Customer Reviews

The Garden Guy: Seasonal Guide to Organic Gardening in the Desert Southwest (Outdoor and Nature)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Anyone gardening in the hostile desert knows how tough it is to garden. Can't say this book makes it easy, however, it sure makes it easier !

Some of his ideas are so simple, yet so effective. For example, stop fighting with uncooperative clay soil - put an old hay bale on top of the clay, and grow there !! It works, and over time the hay or straw softens the clay, too....Can't imagine not having this book as I garden...

The Garden Guy: Seasonal Guide to Organic Gardening in the Desert Southwest (Outdoor and Nature)

Although this book contains many useful facts and ideas, it has no index. In addition, it refers to his other book constantly saying you should do this thing but you have to buy my other book to find out how to do it. In several places he says to do something and then says go to your local garden store and ask them how to do it. My biggest problem with this book is the constant references to "Extreme Juice." Unfortunately there is no definition, explanation or reference and without an index I have not been able to find out what it consists of or how to make this concentrated fertilizer. I'm guessing it is in his other book but he doesn't tell you!

This a great companion book to David Owens book "Extreme Gardenning". They are like my bible to gardening organic in the desert of Arizona.

I was a complete novice gardener recently committed to creating a sustainable lifestyle for myself and my family. I had several general gardening books, but none I felt I could truly trust to give me the right advice for desert gardening. I purchased Extreme Gardening as well as The Garden Guy, both by Dave Owens. With these two books, I had my first ever successful gardening experience. I had nearly given up, thinking I had a perpetually brown thumb. This seasonal guide (The Garden Guy) helps me to know what I should be doing, when. Dave takes all the guess-work out of gardening.

Some people seem to think that raised-bed gardening is some kind of fad. Just try it Dave's way, and you'll never go back to anything else. It's so muss & fuss-free! His books have the answer to practically any question I could think up, which is great for a previously frustrated novice.

Dave Owens knows his stuff!

I've been following Dave for awhile---it's nice to have an "Arizona" authority on gardening and imaginative and cost conscious as well---he makes it easy.

If there weren't at least two other garden calendars out for the low desert, I would probably buy this one; but there are. I already own The Desert Gardener's Calendar: Your Month-by-Month Guide and have read Month-By-Month Gardening in the Desert Southwest (Month-By-Month Gardening (Cool Springs Press)). I would rate both higher than this and pretty much aimed at the same readership. Of course, if you are a Garden Guy fan, this is for you. Any of the three will guide you in low desert gardening, which is quite different from much of the rest of the country.

As for another reviewer's comment on the lack of an index, the index in his first book is so bad as to be useless. The Table of Contents is complete enough to be a satisfactory substitute.

This book applies to the Phoenix Area and not much use in Tucson even thought they are only 100 miles apart the region differs too much to rely on this book.

Love the book, and the great customer service that was given in ordering/shipping. Received the book much faster than I expected.

Received as promised. No need to contact company. Enjoy the information in the book to help explain what to do with desert plants and garden pests.