Vegetable Gardening: From Planting to Picking - The Complete Guide to Creating a Bountiful Garden (Hardcover)

by Fern Marshall Bradley (Author), Jane Courtier (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Nothing beats the taste of vegetables from a home garden, and with Vegetable Gardening it's never been easier. With over 80 varieties of vegetables to choose from, eating delicious, just-picked produce is a snap. Learn every step of creating and maintaining a cornucopia of garden-fresh vegetables: from choosing and planning your plot, preparing the soil, selecting seeds or cultivating seedlings, proper watering, harvesting, and storing. From composting and mulching to caring for and harvesting vegetables, it's clear that most gardeners want to use organic methods and avoid chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But what happens when things go wrong and organic solutions don't seem to be working? The two authors of this book have different answers to this question. Jane Courtier takes the view that organic methods are the first, best choice, but she occasionally uses chemical fertilizer and will resort to chemical pesticides if a serious problem arises. Fern Marshall Bradley writes from the viewpoint of a longtime organic gardener who's chosen never to use chemicals in her garden. Together they've created a book that looks at vegetable gardening from both points of view. There are substantive issues on both sides and in the end, it's an individual choice. Let them help you make up your own mind!

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Readers Digest (February 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762106298
• ISBN-13: 978-0762106295
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 9 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #29,346 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

84 of 84 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars User friendly with wonderful illustrations, July 27, 2006

By	E. Page "EP" (EP) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've checked out most vegetable gardening books at the local library and used the extension service materials, but this is the best general guide I've seen. Each vegetable and common herb gets its own page with how to plant, maintaing harvest and treat common problems. There are organic methods side by side with nonorganic methods to let the reader choose instance by instance. Each page has an illustration or actual photograph. Where appropriate information on growing in different hardiness zones is included. There are also step by step instructions on planing, preparing the ground, sowing and planting, making your garden grow (watering, feedings, weeding, pests diseases, harvest and storage, and lastly pages for each vegetable as grouped into sections such as herbs, root and stem crops etc. I checked this out from the library but decided to buy it after realzing how useful it will be in my house as a reference.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Book - Comprehensive, Helpful, and Beautiful!, May 15, 2007

By	E. Crossman "liska_02" (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I received this gorgeous book last Christmas and have since read through it so many times it's getting dog-eared! It's not only a comprehensive volume, covering everything from salsify to celeriac and kolhrabi to tomatoes, peppers, and lettuce, but it also gives excellent tips on how to set up your garden, when to harvest, and how to store your vegetables. It's arranged in a very user-friendly way, with tips and tricks and reccommended varieties on the side and loads of photographs. In fact, the full-color pictures are so incredibly gorgeous that this could be a coffee table book! Do yourself or the gardener in your life (amateur or otherwise) a favor and pick this up!!

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great resource with beautiful pictures, June 7, 2007

By	E. Nathan "Zen Knitter" (California, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I found this book to be very helpful and a great read. I really like the way it is organized and illustrated, the pictures are beautiful and informative. The authors took the time to make the book accessable for those who may not be fully acquainted with the art of veggie gardening...

overall it is a worthwhile buy.