Amazon.com Review
The ubiquitous For Dummies series, while not known for pretty illustrations or lush photography, does manage to pack the maximum amount of information into an easy-to-read format--something that gardeners with an eye on the financial bottom line love. For vegetable gardeners, the
right information is especially important, because if you don't end up with edible food on the table, you've failed. Charlie Nardozzi and the National Gardening Association editors seem comfortingly aware of this fact, but they also want to make vegetable gardening fun and interesting, and to that end there's a lot more here than just the standard tomatoes and zucchini. Bok choy, fingerling potatoes, kabocha squash, daikon radishes--they've included just about every vegetable you might be able to think of, with pithy recommendations of the tastiest and easiest-to-grow varieties.
The book's first three chapters deal with deciding what to plant, where to plant it, and when. Nardozzi then turns the bulk of the book--nine chapters--over to the vegetables themselves: the tomato (the most popular vegetable for the home gardener); the pepper and eggplant; root crops; legumes; vine crops; cole crops, such as broccoli and cabbage; greens; and sweet corn and unusual vegetables. A special chapter goes to nonvegetables like herbs and berries. The book's third section is devoted to gardening techniques, which more experienced gardeners may want to turn to immediately. There's good, solid information here on irrigation, mulching, reading a fertilizer label, companion and secession planting, and much more. As with all For Dummies titles, the resources listed in the appendix are comprehensive and up to date, and the index (without which any reader might be lost) is complete and useful.
From the Back Cover
Now updated — your guide to growing fresher, healthier food at home
Want to start a vegetable garden but don't have a green thumb? No worries! This practical, hands-on guide gives you the tools to grow and enjoy your own vegetables, from selecting the right spot for your plot to preparing the soil to harvesting and preserving. You'll confidently plant your veggies, give them the care they need, and pick them at the right time!
Go ahead and veg out — from carrots to cabbage and from peppers to potatoes, discover the best varieties of vegetables to grow and the specifics on how to grow them
Enjoy other edibles — grow berries and herbs to add flavor to your garden
Get down and dirty — review the latest techniques for proper watering, mulching, fertilizing, succession planting, interplanting, and container gardening
Say goodbye to pesky pests — keep your plants pest-free and healthy using the newest, safest methods
Open the book and find:
A new 8-page color insert
Updated illustrations
The benefits of growing vegetables
Ideas for different garden themes
A garden-planning guide
Different varieties of vegetables
All you need to know about seeds and transplants
How-tos on techniques for increasing your bounty
The best tools of the trade
Practical tips on harvesting and storing veggies
