6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Enjoy the fruits of your labor all year long.", June 19, 2010
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening (Paperback)
In the authors' own words: "One of the most helpful and important bits of information we convey in this book is how to improve and nurture your soil. Healthy soil is the key to good gardening." - Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson
No wonder my meager attempts at gardening throughout the years failed; I did not treat my soil with due care and respect before trying to plant colorful and glorious groundcover between the flowering bushes the gardener planted. But heck, I assumed the gardener had cultivated all the soil, so what did I know...?
As a result, I never could get that Riviera blue-eyes to do what I wanted it to; the only thing I had limited success with was cacti and jade plants. And I've even been known to kill a few cacti along the way...lol Everyone knows that jade is one of the easiest to grow, so I can't even gloat over that...but whatever...
I gave up gardening years ago, but now that my son-in-law has been growing his own vegetables, I got this book for him. (I do wish the authors had left "idiot" out of the title because I do not want it spread through the family that I think that wonderful s-i-l is an idiot...and rumors in our family grow much faster than any plant I ever attempted to grow. ...lol)
Before buying
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening I skimmed through it to make sure it would be helpful to my son-in-law. I know he's seeking to improve his gardening skills because he's constantly doing some of the things suggested in this book: checking with gardening retailers, reading books and online resources, etc. I know it's the right book for him because in addition to making gardening easier, the book is also easy to read. I think the page-numbered contents guide will be helpful in locating the exact information he needs. I also like the gardening tips scattered throughout the book (easy to spot since they're set in little "boxes"), the charts and photographs. (I must admit the photo of "earthworms" made me a bit queasy, but that's beside the point because I did learn how helpful those little critters are to the success of a garden.)
Last year my s-i-l grew some of the most flavorful tomatoes I've ever eaten, so it's obvious he has gardening skills and is not a complete idiot--and his strawberries are to die for! So, basically, the gift of this book is intended to help him nurture more aesthetic trees, flowers, shrubs and groundcover.
I hope he likes it well enough to continue sharing the "fruits of his labor all year long," as stated on the attractive cover of
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening. I'm hoping he might even decide to branch out into groundcover and plant some blue-eyed Riviera for me.
Five stars to Delilah Smittle and Sheri Ann Richerson for the dedicated work that went into this very helpful book.
Reviewed by Betty Dravis, June 19, 2010
Author of "Dream Reachers" (with Chase Von) and other books
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything you need to know, February 5, 2011
This review is from: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Year-Round Gardening (Paperback)
The authors have written an all-you-need-to-know paperback that will be appreciated by new gardeners of all ages.
Even if you do not have a need or desire to garden year-round, this is one of the best books I've seen on basic growing techniques.
It covers every one of the topics a new gardener needs to consider and it is clearly written without being dumbed down (despite the "Idiot" in the title). Each subject is covered in enough depth to get you through the first few years of gardening.
"Year-Round Gardening" is in the usual "Idiot" format: black and white on newsprint, with boxes of tips scattered on the pages. Check it out.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good stuff, January 15, 2011
This book is ideal for newbie gardeners and for seasoned gardeners as well. The authors have covered just about everything with their year-round gardening guide. Including what I think to be one of the most important aspects of gardening, especially veggie gardening - "Basics of Seed Starting." In this section Smittle and Richerson explain all you need to know for starting seeds indoors. Their writing style is easy to read and it's almost as if they're speaking to you in person. Such style is needed in today's gardening world of horthead botanic techno-babble. Kudos to the authors for their expertly written guide that I'll keep handy on my gardening book shelf for many years.
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