In no particular order, we’re recapping 15 great books from 2010 for the gardener on your holiday shopping list. Any one of them would be a great holiday gift for the green thumb on your list. We’ll feature a book a day starting December 7.
Homegrown Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs: A Bountiful, Healthful Garden for Lean Times
by Jim Wilson
Like the Victory gardens of World War II, food gardens planted in sunny yards during these economically challenging times can provide families with nourishing, delicious food at a fraction of the cost to buy it at a supermarket. What’s more, families know that the food they grow themselves using natural pesticides and minimal or no synthetic fertilizers is safe from the many E. coli and other tainted-food scares of recent years. Homegrown Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs (Creative Homeowner, 191 pages, $16.95) will help aspiring gardeners avoid disappointment or failure with their first food gardens and help families who are already growing food crops to grow more and reduce their food costs.
This resource includes instructional and inspiring color photographs from a seasoned garden photographer. It covers information on selecting a food-garden site and setting a realistic size; no-till gardening; making food gardening easier and cheaper; fertilizers, soil conditioners, mulches, green manures, tonics, and do-it-yourself soil tests; understanding garden soils and nutrients; ways to keep crops fresh and full of flavor after picking; a guide to fruit and vegetables; and sources for vegetable seeds and seedlings.