing is only 2 1/2 pages long and boils down to "it can't be explained in a book, you need hands on experience". The majority of the book is self-congratulatory prose about how CSAs are saving the world. I support the CSA concept, but found this book a big disappointment. There are a few useful charts for determining share size and how much to grow, they are the only thing that prevents me from giving this book zero stars.



3. I've been a member of a CSA for the past several years and read this book because I wanted to become a more active participant in the movement. No, this book is not an operations manual on how to run a farm and distribute shares. I'd classify it more as an inspiration manual with examples and case studies of how other CSA formed (and failed), obtained financing and land, found shareholders and labor, all for the purposes of giving people an alternative to being dependent on big agribusiness and live a more sustainable lifestyle.
   
   In the true spirit of a co-op, this book provides an introductory education to CSA newbies on the history of food co-ops, community-building and food systems. For those looking for more hands-on or operations-oriented guides to CSA farming, I'd encourage you to review the rather exhaustive reference section in this book and contact someone near you. For me, I found this book perfect for gaining a comprehensive understanding of CSAs overall, which is helping me increase me evolve from passive shareholder into a more active, participatory role.

1 comments about Florida Vegetables: How to Grow Them.

1. I've been all through the University of Florida gardening guides, but wanted something aimed at home gardeners. This is the book! It's probably most valuable for all the descriptions and photos of pest and disease problems our area faces. This is a fantastic resource for Floridians.