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.
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible
by Edward C. Smith
The updated, best-selling gardening book The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible (Storey Publishing, 352 pages, $24.95) includes coverage of 15 additional vegetables; an expanded section on salad greens; more attention to European and Asian vegetables; growing information on more fruits and herbs; new cultivar photographs; a much-requested section on extending the growing season into the winter months; and more. Each food lists information on the growing site, sowing, growing, harvest, and varieties. Soil issues, watering guidelines, seed tips, pest control and plant diseases are also addressed in a practical approach.
Wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil is the advice given to create the W-O-R-D system and is credited for the high-yield results described. Sustainable and healthier eating is an underlying theme throughout the book. Also, solutions for small-space gardens are provided. The author tends a garden of over 1,500 square feet filled with raspberries, blueberries, flowers, herbs, and nearly 100 varieties of vegetables.