Customer Reviews

Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers, 4th Edition

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I give it five stars. This book, which contains a variety of information from a wide number of sources, is not a "how-to" book. Its information is mostly in table form, so the book's main use is as a reference. Some chapters, such as the one on water and irrigation, contain information I've never seen anywhere else, except in technical publications. The chapter contains line illustrations and descriptions that are accessible to the layman. The chapter on vegetable pests also contains (black and white) line illustrations of the insects. Rather than try to list all the information this book contains, I list the table of contents:

Preface

Part 1: Vegetables and the Vegetable Industry

Botanical Names of Vegetables

Names of Vegetables in Nine Languages

Vegetable Production Statistics

Consumption of Vegetables

Nutritional Composition of Vegetables

Selection of Vegetable Varieties

Part 2: Plant Growing and Greenhouse Vegetable Production

Transplant Production

Plant Growing Containers

Seeds and Seeding

Temperature and Time Requirements

Plant Growing Mixes

Soil Sterilization

Fertilizing Transplants

Plant Growing Problems

Hardening Transplants

Crop Production

Cultural Management

Carbon Dioxide Enrichment

Soilless Culture

Nutrient Solutions

Tissue Composition

Part 3: Field Planting

Temperatures for Vegetables

Scheduling Successive Plantings

Time Required for Seedling Emergence

Seed Requirements

Planting Rates for Large Seeds

Spacing of Vegetables

Precision Seeding

Seed Priming

Vegetative Propagation

Polyethylene Mulches

Row Covers

Windbreaks

Part 4: Soils and Fertilizers

Organic Matter

Soil-Improving Crops

Manures

Soil Texture

Soil Reaction

Salinity

Fertilizers

Fertilizer Conversion Factors

Nutrient Deficiencies

Micronutrients

Fertilizer Distributors

Part 5: Water and Irrigation

Water and Irrigation

Rooting of Vegetables

Soil Moisture

Surface Irrigation

Overhead irrigation

Drip or Trickle Irrigation

Water Quality

Part 6: Vegetable Pests and Problems

Air Pollution

Integrated Pest Management

Pesticide-Use Precautions

Equipment and Application

Nematodes

Diseases

Insects

Wildlife Control

Herbicides

Equipment and Application

Weed-Control Practices

Effectiveness and Longevity of Herbicides

Part 8: Harvesting and Storage

Predicting Harvest Dates and Yields

Cooling Vegetables

Storage Conditions

Chilling and Ethylene Injury

Vegetable Quality

U.S. Standards for Vegetables

Storage Sprout Inhibitors

Containers for Vegetables

Vegetable Marketing

Part 9: Seed Production and Storage

Seed Labels

Seed Germination Tests

Seed Purity and Germination Standards

Seed Production

Seed Yields

Seed Storage

Part 10: Appendix

Sources of Vegetable Information

Sources of Vegetable Seeds

Periodicals for Vegetable Growers

U.S. Units of Measurement

Conversion Factors for U.S. Units

Metric Units of Measurement

Conversion Factors for U.S. and Metric Units

Conversions for Rates of Application

Water and Soil Solution Conversion Factors

Heat and Energy Equivalents and Definitions

Index

I use this book as my first reference work to answer disease and insect problems in vegetables for the public. The layout is extremely easy to use. Each section is very clear and concise. This work is also used for establishing small plot research design that is comprable to the large scale production fields. All the information one needs is in this handbook for vegtable trials and for large scale production. There is very little else on the market that is as comprehensive as this publication and as accurate regarding information provided.

First published in 1956, this handbook is an indispensable, up-to-date companion both in the field and in the marketplace. Topics include the vegetable industry, greenhouse vegetable production, soils and fertilizers, water, pests, weed control, harvesting, storage, and seed production. Packed with quick-access graphs, tables, charts, and line drawings, the 4th edition offers new information on drip irrigation, seed germination, plant tissue and sap testing, windbreaks, and weed management. It also gives advice on allowable pesticide and herbicide use and on the latest worker protection standards. The appendix contains sources of vegetable information, providers of vegetable seeds, periodicals for vegetable growers, and U.S. units of measurement and the metric conversion factors. A change from the spiral-bound 3rd edition is a sturdy, flexible cover to help hold pages flat.

Some years ago I used this book to build a very large farming company. I had no experience and little money but in 5 years I was farming 6000 acres of row crop. This book is fantastic. Eventually I had lots of AG engineers on staff, but this was the book that taught me how to monitor them. I recommend it to anyone, from a gardener to a an agribusinessman. It is wonderful and the current edition is great.

This is a very useful book. It is not meant to be read, but to be used as a reference guide. It is just packed with useful growing information. Information can be looked up easily.

I have taught agriculture and worked in agriculture my entire life. This book encapsulates the growing information for crops very well.

Experienced growers would fare well to have this book on your desk of resource material. New growers will be milestones ahead to familiarize yourself with the information in this book.

This book covers every aspect, from starting from seed, soils, greenhouse and field production. Want to know how long it takes a particular crop to mature to harvest? Its here, along with hundreds of other useful tidbits.

Don't expect everything to be written in paragraphs. You have to be able to read and interpret simple charts and graphs.

If you put into practice even one tenth of the information contain in this book you will grow your garden or crops much better. You fare well to buy this book over many of the others with glossy nice to look at pictures. This is a book of facts with an abundance of information.

I recommend this book to anyone growing vegetables for gardening, hydroponic gardeners, or crop production.

Very comprehensive but somewhat esoteric. This handbook is not for casual reading, but yields results for specific research. The more the book is consulted, one has a better understanding of how the information is presented. The handbook contains a wealth of material.

I knew going in that this handbook was for commercial growers so though I hesitated at the price I thought it would be worth it because it would be so complete. Boy, was I mistaken. I can't believe this is what professional growers use. The information is so hit and miss.

I guess the biggest problem is the inconsistency about which vegetables and crops are covered. In some places they list every vegetable you can think of and in others they list fewer than 15. Need to know what temperature to ship vegetables or how much a crate of yucca weighs? There are pages and pages devoted to it. Need to know germination temperature for seeds? There is less than a page and exactly 12 vegetables listed.

I think most growers [even commercial ones] would be better off searching out the information they need for the specific crops they plan to grow. In fact, much of this book is dedicated to listing websites and government agencies rather than including the information.

Current, comprehensive, and invaluable, this book has always been THE source for pragmatic information on vegetable culture. unfortunately, the stubborn adherence to US units mars the otherwise brilliant presentation of valuable info. It is time the US learned the SI, and well-known researchers updating this tome have no excuse for not making a swift transition to SI and completely forgetting antiquated US units. When I see incredibly useful information hopelessly undermined by useless measurements, my teeth grind in frustration and I wonder why otherwise educated people persist in perpetuating this obsolete system. At least make an SI edition so it can be used in the rest of the world. Not everyone in the US is a hick either; many understand what a millimeter is and what kilograms are. The US would claim the forefront of the agricultural world if we could just get rid of ignorant measurement systems and go to SI in all respects. Professionalize the book with SI and it would be a worldwide best seller instantly.