The Essential Kitchen Gardener [Hardcover]

Frieda Arkin (Author), Constance Arkin Del Nero (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1996

An A-to-Z primer features entries on every American-grown vegetable, herb, and berry, and includes additional sections on pest and disease control, soil cultivation, germination, garden maintenance, harvesting, and storing.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Arkin is author of Kitchen Wisdom (Holt, 1977; o.p.) and More Kitchen Wisdom ( LJ 4/1/82), two popular guides full of useful tips for cooks. This book follows the same dictionary format as the others but is written for gardeners and cooks who like to grow their own vegetables, herbs, and berries. Each plant's entry explains when, where, and how to plant and harvest. Gardening, storage, and cooking tips are also provided for each plant. Other entries cover pests, diseases, and gardening topics like transplanting and composting. Though this book does not have the reference value of Donald Wyman's Gardening Encyclope dia (Macmillan, 1987. rev. ed.), it does provide a great deal of practical, concise information that public library borrowers will find useful.
- Peter C. Leonard, Mt. Lebanon P.L., Pa.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 346 pages
• Publisher: Bbs Pub Corp (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0883659395
• ISBN-13: 978-0883659397
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.2 x 2.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,221,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a great book for beginning gardeners, February 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Essential Kitchen Gardener (Hardcover)

The Essential Kitchen Gardener is a must have book for beginning gardeners and gardeners who have had bad experiences in the past. It contains a wealth of information about when, where and how to grow vegetables and herbs; along with great information on the pests and diseases that attack our gardens. What I liked most was the information about harvesting, storing, and using each vegetable and herb!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alphabetical Reference, April 27, 2005

By 

Erika Mitchell (E. Calais, VT USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The essential kitchen gardener (Paperback)

This book is a collection of short articles on garden plants, pests, and diseases. The articles are organized in alphabetical order. Each of the plant articles begins with a short description, and then goes on to include information about planting (when, where, how), germination, care, harvesting, storing, pests and diseases, as well as tips for the kitchen and garden. In general, these articles use only the common names for the plants, and scientific names are not included. The pest articles (mainly about insects, but there are also some articles about pesky mammals and birds), are generally shorter, and include a description of the problem, how to recognize it, and how to combat it (organically). There are also a few articles on such topics as mulches and composting. Arkin includes a wide range of herbs as well as garden vegetables and fruits, and she includes notes on companion planting in the tips sections of the plants articles. The book also includes a chart of when to plant where (in the continental United States), and a garden glossary. There are decorative collage-type illustrations at the beginning of each letter of the alphabet, but no utilitarian diagrams or drawings.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good beginner gardening book, June 21, 2000

By 

fghfan "fghfan" (stillwater, nj) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Essential Kitchen Gardener (Hardcover)

This book is a collection of articles on commonly grown vegetables, herbs and fruits. Nothing in here for the gardening pro, except some good storage and cooking tips.