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The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food: A Crop-by-Crop Reference for 62 Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts, and Herbs
The latest addition to Storey's bestselling Backyard Homestead series, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food is a one-stop reference for all the key information food gardeners need to grow a healthy, bountiful garden. Author Tanya Denckla Cobb presents key information based on extensive research and years of experience, including when to start seeds for each type of crop (and at what temperature), how far apart to space seedlings, how to tell when a crop is ready to harvest, and notes on preservation. The book features a comprehensive companion planting guide and an in-depth review of the most effective organic pest control practices, including recipes for how to make your own pest deterrent sprays.
- GenresNonfictionGardening
328 pages, Paperback
Published February 20, 2024
3 people are currently reading
39 people want to read
About the author
Tanya Denckla Cobb
6 books2 followersPlease note: Works by this author have also been published under the name 'Tanya L.K. Denckla'.
Tanya Denckla Cobb is a writer, professional environmental mediator, and teacher of food system planning at the University of Virginia. She is passionate about bringing people together to discover common ground and create solutions for mutual gain. She is Associate Director of the UVA Institute for Environmental Negotiation where, since 1997, she has worked on a broad range of community, environmental, and agricultural issues.
At home, she enjoys the restorative energy of gardening and cooking from her garden. She lives in Virginia, and is the author of the The Gardener’s A to Z Guide to Growing Organic Food and Reclaiming Our Food: How the Grassroots Food Movement is Changing What We Eat.
- excerpted from her website
Tanya Denckla Cobb is a writer, professional environmental mediator, and teacher of food system planning at the University of Virginia. She is passionate about bringing people together to discover common ground and create solutions for mutual gain. She is Associate Director of the UVA Institute for Environmental Negotiation where, since 1997, she has worked on a broad range of community, environmental, and agricultural issues.
At home, she enjoys the restorative energy of gardening and cooking from her garden. She lives in Virginia, and is the author of the The Gardener’s A to Z Guide to Growing Organic Food and Reclaiming Our Food: How the Grassroots Food Movement is Changing What We Eat.
- excerpted from her website
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
January 2, 2024
This is a great home grower's guide to successfully grow a variety of plant species in your backyard. I have read many gardening books, but this one had something a little different toward the end. I think the most useful part of this book is the section regarding various plant diseases and the natural actions you can take to improve the conditions of your garden, be it the plant, the soil, or the pests.
I will definitely be using this book as reference in 2024's growing season.
*** Thank you to Storey Publishing for providing this book in exchange for an honest review!
I will definitely be using this book as reference in 2024's growing season.
*** Thank you to Storey Publishing for providing this book in exchange for an honest review!
December 12, 2023
Thank you, Storey Publishing, for the advance reading copy.
This is for adults who are interested in gardening and farming vegetables. The guidebook will provide the basic instructions on seeds, when to start planting for each specific vegetable mentioned alongside their common pests/diseases, their harvesting time and their basic care in very brief details.
I would say this will help with most plants/vegetables anywhere. However, the guidebook would be more interesting with real pictures with some of the basic tools we can use.
Overall a good informative guide for every household.
This is for adults who are interested in gardening and farming vegetables. The guidebook will provide the basic instructions on seeds, when to start planting for each specific vegetable mentioned alongside their common pests/diseases, their harvesting time and their basic care in very brief details.
I would say this will help with most plants/vegetables anywhere. However, the guidebook would be more interesting with real pictures with some of the basic tools we can use.
Overall a good informative guide for every household.
February 15, 2024
4.2 ⭐️
Down to the dirty details! This is a great reference guide for beginner level gardeners, as well as those (like myself) who have been slowly dabbling but still aren’t 100% sure what they’re doing 😄
🥦 Offers detailed tips for 28 vegetables, 18 fruits and nuts, and 15 herbs - all very common for the US. Includes recommendations for temperature, sunlight, size and spacing, soil needs, fertilizing, seed start and transplant timing, harvesting, plant compatibility and common pests and diseases for each respective plant.
🐛 An entire section is dedicated to identifying common pests and diseases and treating organically. This is a section I will be referencing often!
📊 The very last chapter has a nice quick reference chart for great plant allies and companions to compliment each other and help prevent pests.
❌ What this doesn’t include is any
images, or garden landscape setup visuals or recommendations. It also doesn’t make reference to any healing properties of plants (I got excited when I saw a chapter labeled “organic remedies” and upon reading realized that was referring to organic treatment for pests/diseases). But it also didn’t promise to do any of that.
👩🏻🌾 All-in-all, it’s a very helpful reference guide for many common US crops. I’ll be using these tips to improve upon my gardening skills this year for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley, Storey Publishing, and Tanya Denckla Cobb for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!
Down to the dirty details! This is a great reference guide for beginner level gardeners, as well as those (like myself) who have been slowly dabbling but still aren’t 100% sure what they’re doing 😄
🥦 Offers detailed tips for 28 vegetables, 18 fruits and nuts, and 15 herbs - all very common for the US. Includes recommendations for temperature, sunlight, size and spacing, soil needs, fertilizing, seed start and transplant timing, harvesting, plant compatibility and common pests and diseases for each respective plant.
🐛 An entire section is dedicated to identifying common pests and diseases and treating organically. This is a section I will be referencing often!
📊 The very last chapter has a nice quick reference chart for great plant allies and companions to compliment each other and help prevent pests.
❌ What this doesn’t include is any
images, or garden landscape setup visuals or recommendations. It also doesn’t make reference to any healing properties of plants (I got excited when I saw a chapter labeled “organic remedies” and upon reading realized that was referring to organic treatment for pests/diseases). But it also didn’t promise to do any of that.
👩🏻🌾 All-in-all, it’s a very helpful reference guide for many common US crops. I’ll be using these tips to improve upon my gardening skills this year for sure.
Thanks to NetGalley, Storey Publishing, and Tanya Denckla Cobb for providing me with a complimentary ARC to review!
April 4, 2024
Excellent book! What I really like how the plants are listed individually with information. It is useful information that tells about germination time, transplant time, growth, pests, etc. The facts are helpful, basic and useful. The most popular vegetables, fruits and herbs are listed. I’d use this book again as a resource.
July 22, 2024
This book was previously published by Storey in 2003 as The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Organic Food, a larger 486-page book with many delightful woodcuts by Stephen Alcorn. That, in turn, was previously published by Storey in 1994 as The Organic Gardener’s Home Reference. I haven’t seen that book. Before that the author wrote a self-published book, Gardening at a Glance.
This is not a new edition. The material on the crops is much the same as the 2003 book, minus the woodcuts, background drawings and the info on varieties. Varieties do come and go, so for a book with a deep future, variety names are not so useful. There’s a new preface. The Organic Remedies chapter has been updated to remove suggestions no longer considered sustainable, and add a few more recent ideas.
The decrease in book size has partly been accomplished by reducing the point size of the text, and using a more compact section heading style. If you are not short of space and simply want the info attractively set out, buy the 2003 book used. If you have the 2003 book, you don’t need to buy this one unless you are moving to a tiny house and need a smaller book – it is 5/8" thick, compared to 2003’s door-stopper at twice that thickness.
The first chapter provides information to start a garden and a guide on how to use the book. The previous book’s defense of Organic gardening has been omitted. This book is likely to be bought by new gardeners already tending towards organic, and the notion does not need to be belabored.
Having settled the logistics, what is this book like? It’s a quick reference book with the important data you need for sowing and growing many crops, protecting them from problems and harvesting and storing them. There’s a short intro to each crop and its particular attributes, then a well-organized 2-3 page traverse of its temperature, soil and water needs; first and last starting dates (in relation to frost dates); measurements and support structures required; pests and diseases; allies, companions and incompatible plant neighbors; harvest tips and storage requirements both fresh and preserved. The tree chapter includes siting, growing and bearing, shaping, and rootstocks (maybe there is more recent info out there?) The herb chapter includes a sentence on whether each herb will grow well in a greenhouse. This book is for quick reference and does not dive deep into the nuances of growing each crop. It will appeal particularly to new gardeners who need to look things up quickly, without wading through “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Parsnips” type information.
The “allies, companions and incompatible plant neighbors” sections feel a bit dated to me, harking back to when organic gardeners were more enthused about companion planting. But here, Tanya doesn’t simply repeat the myths and old tales, but lists the allies by “Some evidence” (from recorded field trials), “Anecdotal” (traditional, untested, regard as experimental) or “Uncertain”, and disentangles the threads of plant interactions. Allies are those plants “purported to actively repel insects or to enhance the growth or flavor of the target plant.” The Allies and Companions chapter explains the concepts further and has a chart listing the options. Companions are alleged to grow well together, without any claims to actively promote either plant’s wellbeing. Incompatibles are alleged to hinder each other’s growth, although there is no hard evidence.
The vegetables section covers 28 vegetables, and those not mentioned by name can usually be extrapolated from the information for similar crops. No okra or watermelon, though, or endives, baby lettuce mix, chard, edamame, radishes or turnips. Garlic is in the Herbs section.
The fruits and nuts section covers 17 bush, cane and tree fruits, and tree nuts. I learned that cling peaches are the best for canning, but can be hard for home gardeners to find. I learned that peach trees live a mere 8 years in the south, less with poor drainage.
The herbs section covers the 14 main annual and perennial culinary herbs. And garlic, which I count as a vegetable. I advocate for planting garlic in the fall, long past the “111 days before first frost date” that is given here as the last planting date. And I wouldn’t start planting garlic in spring 21-35 days before the last frost date. I think this chapter needs revising. Garlic is day-length sensitive and doesn’t produce fall harvest from spring plantings – it produces small summer harvests. This section seems to have slipped past the editors.
After the crops section is one devoted to organic remedies for plant diseases and pests. The emphasis is on creating and maintaining a balanced ecosystem, with a reminder not to strive for a blemish-free harvest. It’s good to know that “Most plants can lose up to 20% of their foliage and still match yields of those with no foliage loss.” Determine the severity of the damage, the cause, and the costs and impact of various actions you might take (including none). Then decide the action worth taking. Think of the whole garden, and don’t get sentimental about a particular plant or crop.
The first line of defense is to plan ahead in order to reduce the chances of things going poorly and increase the chances of success. Sunlight, drainage, soil organism diversity, balanced nutrients, all can be optimized. Tilling depth and soil compaction can be minimized. There are brief instructions on hot water seed treatments to reduce seed-borne diseases, for brassicas, nightshades and celery.
The second line of defense is to prevent problems as much as possible. Water adequately, Feed the soil with compost and cover crops, control weeds with mulches and cultivation, maintain mowed borders to reduce incoming problems, remove mature crops, remove diseased plants, protect tender plants from frosts, shade cool weather crops and new transplants, fence out big animal pests. Attract beneficial insects, birds and bats. Consider importing beneficial insects that your garden is lacking. The book has a chart of 14 beneficials and their benefits.
The third line of defense is to accurately identify the problems. This involves regular scouting – touring your garden with a critical and careful eye, trying to find the cause of the problem as well as its name. As in medicine, if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. Don’t assume you have every weird virus in all the books. First consider physical problems, then nutrient deficiencies and soil composition imbalances, then pests, then diseases, working through the lists of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.
To my surprise, the nutrients section does not cover having too much phosphorus, a common issue in organic gardening using lots of compost. It does cover phosphorus deficiency.
The remedies follow the IPM sequence of starting with the least invasive and least toxic remedies, and keep botanical controls for occasions when all else fails. This is an important lesson for old-timey and newly-minted organic gardeners to learn. Don’t reach first for the sprays, even if organic. Attract beneficial organisms before importing any. Ensure you have suitable conditions for the new creatures. Be realistic about costs, ensuring you use enough. For example, beneficial nematodes need to be applied at 50,000 per square foot, when it is warm enough and damp enough for them to survive.
The new book still contains some old-timey methods, such as grinding up bugs and making a soup of them to spray on plants to deter other bugs. Tanya calls this “experimental” which might be too polite. I have not seen any trials proving it works. Clean cultivation was once a favored method of keeping weeds, diseases and pests away. Removing all non-crop plants and dead organic matter, pools of water, brush piles and rocks. Most gardeners these days are more interested in encouraging diversity. Likewise I am not a fan of using home-made dish soap sprays, or dusting plants repeatedly with diatomaceous earth, which desiccates many kinds of insects, not just pests.
Materials previously accepted for pesticide use, such as Ryania, Sabadilla, Roteneone, have mostly been removed from the recommendations as too damaging to many other organisms, and kaolin (Surround) has been added. The neem information now includes the concerns about its harm to non-target organisms.
Insect netting is not mentioned, but rowcovers, stem collars, sticky bands and traps are covered, along with the warning that traps without specific pheromones may catch non-target insects too. I noticed that the spongy moth is sometimes referred to by its older name (Gypsy moth).
Botanical controls to use with caution include the not-actually botanical copper and sulfur (here for convenience of finding the info), as well as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Pyrethrin (concerns noted) and Spinosad (spray in the evening to avoid killing bees).
Next up, after a brief mention of weeds, are plant diseases, with specific suggestions for each named disease. Most of this section seems unchanged from the previous book, and you will need to ID the disease elsewhere first (there are no photos in this book). Not new, but very interesting to me, were foliar spray remedies for Botrytis and some other molds, using juices or oils from various plants, yeasts and a beneficial bacterium. Likewise there are lots of suggestions for dealing with powdery mildew.
Following the specific diseases section is one with pest insects and larger animals.
Chapter 6 covers plant allies and companions, with the advice to “Approach companion planting with skepticism, curiosity and a healthy experimental attitude.” The large chart has been lightly revised, and the print size much reduced. Cilantro (also included as coriander) has been added as an attractant for aphid-eating insects, as well as predators of Colorado potato beetles on eggplant. Mustard greens have been added as a trap crop for flea beetles and harlequin bugs. Mostly, this chart has stayed the same.
The bibliography is half the length it was. The index is 11 pages in this new book, 15 pages in the 2003 book. The new one omits separate listings for Latin names, or for particular Allies. There is a new Afterword that addresses the current state of the organic food movement and the controversies about biosolids, hydroponics, GMOs, antibiotics, irradiation, outdoor access for poultry, and whether the standards for small- and large-scale organic farmers should be the same. Recent and emerging alternatives to USDA Organic certification are covered, and gardeners are encouraged to choose healthy food-growing methods.
This is not a new edition. The material on the crops is much the same as the 2003 book, minus the woodcuts, background drawings and the info on varieties. Varieties do come and go, so for a book with a deep future, variety names are not so useful. There’s a new preface. The Organic Remedies chapter has been updated to remove suggestions no longer considered sustainable, and add a few more recent ideas.
The decrease in book size has partly been accomplished by reducing the point size of the text, and using a more compact section heading style. If you are not short of space and simply want the info attractively set out, buy the 2003 book used. If you have the 2003 book, you don’t need to buy this one unless you are moving to a tiny house and need a smaller book – it is 5/8" thick, compared to 2003’s door-stopper at twice that thickness.
The first chapter provides information to start a garden and a guide on how to use the book. The previous book’s defense of Organic gardening has been omitted. This book is likely to be bought by new gardeners already tending towards organic, and the notion does not need to be belabored.
Having settled the logistics, what is this book like? It’s a quick reference book with the important data you need for sowing and growing many crops, protecting them from problems and harvesting and storing them. There’s a short intro to each crop and its particular attributes, then a well-organized 2-3 page traverse of its temperature, soil and water needs; first and last starting dates (in relation to frost dates); measurements and support structures required; pests and diseases; allies, companions and incompatible plant neighbors; harvest tips and storage requirements both fresh and preserved. The tree chapter includes siting, growing and bearing, shaping, and rootstocks (maybe there is more recent info out there?) The herb chapter includes a sentence on whether each herb will grow well in a greenhouse. This book is for quick reference and does not dive deep into the nuances of growing each crop. It will appeal particularly to new gardeners who need to look things up quickly, without wading through “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Parsnips” type information.
The “allies, companions and incompatible plant neighbors” sections feel a bit dated to me, harking back to when organic gardeners were more enthused about companion planting. But here, Tanya doesn’t simply repeat the myths and old tales, but lists the allies by “Some evidence” (from recorded field trials), “Anecdotal” (traditional, untested, regard as experimental) or “Uncertain”, and disentangles the threads of plant interactions. Allies are those plants “purported to actively repel insects or to enhance the growth or flavor of the target plant.” The Allies and Companions chapter explains the concepts further and has a chart listing the options. Companions are alleged to grow well together, without any claims to actively promote either plant’s wellbeing. Incompatibles are alleged to hinder each other’s growth, although there is no hard evidence.
The vegetables section covers 28 vegetables, and those not mentioned by name can usually be extrapolated from the information for similar crops. No okra or watermelon, though, or endives, baby lettuce mix, chard, edamame, radishes or turnips. Garlic is in the Herbs section.
The fruits and nuts section covers 17 bush, cane and tree fruits, and tree nuts. I learned that cling peaches are the best for canning, but can be hard for home gardeners to find. I learned that peach trees live a mere 8 years in the south, less with poor drainage.
The herbs section covers the 14 main annual and perennial culinary herbs. And garlic, which I count as a vegetable. I advocate for planting garlic in the fall, long past the “111 days before first frost date” that is given here as the last planting date. And I wouldn’t start planting garlic in spring 21-35 days before the last frost date. I think this chapter needs revising. Garlic is day-length sensitive and doesn’t produce fall harvest from spring plantings – it produces small summer harvests. This section seems to have slipped past the editors.
After the crops section is one devoted to organic remedies for plant diseases and pests. The emphasis is on creating and maintaining a balanced ecosystem, with a reminder not to strive for a blemish-free harvest. It’s good to know that “Most plants can lose up to 20% of their foliage and still match yields of those with no foliage loss.” Determine the severity of the damage, the cause, and the costs and impact of various actions you might take (including none). Then decide the action worth taking. Think of the whole garden, and don’t get sentimental about a particular plant or crop.
The first line of defense is to plan ahead in order to reduce the chances of things going poorly and increase the chances of success. Sunlight, drainage, soil organism diversity, balanced nutrients, all can be optimized. Tilling depth and soil compaction can be minimized. There are brief instructions on hot water seed treatments to reduce seed-borne diseases, for brassicas, nightshades and celery.
The second line of defense is to prevent problems as much as possible. Water adequately, Feed the soil with compost and cover crops, control weeds with mulches and cultivation, maintain mowed borders to reduce incoming problems, remove mature crops, remove diseased plants, protect tender plants from frosts, shade cool weather crops and new transplants, fence out big animal pests. Attract beneficial insects, birds and bats. Consider importing beneficial insects that your garden is lacking. The book has a chart of 14 beneficials and their benefits.
The third line of defense is to accurately identify the problems. This involves regular scouting – touring your garden with a critical and careful eye, trying to find the cause of the problem as well as its name. As in medicine, if you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. Don’t assume you have every weird virus in all the books. First consider physical problems, then nutrient deficiencies and soil composition imbalances, then pests, then diseases, working through the lists of bacterial, fungal and viral diseases.
To my surprise, the nutrients section does not cover having too much phosphorus, a common issue in organic gardening using lots of compost. It does cover phosphorus deficiency.
The remedies follow the IPM sequence of starting with the least invasive and least toxic remedies, and keep botanical controls for occasions when all else fails. This is an important lesson for old-timey and newly-minted organic gardeners to learn. Don’t reach first for the sprays, even if organic. Attract beneficial organisms before importing any. Ensure you have suitable conditions for the new creatures. Be realistic about costs, ensuring you use enough. For example, beneficial nematodes need to be applied at 50,000 per square foot, when it is warm enough and damp enough for them to survive.
The new book still contains some old-timey methods, such as grinding up bugs and making a soup of them to spray on plants to deter other bugs. Tanya calls this “experimental” which might be too polite. I have not seen any trials proving it works. Clean cultivation was once a favored method of keeping weeds, diseases and pests away. Removing all non-crop plants and dead organic matter, pools of water, brush piles and rocks. Most gardeners these days are more interested in encouraging diversity. Likewise I am not a fan of using home-made dish soap sprays, or dusting plants repeatedly with diatomaceous earth, which desiccates many kinds of insects, not just pests.
Materials previously accepted for pesticide use, such as Ryania, Sabadilla, Roteneone, have mostly been removed from the recommendations as too damaging to many other organisms, and kaolin (Surround) has been added. The neem information now includes the concerns about its harm to non-target organisms.
Insect netting is not mentioned, but rowcovers, stem collars, sticky bands and traps are covered, along with the warning that traps without specific pheromones may catch non-target insects too. I noticed that the spongy moth is sometimes referred to by its older name (Gypsy moth).
Botanical controls to use with caution include the not-actually botanical copper and sulfur (here for convenience of finding the info), as well as Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), Pyrethrin (concerns noted) and Spinosad (spray in the evening to avoid killing bees).
Next up, after a brief mention of weeds, are plant diseases, with specific suggestions for each named disease. Most of this section seems unchanged from the previous book, and you will need to ID the disease elsewhere first (there are no photos in this book). Not new, but very interesting to me, were foliar spray remedies for Botrytis and some other molds, using juices or oils from various plants, yeasts and a beneficial bacterium. Likewise there are lots of suggestions for dealing with powdery mildew.
Following the specific diseases section is one with pest insects and larger animals.
Chapter 6 covers plant allies and companions, with the advice to “Approach companion planting with skepticism, curiosity and a healthy experimental attitude.” The large chart has been lightly revised, and the print size much reduced. Cilantro (also included as coriander) has been added as an attractant for aphid-eating insects, as well as predators of Colorado potato beetles on eggplant. Mustard greens have been added as a trap crop for flea beetles and harlequin bugs. Mostly, this chart has stayed the same.
The bibliography is half the length it was. The index is 11 pages in this new book, 15 pages in the 2003 book. The new one omits separate listings for Latin names, or for particular Allies. There is a new Afterword that addresses the current state of the organic food movement and the controversies about biosolids, hydroponics, GMOs, antibiotics, irradiation, outdoor access for poultry, and whether the standards for small- and large-scale organic farmers should be the same. Recent and emerging alternatives to USDA Organic certification are covered, and gardeners are encouraged to choose healthy food-growing methods.
October 15, 2023
I requested this on NetGalley and obviously got accepted. This is a great reference tool that I will be buying when it becomes available. If you're looking to get into the Organic side of gardening I'd pick this up. It's got a great pest preventative section and crop reference section.
December 18, 2023
The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food by Tanya Denckla Cobb holds its hand as both a comprehensive reference and a practical handbook, but struggles to find a comfortable middle ground. Packed with information on 62 crops, it throws the kitchen sink of planting techniques, pest control recipes, and companion planting charts at you, leaving you feeling a bit overwhelmed at times.
On the upside, the sheer depth of knowledge is impressive. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a complete newbie, there's something to glean from Cobb's years of experience. The crop-by-crop breakdowns are meticulous, detailing everything from sunlight needs to harvest times. The pest control section, with its DIY recipes for sprays and barriers, feels especially empowering.
However, the information overload can be daunting. Jumping between meticulous planting instructions and esoteric companion planting charts felt disjointed, and the writing occasionally veers into textbook territory, losing its conversational charm. Additionally, the book's focus on North American climates might leave readers in other regions scrambling for adaptations.
Overall, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food is a valuable resource for any aspiring homesteader, but its encyclopedic approach might benefit from a bit more organization and regional tailoring. A strong 3 stars for the wealth of information, but it loses a bit of shine without a clearer path through it.
On the upside, the sheer depth of knowledge is impressive. Whether you're a seasoned gardener or a complete newbie, there's something to glean from Cobb's years of experience. The crop-by-crop breakdowns are meticulous, detailing everything from sunlight needs to harvest times. The pest control section, with its DIY recipes for sprays and barriers, feels especially empowering.
However, the information overload can be daunting. Jumping between meticulous planting instructions and esoteric companion planting charts felt disjointed, and the writing occasionally veers into textbook territory, losing its conversational charm. Additionally, the book's focus on North American climates might leave readers in other regions scrambling for adaptations.
Overall, The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food is a valuable resource for any aspiring homesteader, but its encyclopedic approach might benefit from a bit more organization and regional tailoring. A strong 3 stars for the wealth of information, but it loses a bit of shine without a clearer path through it.
December 31, 2023
This was a great glimpse on creating a self-sustainable garden discussing everything from earthworms, compost, mulch, and bugs to seeds and planting.
There are detailed passages on the basic plants and herbs most people will grow in their gardens (not a great book if you're wanting to grow rarer plants or herbs but fantastic for a beginner wanting to grow things like tomatoes and lettuce).
The best part of the book is the section on Garden Remedies. There are pages of common ailments you will find in the garden, tips for prevention, and recipes and ideas for dealing with common diseases and pests.
This book is very basic. No illustrations or frills. But for someone who wants a no-nonsense quick reference guide for a basic garden, this is a great book to have on your shelf.
There are detailed passages on the basic plants and herbs most people will grow in their gardens (not a great book if you're wanting to grow rarer plants or herbs but fantastic for a beginner wanting to grow things like tomatoes and lettuce).
The best part of the book is the section on Garden Remedies. There are pages of common ailments you will find in the garden, tips for prevention, and recipes and ideas for dealing with common diseases and pests.
This book is very basic. No illustrations or frills. But for someone who wants a no-nonsense quick reference guide for a basic garden, this is a great book to have on your shelf.
February 23, 2024
This book is amazing! I love this whole series. The Backyard Homestead has been integral in my own homestead life. This book just adds perfection to the series. It has everything you would need to know in growing, anything harmful to your plants, herbs, etc. Seriously, so great! I will definitely be buying this in hardback form!
March 23, 2024
This provided a lot of different information in one source on all different types of plants. I found the charts and info on companion plants helpful, but I didn't find that this had a lot of information I couldn't have found from other sources. I think this is a good book for someone who is new to gardening and wants one resource to go to.
June 25, 2024
It was not the best layout for me -- I was particularly confused about how to treat the different issues and diseases that affect specific plants and trees and had to keep flipping back and forth through the book's 'controlling of diseases' section in the back.
A page or two of information per fruit/vegetable; some a bit over my head as a home gardener.
A page or two of information per fruit/vegetable; some a bit over my head as a home gardener.
December 9, 2023
This book is a plethora of information! I would definitely recommend getting the paper version so you can take it off a shelf and. look at whatever you are researching. Loads of information that you can apply in any garden, pot or just for fun. Great book!
May 13, 2024
Thank you Storey Publishing for sending me this book to review.
My new favorite gardening book. It’s full of useful information all in one easy to read book. The perfect book for gardeners new and old.
My new favorite gardening book. It’s full of useful information all in one easy to read book. The perfect book for gardeners new and old.
April 30, 2024
Thank you Storey Publishing for the free copy!
This is a good reference book for all kinds of plants, companions, common pests and diseases. Would be helpful to add a few pictures.
This is a good reference book for all kinds of plants, companions, common pests and diseases. Would be helpful to add a few pictures.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews