Crops in Pots [Hardcover]

Bob Purnell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2007

Nothing beats the taste of home grown fruit and vegetables! Even if you only have a tiny patio, balcony or just a windowsill, you can still grow a bountiful crop. Enjoy the simple pleasure of nurturing plants and reap the rewards of your harvest with simple and delicious recipe ideas. The 40 original and beautiful projects for containers in 'Crops in Pots' are great to look at and will be a constant source of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs throughout the summer months. With easy-to-follow planting plans, detailed plant profiles, easy-care symbols and delicious recipe suggestions, anyone can grow fruit and vegetables, regardless of how much space they have. From apples and onions to strawberries and mint, the choice is endless!

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The recipes in Wong's book offer remedies for a wide range of ailments -from sore throats to hot flashes to head lice...Wong says humans have been battling with insects for only a few thousand years. Plants, however, have been at war with insects for millions of years. 'Over that huge period, there's been time for them to evolve all sorts of unusual strategies, many of which are natural chemical weapons - insecticides - that exist in the environment that can be used in all manner of ways,' he says. In his recipes, Wong says he hijacks what plants have evolved for themselves, and he uses that to treat humans and animals."
-NPR's "All Things Considered"

"A provocative title-which sounds even more provocative when you realize that the author's name rhymes with bong. Bonus! But back off, dude. This is actually a guide to growing home remedies - legitimate remedies - for a variety of legitimate ailments, from athlete's foot to water retention. And Wong is an ethnobotanist who trained at the famous Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew in England and now lectures at the University of Kent. This book is based on his BBC show of the same name, which airs in Britain. Despite the garden-focused title, most of the book is made up of recipes, which means that even if you don't have a green thumb, you can still try your hand at a homemade head-lice treatment (rosemary, lavender, neem oil, almond oil, garlic and tea tree oil) or beeswax lip balm (marigold petals, almond oil, beeswax, honey, vitamin E and aloe vera gel), among many other remedies."
-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"Yes, the title does conjure up images of pot plants and basements with grow lights, but James Wong's new book is about those medicinal plants that may already be sprouting in your yard. Wong, a well-known ethnobotanist and BBC star, has compiled a list of 100 plants (and their parts) -- fruit, vegetables, trees, shrubs, roots, herbs, flowers and leaves -- that offer remedies for a plethora of disorders."
-The Oregonian --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Bob Purnell is a writer, broadcaster, lecturer and award-winning garden designer who also runs a small nursery that specializes in container plants. He writes for numerous gardening publications including BBC Gardeners' World. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest (April 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762108428
• ISBN-13: 978-0762108428
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 9.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #995,968 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous companion for the new container gardener, May 24, 2007

By 

S. Kumar "Tsunami" (Omaha, NE) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crops in Pots (Hardcover)

Although I agree that McGee & Stuckey's "The Bountiful Container" is the essential book for container gardening, the beautiful photos and variety of plantings in Purnell's "Crops in Pots" make it a necessity. It's full of pictures that really show what can be achieved by container gardeners, and especially useful information about what kinds of plants do best in what kinds of containers, and how much space you really need to grow something.

Each page contains a themed grouping of plants in a suggested container with information about sun, watering and fertilizer needs. For example, "Potted Potager" suggests a 30x18in. container to grow a variety of kale, nasturium, beets, thyme, parsley, chives, coriander, dill and strawberries.

The emphasis here is on middle to large containers, but I am inspired to try mini versions in 8-10in. containers as well. A few things to note: Purnell focuses on starting with seeds and uses soil-less mixes, so refer back to M&S for using potting soil and transplants. Being English, there are no references to USDA Hardiness Zones, but your local farmer's market can help you with cultivars. He likes mixing edibles with flowers with beautiful results, but if (like me) you want to focus your energy on things you can eat, there are plenty of tumbling or low hanging foods to grow showcased in the book. Best of all, there is a section on Pests and Diseases with detailed pictures. Now I know what an aphid looks like and will keep them the hell off my tomatoes.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Like it's subject, attractive but limited, April 14, 2008

By 

The Last Housewife (New York city) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Crops in Pots (Hardcover)

Imagine a cluster of attractive pots filled with a lush mixture of edible and ornamental plants-- containers you can enjoy on your patio, tend without stooping and protect from deer and rabbits. For anyone who dreams of a manageable, small-scale vegetable garden, Crops in Pots is bound to be alluring. The book is divided into several parts: a "how to" section discusses how to choose and plant containers, water, fertilize and so on; three sections feature lovely photographs of potted combinations of "starters" (mostly lettuce and herbs), "main courses" (mostly vegetables) and "desserts" (mostly fruits); and an all-too-brief final section on "what to grow" discusses the cultural needs of different fruits and vegetables and suggests cultivars well-suited to containers. This attractive book may help propel you out into your yard or garden center when the prospect of digging up a large area of garden would seem too daunting. The book's drawback lies in the somewhat simplistic presentation of the suggested container projects. If you are a novice gardener,you will need to consult the final section on "what to grow" as well as additional gardening books to really understand the needs of particular edibles so that your project can successfully come to fruition. If you are an experienced gardener, you are likely to find that this book, though visually appealing, fails to break new ground.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not what I thought it would be, April 14, 2008

By 

Michelle J. Rabon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Crops in Pots (Hardcover)

I got this book thinking that it would teach me how to grow my vegatables in pots because I dont have the space to plant in the ground. It was more of a fancy way to grow them with other display plants. It was not exactally what I was looking for.