Greenhouse Gardener's Companion: Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace [Paperback]

Shane Smith (Author), Marjorie Leggitt (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 1993

An environmentally friendly sourcebook that is actually two books in one, providing everything the gardener needs to know about setting up a healthy growing environment within a sunspace, plus a complete guide to growing flowers, vegetables and herbs in the greenhouse. Veteran greenhouse gardener Shane Smith is the author of The Bountiful Solar Greenhouse. Two color; line illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

There's something refreshing about a gardening book that doesn't start out with soil. Smith ( The Bountiful Solar Greenhouse ) puts off the nitty-gritty subject until chapter nine. In the meantime, he covers such subjects as vegetables, flowers and herbs, light and temperature, ground beds and containers, and crop spacing and scheduling. This is not a complicated book; the operative word for it is "companion." And while some of the advice is rather elementary, it does lead the reader painlessly through the steps and requirements of owning and gardening in a greenhouse. Undoubtedly, Smith's role as a lecturer and host of a radio gardening show has also inspired him to write in terms simple enough for beginners. His saving grace is a quiet sense of humor that's evident throughout the book--from his warnings about weather to his "biased opinion of hydroponics." When Smith does get around to soil, he goes at it from the point of view of providing plants with a healthy root system--covering soil pH and nutrients and organic soil amendments in beds and pots. The extensive final chapter is devoted to everything that can go wrong--i.e., pests and diseases, for which Smith recommends mostly organic and biologic controls. As he points out, a "greenhouse or sunroom garden is probably the closest garden you'll ever live with." This is a book to live with. Illustrated. Garden Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

The director of Cheyenne Botanic Gardens and author of The Bountiful Solar Greenhouse ( LJ 4/15/82) has produced a practical, comprehensive guide to making the most of any greenhouse or garden room. Addressing almost every aspect except the actual construction, Smith covers the greenhouse environment (light, humidity, temperature), interior design (plant placement, fans, drainage), individual plants and their propagation, pollination, growth, and scheduling for flower or fruit production. There are chapters on problems, diseases, and insects, and lists of associations, mail-order suppliers, and sun averages during the year across the country. As a Wyoming gardener, he puts a good deal of emphasis on using the greenhouse in summer as well as in winter, but this is a useful, practical guide for readers in most of the continental United States.
- Molly Newling, Piscataway P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing (January 18, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1555911064
• ISBN-13: 978-1555911065
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (53 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,507,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shane Smith (nom-de-plume for Dana Smith) is widely regarded as one of the greatest poker writers and one of the top low-limit women's players. In addition to the two best-selling underground books bearing her pen name Shane Smith, she has co-authored and ghosted more than 10 books with world champions including Beat Texas Hold'em with world champion Tom McEvoy.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

78 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great way to start learning about greenhouses, June 5, 2004

By 

Mark Mills (Glen Rose, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, Revised: Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace (Paperback)

This is really a reference book. I can't imagine anyone reading it cover to cover. For me, the first 90 pages on green house design and operation were exactly what I needed. In the middle, there are 170 pages of commentary, organized by plant, in which the author makes witty and pointed comments on the utility of growing the specific plant in a green house. For example, on Avocados, he writes: "Before you get excited about homegrown guacamole fresh from your greenhouse, I need to tell you that avocados are difficult to get to produce fruit in a greenhouse." On banana, he states: "Bananas are worth growing solely for the tropical look they bring to a sunspace, and you can also get a harvest from your banana."

Throughout the other 200 pages, Smith offers guidance (and opinions) on just about everything you might want to know regarding green house gardening. For example, he has his own favorite composting technique and cannot get excited about hydroponics. He is excited about manual pollination techniques, though. He likes to have fun in his greenhouse, and his enthusiasm is contagious.

(...)

69 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars COVERS ALL the bases!, September 29, 2000

By 

Howdyboy (Baltimore, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, Revised: Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace (Paperback)

I have a lot of greenhouse books- the Ortho greenhouse book and the "Expert Greenhouse" book and others. This book is by far the best. I bought the first release and then upgraded to the (2000) "revised edition." What a pleasant surprise! It covers all the bases from setting up your greenhouse to growing specific crops. Now I'm eating fresh salads and home grown greenhouse tomatoes. If you want to too- get this book! It even explains organic - chemical free pest controls!

59 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun for being an "informational" source!, April 20, 2001

By 

Stefanie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Greenhouse Gardener's Companion, Revised: Growing Food & Flowers in Your Greenhouse or Sunspace (Paperback)

I love this book and am having such fun reading it. Shane Smith shares himself in such a way that although I've never met the man, I now think of him as a friend! His writing style is easy going and often very funny and personal and the information he imparts is useful, and obviously comes from years of real experience. Running even a hobby greenhouse can be expensive with all the gadgets, yet he gives good and practical advice for those who don't necessarily have the means to buy the biggest and best of everything the manufactures would like to sell you! He tells you what you really need to have and know, and what's just "fluff." I would recommend that anyone with a hobby greenhouse invest in this book.