Customer Reviews

The Organic Gardener's Home Reference: A Plant-By-Plant Guide to Growing Fresh, Healthy Food

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I have found this book to be loaded with helpful information. Some basic info, a good reminder for us all, through detailed info to help with specific problems is wonderful. The best thing is, if the book gives you options to fix a problem, it tells you why it works and whether the method is a certain or uncertain fix. It covers everything from planting by variety to pests vs beneficial insects, fungus, soil, and a large index/appendices to lead you elsewhere if needed. It covers companions/ally planting quite well. The only thing I have noted which appears not to be covered is crop rotation. I've used this for about 5 years now and wouldn't be without if for my Organic garden! Great Organic Reference book.

The Organic Gardener's Home Reference is a chart book, plant by plant, in alphabetical order, for vegetables, fruits and nuts, and herbs. The final two sections offer charts for controlling diseases and pests and suggestions for companion plants.

Each chart includes growth conditions, from when and how to plant to what to expect from the mature plant. Following this at-a-glance information is harvest advice, storage requirements and growing tips. Pests, diseases, companion plants and incompatible plants are also listed and the opposing page offers selected varieties (not localized enough to be really useful), special notes, and space for the gardener's notes. A useful quick-reference guide with concise, sometimes unusual advice. For example, the tomato entry suggests solarizing the soil during the growing season to control disease.

I have used this book for many years to help me plan my garden. This year I purchased a replacement copy as I seem to have loaned out my old one and cannot locate it. This is a great reference for common vegetables, fruiting plants, nut trees, and herbs. I particularly like the lists of companion plants and incompatibles in planning my garden, as I plant fairly close together and garden intensively in a small space. The resource list has also been very helpful.