5 comments about Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible.

1. One of the most concise and complete referance of this subject that I have seen in a long, long time. Invaluable to those interested in the subject matter.



2. Jorge gives all the details and excellent explanations to help you with whatever type of grow you want to use. Very comprehensive and well researched. Best book I've seen if its' kind. You won't regret getting this book.



3. In addition to the Grow Bible this book is an absolute necessity. Although if you had to pick one I would suggest the Grow Bible. However, this book has many in depth details to nutrient defencies, various tips, picture illustrated guidelines, what to do, what not to do..I would consider this an illustrated guide more then anything..if that makes sense. MANY tips I have never heard of I came across in this book, and this is to say the least. Jorge Cervantes...two thumbs up (three if I had em)



4. I can't grow the divine weed where I live; I bought this book because it is absolutely the most in-depth, easy-to-understand book in the gardening world! I use it constantly for advice about soil, water, diseases, pests, growth stages, light requirements, etc.--for my tomatoes! Best book out there for weed *or* tomato gardening!



5. If you want to know anything and everything about growing, this is your book. Seriously, this guy goes in depth to explain things without making it overly complicated.
   
   It's simple, thorough, worth the buy.

5 comments about The Self-sufficient Life and How to Live It.

1. Very nice addition to any collection. Most of the ideas and uses, in this book, I agree with. It'll open up all kinds of other ideas to lead a simpler life in harmony with nature and the land we should all be a good steward of.



2. This book is an absolute classic in self sufficiency. I don't think anyone seriously considering living "off the land" should leave this out of their library. The author not only lives what he teaches in the book but also teaches it in classes. This is a very well balanced book giving little golden nuggets that you probably never considered.



3. REVIEWER: First up, consider that this review comes from a suburban guy who has his eye on country living. I would imagine if you are a seasoned farmer or off-grider then this book is not for you. Veterans will likely find this book too shallow on the virtually hundreds of topics it addresses.
   
   SKILL LEVEL: However, if you are beginner to intermediate on topics of farming, gardening, livestock and all round back-to-basics living then this book is hands-down perfect. It deals with virtually every aspect of self-sufficient living in a concise, well illustrated manner. It's flat out makes me curious to try (put into practice) and to learn more about many of the different subjects contained within.
   
   QUALITY: A great quality book (well printed, solidly bound). The layout and typography are excellent and illustrations are an excellent companion to the text.
   
   CONCLUSION: This book is the culmination of decades of knowledge from a man who has lived his life as depicted in this book. It must be challenging to pack a lifetime into relatively so few pages (it's still a big book though!) but the "Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It" does a great job. It packs a lot of punch on a broad range of subjects and one must appreciate that because of this, it will at times feel a little skinny on specifics or in-depth information.
   
   I'm rating this five stars because I believe that it communicates the subject matter perfectly to the audience for which it was intended.



4. I was very impressed by the amount of information covered in this book. It is a very good overview of all topics pertaining to Self Sufficiency. I would recommend it to anyone considering this as a lifestyle or who is looking to make even a few changes. My only complaint is that some topics that interested me were not covered in as much detail as I would have liked but this book is still a wealth of information.



5. For those wishing to find an overview of what it means to live a self-sufficient life, look no further than this text. Engagingly written and bursting with relevant information, Seymour's volume covers just about every topic with the fundamental information you need to properly evaluate your current situation and plan for the future. It is sure to be well-worn and dogeared before too long.

5 comments about The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions.

1. I borrowed this book from our library a couple times this winter as I was making plans for this summer's garden. Then Spring hit and I needed it again, so I purchased it as I know it is a book that I will refer to again and again. And I have used it extensively already. It lays out all you need to know to garden using raised beds including bed preparation, soil amending, composting, watering, using trellis to have things grow up. The last part of the book gives specific information for individual vegetables and herbs, including when and how to plant, care for and harvest. It has been an invaluable resource and my garden is coming along nicely already.



2. I've just retired from Corporate America and decided to take up gardening. This book has been the best purchase I've made in years. It's well organized, easy to find and follow the instructions. As a novice gardener, I've appreciated the thorough coverage of all topics. I know I will have and use this book for many years. Thank you for a wonderful gardening tool. VTD



3. The content of this well written book has been covered in other reviews and I agree it is a solid, introductory text at a decent price. However, I find it a little too "coffee table" for my tastes with big type and lots of pretty photos, rather than a lot of breath or depth. If you haven't been introduced to bed gardening and creating a "living" fertile soil, it would be a nice intro, but easy to outgrow (no pun intended).
   
   Notably lacking is content on more than a couple herbs, most salad and Asian greens, as well as some of the less common crops and pest/disease situations that you might encounter. Also, while a prescriptive "how-to" guide, it doesn't educate as to the "why" of things as well as other texts I have read, which let you transfer the techniques to your own specific situations.
   
   
   I'd recommend picking up a good seed catalog that is at least partially aimed at commercial growers (e.g. Territorial and/or Johnny's) both for cultural and growing suggestions, as well as knowing what cultivars are available (since most of the books are 10-20 years out of date on that), and considering instead:
   
   Golden Gate Gardening: Year-Round Food Gardening in the San Francisco Bay Area and Coastal California -- Although written for one geography, both the general information on gardening, as well as the extensive sections on vegetables, herbs, fruit, and flowers make it a "go to" for me.
   
   Grow Your Own Vegetables -- Great general information on gardening as well as tons of specific information on a very wide range of vegetables. A well-respected British author, so you have to get used to some difference in language, like "marrow" and "beetroot". Also be aware that "organic" is different in the UK, so some US practices, like insecticidal soaps, aren't covered.
   
   Oriental Vegetables: The Complete Guide for the Gardening Cook -- If you are interested in "salad greens" or "baby greens" then this covers well a lot of the "fancy" leaves you'll find in mixes or at the market. (I don't recommend Larkcom's "Organic Salad Garden" as it is not much more than an extract from "Grow Your Own Vegetables" on high-end paper with lots of glossy pictures.)
   
   How to Grow More Vegetables and Fruits: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) (How to Grow More Vegetables: (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains,) -- Covers "intensive" bed gardening and has a lot of good reference information on crop timing and yields. Sometimes a little "earthy" or "preachy" in style and content, and perhaps not as well researched and supported as the above (or The New Organic Grower: A Master's Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener (A Gardener's Supply Book), for another "second" book) but worth adding to a collection (as I prefer the previous as broader, more balanced texts). Revised and reprinted regularly, so make sure this links to the most recent.



4. This book was listed by someone who began a hobby farm as the best book she bought on the garden in general and for self sustaining wannabees...so I took a risk and I found it to be great! I live in an area with a short growing season (Pacific NW) and found many great ideas that are very applicable to me. This guy makes a lot of sense and makes it very easy, in fact you can decide how "deep" you want to take his ideas. So if you want to employ some of his methods, you can do that with ease, or if you want to go all out, and have a huge garden like he does. Anyway, I thought this was great for me, a beginner home gardener. This book got me very excited about a whole bunch of new things I never thought about, including things you do in the fall/winter & early spring that contribute to the health of your garden. Anyway, I highly recommend this book and thought it was worth it for sure.



5. Mr. Smith has produced an invaluable resource that will become a standard---I've had this book for a couple of years, but this year was the first I've had opportunity to put his words to practice. He's dead-on in his excellent advise, so this year's modest garden will definitely grow next year. I'm wearing out my copy from use---a book well-loved indeed! If your planning a vegetable garden and need help---look no further. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

5 comments about Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners.

1. Very detailed information about many many individual plants and species. A very complete book. Highly recommended! You must take the time to read carefully, and also store your seeds safely to make this book work, and keep a dog-eared copy near you while working for reference.



2. This is a major reference book to keep on the gardener's bookshelf. Also, tells me why I should think about open pollinated vegetable plants. I spend easy a hundred dollars a year to get my garden in top form. Using the information in this book, could easily cut the cost down by one half.



3. When I was growing up, my family and extended family bought vegetable and flower seeds every year. I always wondered why we didn't keep any of the seeds to plant the next year instead of buying more. I didn't realize that the seeds of these hybrid varieties would not germinate and produce plants. It's hard to be self-sufficient and self-reliant when you are dependent on seed companies for next year's harvest.
   
   Seed to seed is the answer to the question of self-sustaining food production. This book provides instructions on how to grow vegetables from seeds, control pollination (and avoid unwanted cross-pollination), harvest and preserve seeds from the garden plants, and how to store those seeds for future gardens.
   
   Keep in mind that there is no information on how to obtain fertile seeds from plants raised from seed company seeds. In order to practice the principles taught in this book, a gardener must use seed from open-pollinated varieties. Such seeds are available from seed banks or seed exchanges--like Seed Saver's Exchange, the book's publisher.
   
   I'm sure that this book does not discuss every plant (and does not discuss flowers at all) that gardener may want to grow, but the principles are sound and can be applied to plants that are not found in the book. All in all this is an excellent reference that will help produce self-sufficient gardeners.



4. This is perhaps the best book on the subject of raising heirloom plants and then harvesting the seed. It explains in detail procedures for timing, protecting from undesirable cross pollination, and harvesting seed. I would recommend to the author that at the end of every plant type (genus) that a summary chart that is easy to identify be placed. Large plant groups like beans, for instance, had all of the information I needed but sometimes it was difficult to locate quickly. This summary could also list more concisely other plants that might appear to be questionable as companion plants but are actually safe options. For instance the tomato section talks about the potato leaf varieties being okay to mix with others, as there is little chance of crossing but specific names would clarify which is which. Nonetheless, I have gleaned huge amounts of information from this book and it is an exceptional resource for the seed saver.



5. This book is great. It covers everything you could need to know about saving seed and when to plant for your area. I highly recommend it!

5 comments about The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guide to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals.

1. For the organic gardener, this is a must have for your reference library. Very informative and comprehensive.



2. The book really is complete, easy to consult and delightful to page through. I live in a tropical area outside the US and was afraid the book might not cover the (many) pests we withstand here. But they were all there, and were referred to attacks against tropical foliages, which actually amazed me! The detailed pictures of insects and disease symptoms are accompanied by an informative text, and the chapter on organic controls covers cultural procedures, physical control, biological control and organic sprays and dusts, both commercial and homemade, with recipes. The structure is perfect for a handbook, easy to consult in any situation, be it garden design, crop choice, regular maintenance or solution of installed problems.



3. Great information on many different subjects. It would be helpful if it had more color pages with pictures of the actual bugs (which is has some of these but I needed more). It has many different places to look up things that you find yourself easily drawn into other subjects you were not looking for. It has plants seperated by diseases, or by insects that attack them. A ton of information on how to do an organic garden with sacrifical plants, a few home brewed help receipes, and lots of information for the new gardener, plus some wise parts for the small home farmer. Something for everyone and easy to read and understand.



4. Have referred to this book numerous times for specific problems that I've have in my garden and find it to be very helpful. It covers many plants and every pest and disease that you can imagine. It has separate sections on plants and pest/diseases.



5. Living in the tropics, I have had frequent failures starting up my organic garden due to pests taking it over. This year I have used some tips and "natural pesticide" recipies from this book with great success. It has also helped me identify "good" versus "bad" insects so I can better assess what treatment, if any, to use. I strongly recommend this book to anyone trying to start an organic vegetable garden!

5 comments about Four-Season Harvest: Organic Vegetables from Your Home Garden All Year Long.

1. I think this book conatins about all the information one needs to know about cold weather gardening.



2. This book has been a help, we are new to the garden scene and this is easy to understand and also has illistrations to actually see what to do.



3. Eliot Coleman is a superb author and teacher. This little book would inspire anybody to grow their own, stash and enjoy the larder of their labor and give humor along with it all! I also bought his other book on Organic Gardening and it's also very informative.....they go hand in hand and I feel like I've taken a biological study in the basics - right down to the tools! A great read...



4. Everything you need to know to grown your own. Harvest into the winter.
   It's becoming a necessity not a luxury to have family gardens; this gets you well on your way.



5. This book will take you to the next level of vegetable gardening.A very enjoyable read.

5 comments about Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables.

1. This is exactly what we were looking for so we could build a root cellar and it also gives creative ways to use space you already have. Recipes are included in the back also. If you want to make your garden last through the winter read this book.



2. I build a root cellar before purchasing this book. In hind sight I probably should have done it the other way around. Anyway, this book gives all the in's and out's about root cellaring, and has been most helpful to me. Since I've read the book I have improved the ventilation in my root cellar. And it has learned me that I should have more than one. There seems to be no easy solution for storing everything together, it's always going to be a compromise. Temperature fluctuations, humidity, combinations of fruits and vegetables that don't like each other, it's a more complex matter then I like it to be. This book gives answers to most questions, and is very good at giving you alternatives when you either don't have the space, the right environment, or the money to get to an optimal situation. Even in less then ideal conditions you can do a lot in terms of storage, and the book is very good to point you in different directions. There is only one topic that I miss in this book. How to create a root cellar when you live in an area with a high ground water table. Not all of us live on hill sides or high in the mountains. In low lying areas you can't just dig and forget about groundwater. It would have been helpfull with a chapter dedicated to this situation. Otherwise, if you want to store fruits and vegetables, highly recommended.



3. Well researched and considered. Thorough, yet practical and attainable. I appreciated learning about all the different types of root cellars and how to build them. Previous to reading this book, a root cellar to me was and expensive underground project with stairs and cement walls and electricity. Until I can afford that we can inexpensively create/build/dig the other options.



4. Excellent product, I am really enjoying this book! Also very prompt postage and arrived in good condition



5. Lots of alternatives to canning and freezing. A very interesting read while you dream of your very own root cellar!

5 comments about Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times (Mother Earth News Wiser Living Series).

1. A previous reviewer was being nice in describing the author's writing style As 'grandfatherly'.
   
   Personally, my grandfather never talked to me like I was an idiot, and did not pat himself on the back every other sentence. While the book is intended to help the novice gardener, the tone made it a difficult book to read. The author spends a great deal of time ridiculing other garden writers (John Jeavons in particular) that he refers to as Everyone Else. While describing these authors as foolish slaves to production quantity (apparently Everyone Else include every person who believes in raised bed, intensive gardening), Steve Solomom extolls the virtues of planting in rows and giving plants 'room to grow'. He provides his example of not one, but TWO 2400sq ft garden beds - one lies fallow each year with a green manure while the other is planted. Steve also seems to loathe clay soil, so much so that he doesn't even bother giving any advice on how to improve it. He basically says clay is the worst, nutrient-sucking soil (like a battery that eats nutrients) and that even when adding lots of organic matter, it will still hurt your crop production. So instead of recommending a realistic and effective means to address this soil type, the author recommends paying someone to haul in a truckload of topsoil to create the ideal garden bed. That's what he did (spending $1200 in the process), and of course he has beautiful results. Seeing as how I am reading the book to learn how to garden 'in hard times', and I do live on clay soil, I had to look past this ridiculous recommendation to get to the good information in the book.
   
   The book does contain very good information that covers many aspects of how to treat a garden if you are to truly rely on its production. He provides an inexpensive recipe for a complete organic fertilizer (noting that today's chemical concoctions of potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus are creating vegetables that do not give maximum nutritive value - garbage in is garbage out). He also explains the importance of seed quality and provides information on how to obtain the ideal variety for your area.
   
   While I did find a lot of good information, Steve Soloman's writing style made this book torturous to read.



2. This is a good resource for a new gardener desiring to make the most of his/her time gardening. The book helps identify the type of garden you have and how to make the most of it or how to improve it to the garden you want. A quick read and good resource to keep handy



3. This is the perfect book for people like me with no gardening grandpa at their side.
   Nobody ever told me that a garden hoe must be sharpened before first use....
   And how to start a garden if you have a patch of grass land - I never knew how to do it right or where to start.
   This book is great for basic beginners in veggie gardening. Advanced gardeners may be shocked a little about the very few and basic tools: hoe, shovel, wheelbarrow, rake, knife and file.
   But the book was written for "hard times" and than it's good to know you can do your veggie garden with just these basic tools, without all the fancy and expensive stuff around.
   
   Very remarkable is the chapter about seeds and plants from the garden centers, it opened my eyes that most of the failures of the last years weren't really mine but from the bad stuff I bought without knowing it was that bad (it looked good when I bought it....)
   
   So I want to say "THANK YOU, Mr. Solomon" for sharing your experience with us.
   Your advices gave me back the joy of gardening and the very first time in 20 years I'm running a satisfying veggie garden without any problems.
   Thank you. ;-)



4. This book is excellent. It is my new gardening bible. I've been through all the intensive gardening books, and they all stressed me out with the intensity of the work that was required to get them started and keep them up. The whole philosophy here really makes sense to me. I felt like I could go ahead, get things started, without having to have so much in place. After all, this is about growing with the minimum amount of inputs.



5. Only a few pages into this book I realized I needed to read it before continuing with my gardening plans.
   I am thrilled to have the good solid advice. For me, I treasured the relearning of the things my father taught me so many years ago. Digging the garden, fertilizing the soil, using coffee grounds and how to weed were only vague memories which had been over-written by today's easy methods and equipment. Steve Solomon's words brought all the old learning back to my mind and provided so much more. I can't thank him enough and I highly recommend this book. The advice, techniques and subjects covered are of special importance for anyone interested in insuring their food source is available and safe.

5 comments about All New Square Foot Gardening.

1. This book is an excellent reference for the beginning gardener. Instructions are easy to follow, and the reference tables at the end of the book are wonderful.



2. All New Square Foot Gardening
   Great! Very helpful in saving time, space, and water. Very productive way of gardening.



3. I have been using Mel's original SFG method since my mother first gave me the book over 20 years ago. Bought this updated version as a gift for a friend but snuck a peek at it first. The new method sounds even easier and more productive, so I will be purchasing another copy for myself!



4. There are some very useful ideas here if you can stomach the author tooting his own horn on nearly every page while knocking other styles of gardening. I read a review before buying the book that said something similar and wish I'd just checked it out from the library. The system is workable, simple, and surely a nice gardening solution for many people, but it's not a book I'd need to keep on the shelf as a ready reference.



5. I bought this book because I wanted some information on gardening intensively in raised beds. The best things about the book are the plant spacing guides and the timing charts in the back that help you know when to plant what, according to your frost dates. These are absolutely essential for the first time gardener, and I've referred to them many times. Aside for that, I don't care for Mel's writing style. He somehow comes off as pompous and condescending: "If you don't do __ , you don't have a square foot garden!" I don't care if I don't have a square foot garden, as Mel has defined it. I deviated from Mel's soil mix by purchasing landscape soil from a local company. My mix is 20% topsoil, 50-60% leaf compost, and the rest is sand. I also went 12 inches deep with the soil. It's nice to plant tomatoes deeply, and put carrots wherever I feel like it. Many, many people have admired my garden. It is incredibly productive and beautiful at the same time, with pictures that rival the author's. Oh, and that's another pet peeve--I wish the book had a few more photos, especially of trellised crops like tomatoes and melons. I can understand the need to start from scratch with your soil if you live in an area with terrible soils, but here in MI, the soil is nice to begin with. There's absolutely no reason to ignore great local resources if you have them. Instead of spending a fortune on the soil mix, I put my money into great-looking composite raised bed kits.

5 comments about Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (P.S.).

1. I wanted to love this book, I really did. The premise is idealistic: to live on home-produced and locally raised food for one year. The authors are likeable: Kingsolver herself, a sharp and sometimes ironic observer, her daughter Camille, a cook and contributor of earnest little essays on eating well; the author's husband, Steven, who contributes scientific sidebars on all sorts of things associated with food production. I myself am a longtime devoted organic gardener, raiser of chickens and beef, and evangelical bore on the topic of compost. I'm with this family one hundred percent. Unfortunately, the book is all over the place. It is full of tidbits and interesting information, but very little useful guidance. If you're a gardener, you won't learn much from Kingsolver's ecstatic prose. Does she have a secret for getting rid of potato bugs? Does she cut her tomato hornworms with scissors or drop them in a bucket of soapy water? Are there ever problems in this Appalachian paradise? Not too many, evidently, although gardeners know that keeping a garden is unpredictable (it rains, it doesn't rain) and demanding. When Kingsolver writes best, she keeps a narrow focus, as in her fine depiction of the intricacies of breeding turkeys. But even this tale is maddeningly broken up, as if it were fiction, by a family trip to Italy. Will the poults hatch? The reader must stay tuned. I also think that readers contemplating a shift to eating seasonally and buying locally might be a bit daunted by the efforts of Kingsolver and her family, particularly if they don't keep writer's hours. Read Michael Pollan on the same subject, particularly (in this order) "The Omnivore's Dilemma" and "In Defense of Food" for much more practical, do-able ideas, particularly if you don't own your own farm. If you can raise your own tomatoes---and you should if you have the opportunity---that's fabulous. But if you can't, I fear this book has little to offer except some charming stories.



2. I first read this book just over a year ago, starting to read while sitting in a full auditorium waiting for author Barbara Kingsolver to begin speaking. I made it through the first ten pages or so before she began. For the next hour she read and discussed her book and graciously answered audience questions. Her interesting stories and personable manner drew me in. Afterwards, I couldn't wait to continue reading! This book lived up to my expectations. Premise? Her family made a decision to move to the Virginian Appalacians, grow their own food, raise chickens and turkeys, and buy what they couldn't grow/raise themselves from local farmers. They made tough decisions, worked hard, and had some wonderful stories to tell along the way. In her writing, interspersed with essays by her husband and college-age daughter, Ms. Kingsolver takes us on their year-long journey of eating locally.
   
   Barbara Kingsolver is not suggesting that we all should be able to do what her family accomplished - growing much of their own food, supplimented with food grown locally primarily by people she knew in her own community. Rather, she is sharing her family's story, much of it humerous, some of it sobering, and all of it educational. She is sharing the rationale of why they chose to do what they did. She admits that most families won't be able to make changes to the extent that her family did. Rather, she suggests that we all might be able to eat more locally. Whether that means beginning your own backyard garden, growing herbs in pots, buying from your local farmers market, or even reading labels in your grocery store... every bit counts.
   
   Thanks to Ms. Kingsolver for changing the way I think about food.



3. This is not only an outline and testament of one family being committed to local food production and consumption, it is a view into the lives of the author and her family. Sidebars from her husband provide more motivation and reason to become a Locavore. Her daughter provides excellent commentary on various parts and stages of the project as well as some excellent recipes that I look forward to trying myself. This book has motivated my wife and I to be more committed to being Locavores. Here in NW North Carolina we also have many local farmers that provide reasonably priced produce, meat, milk and cheeses, and other food items that are organically raised/grown. Thank you Ms. Kingsolver for sharing your experience on becoming a Locavore. My wife and I are more committed to local farmers as a result of your work and we have recommended this book to our family and friends.



4. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. The book is most informative and an eye opener of our food sources. I would love to follow the Kingsolver/Hopp family's "A Year of Food Life" and maybe I'll be able to at some point. Anyway, the book is wonderful.



5. I'm amazed that so many negative reviewers claimed that Ms Kingsolver's tone was smug. I did not get that impression at all, nor was I smacked in the face with "wealth". I suppose some people are just looking to be offended, from any and all directions.
   
   Rather, I found her tone refreshing. Her talent as a writer and her passion as a lover of good food, gardening, and the environment came together beautifully to create an entertaining and inspiring read.
   
   I highly recommend it, along with Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food.
   The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
   In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto