Book Junkie: Gardening Book Reviews

I love getting dirty!  Digging, planting, watering, weeding, harvesting.... its so simple, so rhythmic, and so rewarding.

 Here are my favorite books on gardening:

A Sacramento Gourmet Garden by Bonnie Coleman
Published in 1973, organized alphabetically by type of plant and name; this book is a  collection of articles, written by the author, published in The Sacramento Bee.  It includes information about the history of the plant, how to grow it, when to plant, and recipes.  My very favorite part of this book are the planting guides!

Growing Food the Natural Way by Ken and Pat Kraft
Also printed in 1973, this book has great information organic gardening. Including sections on why organic is good, composting, and information on soil nutrients, and companion planting.

Organic Plant Protection  edited by Roger B. Yepsen, Jr.
is filled with a comprehensive collection of information on organic pest control.  Contents include sections titled  "When Plants Get Sick," "Protecting Plants With Other Plants," "Taking Advantage of Bugs' Natural Cycles," and "Biological Control."










***NOTE:  I inherited the above books from my Grandpa, an avid gardener.  I believe they are out of print.  Wherever possible, links lead to used book sites with available copies.

Sunset's Western Garden Book  is an awesome reference book!  If I see something I like, I can look it up and find information on growing regions, water needs, soil needs, size and species.   Plus there are some awesome Plant Selection Guides in the front

Sunset's Landscaping With Stone has some wonderful information on working with stone elements.  It includes Guides for Design, Construction and Shopping.

Sunset's The Edible Garden  is by far my favorite gardening book!  Inside you'll find information in design (including lots of information on designing small spaces), garden tasks and care organized by season, different planting techniques and an alphabetical edible plant guide with loads of useful information.  The photos are beautiful and the content is easy to follow, easy to read and easy to implement.

"Cultivating a vegetable garden takes a lot of time and labor.  It's best to live next door to one and cultivate that neighbor!"  - Bonnie Coleman