This seems to be gardening week; I keep thinking of more gardening ideas, advice, topics, questions… Bear with me. I promise next week I’ll talk about something else.
Like farmer’s markets…
So if you visit a big bookstore’s gardening section, you could be wandering for days. People, lots of people, lots of people other than me, have a lot to say about gardening. And apparently lots of people like to read what they say about gardening, because the garden-book category just keeps growing. (No pun… oh nevermind.)
You don’t need all those books. But a few wise choices can be extremely helpful if you plan on growing (living) things on a regular basis. Even if you’re just doing a little container garden, you still need some information. Here are my general gardening book recommendations:
- If you get nothing else, get one big “gardening tips book” or “complete gardening” compendium. A good example is The Big Book of Gardening Skills by the editors of Garden Way Publishing. Really, any basic gardening guide will do. You just need to have something that covers the basics of soil preparation, planting, and pest control, and provides you a good point of reference for specific questions.
- If you are going to buy two books, get one native/regional plant and/or gardening book. The Best Plants for Midwest Gardens by Laura K. Duggan is a great pick for me, seeing as I live in the Midwest. (Surprise!) You, of course, should find one that corresponds with your region. You can get a general one or a more specific (fruit, vegetable, shrub, flowers, perennials) gardening book, depending on what you like to grow.
- If you’re splurging for a third, get one “cooking from you garden” type guide for food ideas, recipes, and preservation how-to. Is this absolutely, completely, unalterably necessary? No. You could live without it. Who needs a primer on how to eat tomatoes? But you know, once you’ve eaten that first bushel of tomatoes, you start to get a little tired of BLTs or fresh salsa… you need new ideas. If you want to make the most of your garden’s produce, it’s worth investing in a book like The Garden-Fresh Vegetable Cookbook or Potager: Fresh Garden Cooking in the French Style or The Gourmet’s Garden: Cooking with Edible Flowers, Herbs, and Berries.
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Those three are enough to provide all the basic information you need to grow and use a natural garden of vegetables and herbs. As you get further into gardening, you will probably want to expand your library according to your interests. And you’ll always find plenty of books waiting for you.
Image Credits: aussiegall.
