The New Self-Sufficient Gardener (Paperback)

by John Seymour (Author)
Key Phrases: grazing pens, standard fruit trees, pelleted seed, North America, Harvesting Pick, Propagation Sow (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I have a small, jealously guarded library of best-ever food gardening books, most of them now out of print, and all authored by gardeners who spent at least as much time growing food as writing. So when one of these classics comes back into print, I m excited. The New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour is the latest case in point... A fan of deep-bed gardening, his book shows how to get the most out of small amounts of land. All these principles work as well on a hundred-square-foot city garden as on a farm... The result is a book that's loaded with large, engaging color illustrations of fruits, vegetables, composting, whole gardens, greenhouses, chicken coops, trellising, beekeeping, pruning, grafting, and just about every other food-growing activity you can think of. --Sunset Magazine

Product Description
This revised edition of an old favorite, first published in 1978, explains how to cultivate and preserve all types of fruit, herbs, and vegetables, in addition to instructions on keeping bees and raising chickens. AUTHOR BIO: John Seymour authored over 40 books, including the DK's best-selling Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency and The Forgotten Arts & Crafts. He died in the fall of 2004 at the age of 90.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing (April 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756628989
• ISBN-13: 978-0756628987
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #20,925 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gardening CLASSIC, updated , June 3, 2008

By	Haggis - See all my reviews

Do yourself a major favor and disregard the shameful "Redundant" review. Instead, look up, "The Self-Sufficient Gardener" ( not this New one) here and see that this is HIGHLY regarded. I've had the old one for years, will buy this new updated one as well since I've worn out the former one. Many gardening books nowaday seem more akin to compilations of snippets from classics, but this one IS a classic written by a master gardener who truly "talked the talk and walked the walk". In addition, it's a beautiful book with loads of colored line drawings of plants and gardens. The author, John Seymour, is a "demigod" in the organic gardening world for good reason. Read it and gain major gardening wisdom and understand how to fit each concept together to form a seemless ecosystem in your own garden.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should consider..., July 10, 2008

By	Lucie Peek "LJP" (SBI) - See all my reviews

the fact that oil prices and food prices have been soaring exorbitantly should by itself be enough to make the everyday person want to consider self-sufficiency. I've been contemplating it recently because I've always loved to play in the dirt. Previously, I have been a 'tomato plants and maybe some herbs' kind of gardener. This year my garden crops have doubled and I have become more and more interested in different types of crops and self-sufficiency ideas. This books is chock-full of ideas and suggestions for just that outlook. Some self-sufficiency guides are nothing more than expensive wishful thinking. Not everyone can afford to put up a $12,500 wind turbine in their backyard. We can't all install geo-thermal heating systems in our houses. Some of us live in the CITY and cannot get away from city zoning laws. John Seymour's book is extremely practical in explanation and suggestion about simply learning how to garden for your own food needs. I learned some brand new techniques for growing potatoes and other root vegetables, and also learned how to get my own fertilizer without having to build compost bins which will probably offend the neighbors. I'm so pleased with this book and so glad that I spent the cash to get it.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Only gardening book I'll ever need, August 16, 2008

By	C. Ellzey "chrissews" (Kentucky, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I am an avid reader, and avid gardener. I have bought thousands of dollars of books and this is the first book I have ever felt I NEEDED to write a review for.

This is a wonderful book for the experienced gardener and new alike. The suggestions are practical, inexpensive, and can be applied in any garden. He covers soil, pests, different crops, spacing, garden layout, composting, and more. I checked this book out of the library, but am here today to buy it. It may be the only gardening book you will need (although if you are like me you will add others!).

I love his down to earth way of writing, and practical, useful information.