The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers [Paperback]

Edward C. Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2, 2011

By growing vegetables in containers, even novice gardeners can reap a bounty of organic food in very small spaces. Anyone can harvest tomatoes on a patio, produce a pumpkin in a planter, or grow broccoli on a balcony — it’s easy! Ed Smith shows you how to choose the right plants, select containers and tools, care for plants throughout the growing season, control pests without chemicals, and much more. He even includes plans for small-space container gardens that are perfect for urban and suburban gardeners.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Anyone can grow, harvest, and enjoy homegrown veggies, even without a yard, bestselling garden guru Smith persuasively argues as he presents his step-by-step approach to container gardening. A garden of containers�pots, buckets, found objects�can stand alone or complement an earth garden, with some advantages, including ease of tending, portability, and fewer insect and disease problems. From soil formulas and layouts for three-container gardens on small balconies and porches to transforming five-gallon plastic buckets into self-watering containers, developing artful arrangements, and pruning, Smith�s �bible� will encourage many new vegetable growers. Useful tips for hanging containers to maximize use of vertical space on patios, grouping plants of similar mature sizes and growth rates, and using organic controls are presented as attractive endeavors, beautifully documented in numerous full-color, full-page photos. With an index, suggested reading list, average last-frost dates and hardiness zone maps, and listings of suppliers, Smith�s practical, assuring, timely, and handsomely produced how-to will see brisk traffic. --Whitney Scott --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

 "With detailed, illustrated advice on selecting and retrofitting containers, cultivation, efficient maintenance, and design plans to pull it all together, Smith's latest guide provides everything needed to grow a bounty of home-grown vegetables."
(Publisher's Weekly )

"Anyone can grow, harvest, and enjoy homegrown veggies, even without a yard, best-selling garden guru Smith persuasively argues as he presents his step-by-step approach to container gardening...Smith's practical, assuring, timely, and handsomely produced how-to will see brisk traffic." (Booklist )

"With detailed, illustrated advice on selecting and retrofitting containers, cultivation, efficient maintenance, and design plans to pull it all together, Smith's latest guide provides everything needed to grow a bounty of home-grown vegetables." (Publisher's Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC (March 2, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603429751
• ISBN-13: 978-1603429757
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 0.7 x 10.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,561 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #4 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > By Technique > Container Gardening
  • #20 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Gardening & Landscape Design > Vegetables

More About the Author

Edward C. Smith is the author of Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers. He tends a garden of over 1,500 square feet filled with raspberries, blueberries, flowers, herbs, and nearly 100 varieties of vegetables, including some heirlooms, in his home state of Vermont.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the book on container gardens that I was waiting for! March 23, 2011

By E. Tracy

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have been gardening seriously for the past couple of years and really got interested in containers last year. I have been asking myself a lot of questions about container gardening, mainly about the nature of the soil to use for pots and I have always wondered if I could reuse potting soil. I have made my share of mistakes (buying lousy pptting soil, for one, or not fertilizing enough) but I have really been craving a seasoned gardener's advice. I already owned the The Vegetable Gardener's Bible (10th Anniversary Edition) from the same author and McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers. Both were great but the former was really focused on raised beds (which is fine) and the latter lacked pictures and specific guidance. I appreciated that the authors of the Bountiful Container leave it to me to decide whether I want to grow organic or not but sometimes you just need somebody to tell you what works!

I liked the Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible the moment I put my hands on the book. It is abundantly illustrated (a huge help for a novice gardener like me!!), from pictures of containers with mature plants, to pictures of good quality soil (so you know what to look for) and how to make your own potting mix (loved the advice to mix it all in a rain barrow!). The author encourages you to add a slow-acting fertilizer to the potting mix so you do not have to fertilize too much, if at all, during the growing season (I used Dr Earth fertilizer if you are interested in organic gardening without bone meal, by the way). There are also instructions to make self-watering containers and advice on which veggies like them best. That is the first part of the book.

The second part of the book focuses on the various varieties of vegetables that you can grow in containers and the varieties that the author thinks grow better in containers are marked "Ed's Picks." Those include lettuces, various greens, or eggplants (especially if you live in the Northern states). The book has beautiful photos of every herb and vegetable with the minimum information you need to grow them successfully. A few varieties of each veggie are recommended. I find that McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers provided more in-depth information on each edible and I liked that the book covered fruit trees ans flowers while Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible focused (obviously) on veggies. The Bountiful Container also was more "poetic" in its descriptions and gave more advice specific to each edible variety, in my opinion. At the end, I would recommend both books. Use the Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible to get started and see pictures, then refer to McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers for more in-depth information on each variety.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Rewrite of Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers March 5, 2011

By Comfort Creature

Format:Paperback

This is a great book for learning about vegetable container gardening, but if you already own Edward C Smith's Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers, there's no need to buy this too. This is basically a rewrite, 9 pages longer. Had I realized before purchasing, I would have bought his Vegetable Gardener's Bible instead, to improve my earth garden. Still, this is a very useful book for container gardening. Read either one and improve your vegetable crops this year! Edward C Smith's books are essential to my library when I make my yearly garden plan.

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars I love this book! March 31, 2011

By Patricia Hampton

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

This is one of the best books I own. It's not only chock full of information, I like the way it's organized. There is a large section of general information with clear and colorful subject titles with a wide range of information. About half the book is dedicated to individual plants with information on choosing a pot, planting it, protecting from bugs, raising the plant and harvesting it. There are many, many photographs a good hardiness zone map and a very efficient index. I can't wait for warmer weather!