Customer Reviews

Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Natural Gardening

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Steve Solomon, who founded Territorial Seed Company in 1980, is arguably the world's leading authority on non-commercial-scale organic vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Solomon has experimented with all of the variables in vegetable gardening, in our mild Maritime climate, and he reports the results with an admirable degree of honesty and integrity. His book - plus the Territorial Seed catalog - is all that's needed to achieve excellent garden results (for the first few years) with the least input of capital and labor.

That said, I've gardened in Seattle for 15 years, and Mr. Solomon's book has two serious flaws:

1. As other reviewers have noted, Mr. Solomon is dismissive of city gardening on a 200 or 400-square-foot plot. The city gardener must sift through many chapters of advice that applies only to homestead gardens of 1/2 acre or more.

2. After a few years the organic gardener will begin to experience mysterious crop failures - seeds that fail to germinate. Mr. Solomon attributes this failure to symphylan infestation - I suspect that soil-borne seed pathogens (Pythium, Rhizoctonia, etc.) may also play a part - but in any case, this book does not offer any viable solution for the CITY gardener. We city gardeners can hardly afford to garden on only half of our too-small plot, leaving the other half fallow for 3 or 4 years, waiting for the soil to return to equilibrium. (The Seattle Tilth trial gardens have suffered this fate, with no solution in sight.)

This book is a must for every Northwest gardener, but I found it especially helful for a beginner like myself. Its very easy to follow and the author doesn't talk over the reader's head. I especially liked the focus on organic gardening. My vegetable gardens have been awesome since reading this book and following the basic guidelines given. I have given this book as a gift to family and friends and they have all loved it and the results it has made in their gardens. I would recommend it to any serious gardener in the Pacific Northwest!

I love this book. It is so helpful in giving you hints on growing all sorts of vegetables. Especially valuable to me is the author's "super fertilizer mix" (my words) in which he suggests combinations of natural ingredients to supplement the soil. It works! Now, I mix his formula up and put in old garbage cans so I can always have it on hand to give my little veggies. And do they ever appreciate their "treats"! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening successfully and doing it in a respectful manner.

Gardening in the Pacific Northwest has its own challenges; it's not just a matter of adjusting planting dates, and choosing varieties with the fewest days to maturity, and praying like Joshua for the sun to stand still when it's 75 and sunny. I do nothing in my garden without first consulting this book. The author, Steve Solomon, appears to have tested every technique out there, and he explains not just what has succeeded but why other methods have not succeeded as well--particularly those methods championed by gardeners in other parts of the country. It's a little like sitting in on a courteous but energetic debate.

You will learn: how to manage your soil and keep it fertile the organic way; how to plan your garden, whether you only want to grow summertime favorites or aim for year-round self-sufficiency; which varieties do best, and how to cultivate them; what an experienced seedman has to say about seeds; and how to irrigate--or how not to, if you want to experiment with dry-gardening (yes, dry-gardening in the Northwest!).

Solomon writes clearly and cuts through a lot of complexity--or to put it better, illustrates that there is a certain style of simplicity that produces a fuller and richer complexity.

I read the book nearly cover to cover and was disappointed at how little direct help I found for vegetable gardening in my small Seattle back yard. Since the majority of folks living "West of the Cascades" don't garden on the acreage the author enjoys, I felt a little duped by the title. I know I'd appreciate a chapter in the book dedicated to those of us who garden in 200 square feet or less.

The first time I read this book, I glazed over the section on soils (too involved - I originally thought). The rest of the book was far more interesting since I was more concerned about the best watering techniques, laying out the garden, organic methods, specific instructions for different crops, etc. Since then I've read the soils section at least a half dozen times and am astounded at how simple the formulas are and what a difference it can make. This is a book that will be referenced over and over again.

An excellent book and a must have for anyone who wants a great vegetable garden in the Pacific Northwest, so much of the advice in other gardening books is not applicable in our unique climate. It is one of my Gardening Bibles that I look through and reread every year.

I've only been gardening for a year or so, but in that short time I've read more than my share of gardening books and advice online. Mr. Solomon's book is a great inspiration -- he provides no-nonsense, practical, honest advice about how to plan for and expect the best from your garden. After reading this, I finally feel mentally equipped to get the most from my backyard.

However, I'll agree with another reviewer: this book has a definite "homestead" bent which doesn't apply well to us city folk. While the self-sufficiency angle is interesting and doesn't lead to any irrelevant tangents, it would be nice for a chapter or two on planning and management for small (less than 200 square feet) gardens. Maybe in the next edition?

The book is well-organized, and the writing is pleasant and easy to follow. If you live in western Oregon, Washington, or BC, then this book is a must-read.

Solomon's guide is not only hugely informative, it's also fun to read and I have termed him to friends as the gonzo gardener. He will guide you through soil preparation, best vegetable varieties, fertilizing and composting. We have 1/3 acre and we have dedicated certain areas to gardening and have really enjoyed our successes (and learned from our failures). The organic fertilizer recipe give by Solomon is very good and have we only really needed to supplement my tomatoes with Dr. Earth tomato/vegitable for its calcium content. This guide is ambitious yes but I wasn't put off by it as a novice gardener and now that I am the garden expert of my friends I am happy to recommend it. This book will guide you through the basics as well as the details of organic gardening in the maratime Northwest.

Most of the previous reviews contained all the information about this book you'll need to make your decision to purchase or not to purchase.

Without a doubt I concider this my best gardening book. And just wanted to get my five stars posted and bow to the author for a great work! Thanks, Steve.