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Vegetable Gardening Made Easy: Simple Tips & Tricks to Grow Your Best Garden Ever
Supercharge your food garden while reducing your workload with over 80 detailed solutions, techniques, and methods that resolve some of gardening’s most common challenges.
Illustrated with gorgeous photographs of inspiring gardens, projects in process, and tempting homegrown vegetables, and authored by Resh Gala, a professional kitchen garden designer, Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is filled with valuable advice every food gardener can use.
No matter the size of your garden or your experience level, backyard veggie gardeners like you can use the practical information found inside to grow a more productive (and beautiful!) edible garden.Discover an abundance of useful tidbits on everything from designing the garden and starting from seed to maximizing production, managing pests naturally, and preserving the harvest.
Organized in a stylish and easy-to-use format that prevents overwhelm, each page explains and illustrates an essential piece of core advice, offering plenty of eco-friendly information to lead you to success without making you feel like you need a science degree to make it happen. The format is perfect for today’s time-starved gardeners!
Among the abundance of growing tips and solutions, you’ll find advice
Adding healthy biodiversity to your soil and boosting it with micronutrients Growing straighter carrots, spicier peppers, and plumper radishes Pruning tomatoes to enhance yields Hand-pollinating cucumbers and squash for higher production Choosing which crops to grow based on your space and needs Creative ways to sow tiny seeds Simple how-tos for preparing your harvest Storing onions, garlic, and potatoes long-term What to do when your plants turn yellow, have holes, or look sickly
Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is smart garden know-howpresented by a professional kitchen gardener who has “been there, done that” and wants nothing more than to see you succeed. Make it easy and make it fun!
Illustrated with gorgeous photographs of inspiring gardens, projects in process, and tempting homegrown vegetables, and authored by Resh Gala, a professional kitchen garden designer, Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is filled with valuable advice every food gardener can use.
No matter the size of your garden or your experience level, backyard veggie gardeners like you can use the practical information found inside to grow a more productive (and beautiful!) edible garden.Discover an abundance of useful tidbits on everything from designing the garden and starting from seed to maximizing production, managing pests naturally, and preserving the harvest.
Organized in a stylish and easy-to-use format that prevents overwhelm, each page explains and illustrates an essential piece of core advice, offering plenty of eco-friendly information to lead you to success without making you feel like you need a science degree to make it happen. The format is perfect for today’s time-starved gardeners!
Among the abundance of growing tips and solutions, you’ll find advice
Adding healthy biodiversity to your soil and boosting it with micronutrients Growing straighter carrots, spicier peppers, and plumper radishes Pruning tomatoes to enhance yields Hand-pollinating cucumbers and squash for higher production Choosing which crops to grow based on your space and needs Creative ways to sow tiny seeds Simple how-tos for preparing your harvest Storing onions, garlic, and potatoes long-term What to do when your plants turn yellow, have holes, or look sickly
Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is smart garden know-howpresented by a professional kitchen gardener who has “been there, done that” and wants nothing more than to see you succeed. Make it easy and make it fun!
- GenresGardeningNonfiction
477 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 5, 2023
10 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 18, 2024
A great little book, full of useful information and rich, beautiful photographs. I can't wait to eat the tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, and bitter melons.
November 7, 2023
Thanks to Netgalley and Quarto Publishing Group for access to this arc in exchange for my honest review.
Well, this book is a wealth of information !! Even if there's no frost or fall in my country, all the tips, advice, it will really help me when I get a real garden. If you've been thinking about planting what you eat, this is the way to go !
Well, this book is a wealth of information !! Even if there's no frost or fall in my country, all the tips, advice, it will really help me when I get a real garden. If you've been thinking about planting what you eat, this is the way to go !
September 3, 2024
I found this book at the local library. What a gem! It's a wealth of info on everything vegetable garden: how to plan and build an outdoor garden with weed prevention; growing plants from seed including troubleshooting when things don't g(r)o(w) well; fertilizing; pest and disease management; harvesting and preserving (including recipes); prepping for the next or extending a growing season. I will definitely buy a copy!
February 2, 2024
Excellent read for when you have spring fever and want to get your hands in the dirt NOW. Hopefully I learned some things. I'll let ya know this fall.
August 31, 2023
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. (via Edelweiss+)
Pretty good comprehensive guide covering a wide variety of topics.
Pretty good comprehensive guide covering a wide variety of topics.
December 9, 2023
If you have little to no gardening experience this is the perfect book for you.
If you have all the gardening experience you *think* you need, nope, I fully believe the reading of this book will give you something new.
Resh’s story, on page 6, will make any new gardener feel more at ease, more confident. We all learn from our mistakes. Resh shares her misstep. She definitely learned from there, so much so that she has almost 200K Instagram followers, a book deal, and a successful business: Hundred Tomatoes LLC where Resh designs, consults, installs and maintains your garden.
Resh states it perfectly: All a new gardener needs is: Education, adventure and dogged determination. Really, that could be said for life in general. All good stuff!
We all enjoy beautiful pictures, right? They are usually my criteria for a great cookbook. Well, this book delivers! Resh shares some of her in her own garden as well as some gardens Resh and her team designed and installed. So inspiring!
The book then moves as one would hope: starting with how to choose a location for your new garden followed by choosing what to grow and when.
The planning is next and addressed is monoculture, polyculture, and intensive planting. I, myself, prefer Polyculture and Intensive. I love variety and using every square inch.
Resh even shares instructions on how to build a raise bed and how to fill it.
I don’t think any stone is left unturned. From irrigation to easiest crops (Resh has two of my favorites on her list: Hansel Eggplant and French Breakfast Radishes). From weed control to seed starting. (Resh provides a handy dandy seed growing guide, as well). From fertilization to thinning (which I hate!).
There are approximately two pages assigned to everything you need to know.
Resh addresses several issues one can experience such as why seeds may not have germinated and my nemesis, leggy seedlings.
An entire chapter is devoted to maximizing production: direct sowing vs. transplanting, mulching (I use straw), pruning, veggie troubleshooting and propagation.
Some of the following chapters are dedicated to Fertilization and amendments; Managing pests and disease; my favorite: Preserving and harvesting; Soil and compost.
Resh discusses extending our growing season. Like Resh, I am in zone 6. I love that with a wee bit of effort and planning I can 4 season harvest. Resh shows her garden all ready for a New Jersey winter. She even has a list of cold hardy veggies and herbs. The chapter closes with garden and tool clean-up and other steps that should be taken before the snow piles up.
A bonus: Resh even shares some recipes! There is a super easy one for bread and butter pickles. Yum. I’m curious about the pickled radishes. I’ve never had them but I imagine they will taste super on a veggie burger.
In closing, what a truly useful book. It is broken out beautifully and logically so I can easily refer back to whichever topic needs a refresher course. The pictures are beautiful and most inspiring. Resh is the epitome of organic gardening done well. Fabulous book!! Again, this book I feel would be useful for the seasoned pro gardener, a new gardener, or somebody like me in the middle (but closer to new).
Resh shared her Social Media information. Her Instagram page is so colorful and beautiful. Packed with useful information @reshgala. You should check her and her book out!
If you have all the gardening experience you *think* you need, nope, I fully believe the reading of this book will give you something new.
Resh’s story, on page 6, will make any new gardener feel more at ease, more confident. We all learn from our mistakes. Resh shares her misstep. She definitely learned from there, so much so that she has almost 200K Instagram followers, a book deal, and a successful business: Hundred Tomatoes LLC where Resh designs, consults, installs and maintains your garden.
Resh states it perfectly: All a new gardener needs is: Education, adventure and dogged determination. Really, that could be said for life in general. All good stuff!
We all enjoy beautiful pictures, right? They are usually my criteria for a great cookbook. Well, this book delivers! Resh shares some of her in her own garden as well as some gardens Resh and her team designed and installed. So inspiring!
The book then moves as one would hope: starting with how to choose a location for your new garden followed by choosing what to grow and when.
The planning is next and addressed is monoculture, polyculture, and intensive planting. I, myself, prefer Polyculture and Intensive. I love variety and using every square inch.
Resh even shares instructions on how to build a raise bed and how to fill it.
I don’t think any stone is left unturned. From irrigation to easiest crops (Resh has two of my favorites on her list: Hansel Eggplant and French Breakfast Radishes). From weed control to seed starting. (Resh provides a handy dandy seed growing guide, as well). From fertilization to thinning (which I hate!).
There are approximately two pages assigned to everything you need to know.
Resh addresses several issues one can experience such as why seeds may not have germinated and my nemesis, leggy seedlings.
An entire chapter is devoted to maximizing production: direct sowing vs. transplanting, mulching (I use straw), pruning, veggie troubleshooting and propagation.
Some of the following chapters are dedicated to Fertilization and amendments; Managing pests and disease; my favorite: Preserving and harvesting; Soil and compost.
Resh discusses extending our growing season. Like Resh, I am in zone 6. I love that with a wee bit of effort and planning I can 4 season harvest. Resh shows her garden all ready for a New Jersey winter. She even has a list of cold hardy veggies and herbs. The chapter closes with garden and tool clean-up and other steps that should be taken before the snow piles up.
A bonus: Resh even shares some recipes! There is a super easy one for bread and butter pickles. Yum. I’m curious about the pickled radishes. I’ve never had them but I imagine they will taste super on a veggie burger.
In closing, what a truly useful book. It is broken out beautifully and logically so I can easily refer back to whichever topic needs a refresher course. The pictures are beautiful and most inspiring. Resh is the epitome of organic gardening done well. Fabulous book!! Again, this book I feel would be useful for the seasoned pro gardener, a new gardener, or somebody like me in the middle (but closer to new).
Resh shared her Social Media information. Her Instagram page is so colorful and beautiful. Packed with useful information @reshgala. You should check her and her book out!
January 9, 2024
This book is short and straightforward, moving through the gardening process chronologically from planning to preserving. There's a lot of great information here about each stage of gardening, and the author includes lush photographs and helpful diagrams. The images will appeal to visual learners and help break up blocks of text.
This book is very well-organized, and I like the layout. I also appreciate the author's advice for organic gardening, including pesticide-free pest control. The majority of the information in this book applies to all gardeners, but this will be especially helpful for people who want to grow their own organic food.
However, even though this book shares great information in a thorough, succinct, and well-organized way, the pervasive assumption throughout the book is that you have lots of disposable income to spend on gardening. Many of the photos show the author's expensive gardening projects, and when she gives ideas for designing your garden, she offhandedly recommends lavish improvements like adding a fountain. Although she occasionally acknowledges people who are limited to a small patch of ground or some window boxes, this is mainly geared towards people with lots of money to pour into their gardening projects.
All throughout the book, she tells you about things you should buy, and she rarely distinguishes between must-have items and optional extras. For example, when she writes about growing baby plants indoors to transplant them later, she tells you that you need a special lighting set-up for this. She explains the pros and cons of various types of lightbulbs, but never acknowledges that this is a totally optional upgrade. People have lived off the land and grown their own food since the beginning of time, without always having electricity to make things nicer or more efficient!
I would recommend this to people who have plenty of money to pursue the author's suggestions, and to people who are comfortable shrugging off the parts that don't apply to them. If someone is likely to feel discouraged and discontent because of the author's assumption of economic privilege, then they would be better off reading something else.
Even though this book shares lots of great information, I wish that it had consistently acknowledged a wider range of readers. Many parts of this feel out-of-touch with the average person's backyard garden, and someone might even lose interest in growing their own food because the author makes it sound like such an incredibly expensive proposition.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
This book is very well-organized, and I like the layout. I also appreciate the author's advice for organic gardening, including pesticide-free pest control. The majority of the information in this book applies to all gardeners, but this will be especially helpful for people who want to grow their own organic food.
However, even though this book shares great information in a thorough, succinct, and well-organized way, the pervasive assumption throughout the book is that you have lots of disposable income to spend on gardening. Many of the photos show the author's expensive gardening projects, and when she gives ideas for designing your garden, she offhandedly recommends lavish improvements like adding a fountain. Although she occasionally acknowledges people who are limited to a small patch of ground or some window boxes, this is mainly geared towards people with lots of money to pour into their gardening projects.
All throughout the book, she tells you about things you should buy, and she rarely distinguishes between must-have items and optional extras. For example, when she writes about growing baby plants indoors to transplant them later, she tells you that you need a special lighting set-up for this. She explains the pros and cons of various types of lightbulbs, but never acknowledges that this is a totally optional upgrade. People have lived off the land and grown their own food since the beginning of time, without always having electricity to make things nicer or more efficient!
I would recommend this to people who have plenty of money to pursue the author's suggestions, and to people who are comfortable shrugging off the parts that don't apply to them. If someone is likely to feel discouraged and discontent because of the author's assumption of economic privilege, then they would be better off reading something else.
Even though this book shares lots of great information, I wish that it had consistently acknowledged a wider range of readers. Many parts of this feel out-of-touch with the average person's backyard garden, and someone might even lose interest in growing their own food because the author makes it sound like such an incredibly expensive proposition.
I received a free copy from the publisher through Amazon Vine in exchange for an honest review.
June 12, 2024
Enjoyed this book! It is easy-to-read book with pictures, lots of subheadings, and simple explanations.
I was impressed with how there is truly something for everyone in this book. It is simple to read with basic information and simple hacks that a beginning gardener can learn or even a seasoned gardener like myself has the reassurance of doing this correctly and learning a few new tips.
The easy layout of the book makes it super easy to read. There are 8 chapters: 1. Design & Plan the Garden, 2. Starting From Seed, 3. How to Grow Food & Maximize Production, 4. Using Fertilizers & Amendments, 5 Managing Pests & Diseases, 6. Harvest & Preserve Produce, 7. Supercharge Your Soil, 8. Extend Growing Season. I especially liked the headings and subheadings that each chapter has for easy reading or referencing. The pictures are nice too! The writing also isn't so scholarly and scientific to where a novice cannot understand what is being told.
A great book that I would recommend to all gardeners.
I was impressed with how there is truly something for everyone in this book. It is simple to read with basic information and simple hacks that a beginning gardener can learn or even a seasoned gardener like myself has the reassurance of doing this correctly and learning a few new tips.
The easy layout of the book makes it super easy to read. There are 8 chapters: 1. Design & Plan the Garden, 2. Starting From Seed, 3. How to Grow Food & Maximize Production, 4. Using Fertilizers & Amendments, 5 Managing Pests & Diseases, 6. Harvest & Preserve Produce, 7. Supercharge Your Soil, 8. Extend Growing Season. I especially liked the headings and subheadings that each chapter has for easy reading or referencing. The pictures are nice too! The writing also isn't so scholarly and scientific to where a novice cannot understand what is being told.
A great book that I would recommend to all gardeners.
December 26, 2023
This is a comprehensive gardening book for the new or moderately experienced gardener. I've been gardening for many years and have read so many gardening books that they all sort of blur together after a while. I don't know that this one offered a lot that others don't already cover, but it has beautiful photos and lots of info. I wasn't a big fan of the photos because they are mostly of expensive gardening projects the author's landscaping company did and they look so fancy that it would honestly intimidate me if I were a new gardener. I don't have gorgeous, perfect raised beds in a row with imported gravel all around them and stuffed with perfect vegetables with not a single blemish, but that's okay. Our garden is full of healthy plants for almost no money, which I would have liked to see a bit more of in the book.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
I read a temporary digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.
April 15, 2024
Wow!! I LOVED this gardening book for ease of digesting very useful info and the small size which made it easy to hold and take in. Really great tips from someone who is truly passionate about organic gardening and so inspiring. I wish I read this waaaaay before we started our seeds and bought our raised bed a couple of months ago. This stands out from other gardening books with its practicality and importance in priority soil quality and tips and tricks for successful gardens. I also love that there is a section on different kinds of pets and how to treat them organically in the event that you get an attack in your garden. It's incredibly refreshing to read and her simple step by step breakdown in each chapter makes it even better and faster to absorb. I absolutely want to garden every day after I finished reading each section of this book the night before!
December 2, 2023
What do we think of this new gardening book? When it comes to creating your first vegetable garden, I have to say that Vegetable Gardening Made Easy is a fantastic book for getting started. It also has the right balance of information and gorgeous pictures to help beginners understand healthy plants and essential gardening techniques.
One of the things I love about the book is that it has something for gardeners of all levels, going over common issues in each section. For example, it discusses why your peppers may not be spicy, even though they may be a variety meant to have heat. Finding a gardening book that grows with the reader is exceedingly rare, making Vegetable Gardening Made Easy a treasure for any gardener’s collection.
One of the things I love about the book is that it has something for gardeners of all levels, going over common issues in each section. For example, it discusses why your peppers may not be spicy, even though they may be a variety meant to have heat. Finding a gardening book that grows with the reader is exceedingly rare, making Vegetable Gardening Made Easy a treasure for any gardener’s collection.
December 29, 2023
Thank you to the author, Cool Springs Press and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a solid, comprehensive and extremely helpful guide for beginning gardeners, but I am certain that more experienced gardeners will also profit from the read. Structured in a very logical way, starting from choosing a location for your garden and then deciding what to grow and when, the author takes us step by step toward successful gardening, without overloading on information and at the same time providing some tips for troubleshooting problems. I loved the fact that the author included her own story, and did not hold back with sharing her missteps. Enhanced with gorgeous photos, this is a must for any beginning gardener!
This is a solid, comprehensive and extremely helpful guide for beginning gardeners, but I am certain that more experienced gardeners will also profit from the read. Structured in a very logical way, starting from choosing a location for your garden and then deciding what to grow and when, the author takes us step by step toward successful gardening, without overloading on information and at the same time providing some tips for troubleshooting problems. I loved the fact that the author included her own story, and did not hold back with sharing her missteps. Enhanced with gorgeous photos, this is a must for any beginning gardener!
January 28, 2025
Excellent and straightforward book on vegetable gardening. Resh offers a ton of information in a little book to get your garden started and maintained throughout the seasons. This is a definite keeper for your gardening library.
March 18, 2024
I will be buying this book and using it as a reference book!! Exactly what I was looking for in gardening tips and problem solutions!!
June 5, 2024
Adult
Nonfiction
Nature < Gardening
Borrowed!
Nonfiction
Nature < Gardening
Borrowed!
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews