Customer Reviews

The after-dinner gardening book,

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

What a fun book! Informative too. I couldn't put it down, and have since grown my *own* avocado plant with my toddler (we named ours Audrey). The stories associated with the author's experience with each plant are funny, sometimes hysterically so. My favorite was the image of him standing on a ladder forcefully throwing coconuts into a bathtub filled with saltwater to simulate coconuts falling out of a tree into the ocean. Don't worry, after describing how he experiments, he tells you the easier shortcuts (a ladder wouldn't fit into my bathroom anyway). Reading it makes you want to immediately buy and eat the exotic fruits he describes just for the seeds and the fun of trying to grow them (inside, my favorite place - no bugs, controlled climate, etc.). My only complaint is that the fruits are indeed largely exotic. The fruits in the book include mango, Chinese gooseberry, prickly pear, sugarcane, and pomegranate. I was hoping for some plain orange, lemon, or apple seed hints as well. Maybe other people are better at growing such ordinary plants, or at least less intimidated than me, but I loved having the plant-specific instructions that maximize the chances of success. Overall, I'd highly recommend this book, especially for those who would like to have a green thumb but just don't quite (like me) or for those who just like funny stories. Here's hoping for a sequel, even after all this time! :-)

When cleaning out my mother's book case this little book grabbed me with it's cover and title. Once I picked it up, I couldn't put it down! It's so entertaining and engrossing -- from the author's reactions from his wife to his obsessive search for a more exotic seed to plant -- this book reels you in. The author's quest and passion are infectuos. I find myself examining fruit salads at dinner parties and asking my shoked host "Did you throw away the top of your pineapple? You know, it can grow into it's own plant!" I can't imagine that a book similar to this would exist nor what it's genre would be called... but if it's found please let me know!

This book is an absolute hoot! Everyone is amazed that I can grow a grocery store pineapple and have it produce an actual pineapple. It is fun for the whole family and, if you follow the detailed instructions, you can successfully garden using food that you get from your grocer. It is well written and the instructions are easy to follow.

I bought this book in a discount rack - and thought it was delightful. Tried growing lots of the suggested plants and had great success. The book was so much fun - I found six new copies and gave them as Christmas gifts that year - and all the recipients were just as delighted with this 'find' as I was! A must for anyone who likes growing things, or has wondered how in the world do you get that Mango seed to germinate.

This is a gardening book with a witty, narrative personality. Until it's reissued, and it should be, it's on my list of books to rescue from a burning building. Langer is a nom de plum according to my vintage 70's paperback and for the last 25+ years I've wondered, who is that masked man? In searching just now, I learned he has continued to sporadically publish cooking and gardening books into the 1990's under the name of Langer, always with an illustrator named Susan McNeill. The fact of the illustrator is of interest because Langer often mentions his wife named Susan in the book, her character emerging as the involuntary poster child for tolerance of spousal obsessions. I had wondered if their marriage, not to mention her sewing shears, had survived his early adventures in plant science. And yes, by the way, his advice is practical and I've gotten some plants out of it over the years.

This is such and excellent book, I must research and see if the author is still living. My original copy of this book purchased about 10-15 years ago was chewed up by my chihuahua. We still kept it and my daughter who married last year remembered it and wanted to re-read and use since it had helped her germinate a mango pit sucessfully when she was a child. The book is such a pleasant read and gives such great advice on germinating odd seeds and pits. I'm so glad I was able to get a "new" copy and have sent it to her as a gift. The illustrations are excellenty done by the authors wife. I'd love to meet them and have them autograph by copy.

I've owned this book since the seventies. I like it for its easy instructions that are really geared to sucess if followed. The humor is a plus! I have gone back to it over and over through the years. This morning, I was trying to find out how to germinate a cherry seed but,alas, that's not included. Not to worry I have lots of pits and will just see what happens. I only wish an updated issue of this book would soon emerge!

I've read a lot of gardening books and by far this is my favorite. Not only is it informative and the only book I've ever seen on the subject- it reads better than many novels I've read!
I love the authors' sense of humor and how he includes his wife's bewildered amusement at his sudden obsession with growing exotic fruits. It really hit home with me because I get many of the same reactions from family and friends. My mother stopped asking questions when I asked to use her blender (for pureeing moss to start seeds in) and other kitchen utensils. I guess she decided she was better off not knowing, and now my boyfriend is learning the same.
I plan on buying all of them a copy of this book. Maybe it'll help explain what goes on in the mind of someone who's been bitten by the "bug".
My only complaint is the book is no longer in print!

Richard Langer's adventures of growing houseplants in a dark NYC apartment will ring true for big city dwellers. The practical hints for growing plants from produce market finds will inspire even those whose previous gardening experience never went beyond a neglected snake plant.

Even a non-gardener would appreciate the personal tales which make this book read like a collection of short stories.

I picked up this book in paperback in the 1970s, when everybody still had at least some blood of the flower child in them and everybody had so many plants in their inner city duplexes that they lived in veritable jungles. It's a great read, even if you never try to grow any of the plants Mr. Langer discusses. I germinated many of the plants he talks about and had great fun doing it. Later on, I sold the book to a used bookstore, which was not a smart idea. I missed it and had to search the used book stores until I found another copy, this time in hardback. If you are a curious and adventurous gardener, or simply an armchair gardener, you'll love this book. It's one of a kind! C. Yow Houston, TX 713-667-1989