The Ever Curious Gardener: Using a Little Natural Science for a Much Better Garden

by Lee Reich

Curious why caressing your cucumber plants will help them bear more fruit? Or why you should grow oranges from seed even if the fruit is inedible? Or why trees need to sleep and how to help them?

Join acclaimed gardener, scientist, and author Lee Reich on a journey through the delights of your garden in this laugh-out-loud treatise on the scientific wonders of plants and soil. Offering eye-opening insight and practical guidance, coverage includes:


How to maximize both flavor and nutrition in your garden bounty
Helping plants thrive during drought
Outwitting weeds by understanding their nature
Making the best use of compost
Tips on pruning and orchard care
Why the dead language of Latin can make you a better gardener.
The Ever Curious Gardener is an irreverent romp through the natural science of plants and soil, ideal for newer gardeners moving beyond back-of-the-seed-pack planting to experienced gardeners whose curiosity at the wonders of cultivation grows deeper and stronger with each season.

Lee Reich has a PhD in Horticulture from the University of Maryland, an MS in Soil Science, and a BA in Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin and is a former USDA agricultural scientist. He is the author of many books including Weedless Gardening, The Pruning Book and Landscaping with Fruit as well as writing a syndicated garden column bimonthly for Associated Press. Find him on his blog at leereich.com/blog where he writes from his "farmden" in New Paltz, NY.

Genres: Gardening, Nature, Nonfiction, Science, Food

224 pages, Paperback

Published April 3, 2018

About the author

Lee Reich, PhD is an avid farmdener (more than a gardener, less than a farmer) with graduate degrees in soil science and horticulture. After working in plant and soil research with the USDA and Cornell University, he shifted gears and turned to writing, lecturing, and consulting.

He writes regularly for a number of gardening magazines and his syndicated gardening column for Associated Press appears biweekly from coast to coast.

His farmden has been featured in such publications as the New York Times and Martha Stewart Living, has won awards from National Gardening and Organic Gardening magazines, and has been included in “Open Days” tours of the Garden Conservancy.

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book, for free, in exchange for an honest review.

I am a beginning/intermediate gardener who has read many gardening books.
This book contains mostly novel information. The information tended to be a bit above my knowledge/interest but I imagine it'd be great for those with more interest/experience as Lee seems to both really care and know his stuff.

[Matthew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I slowly read this (as per the author's recommendation). This felt less like a book and more a collection of blog-post-style writings; which was OK but from a flow perspective it made for a poor reading experience. I still recommend the book but would encourage any reader to treat it as a bathroom reader as that it is best suited to reading one section at a time and then putting it down.

One other note I would make is that there is a lot of material in this book that links to other parts of the book but there is no cross-referencing readily available. A decent cross reference between material would really improve this book.

[Tom Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short essays on numerous topics related to gardening. I learned many interesting things (I had no idea of the distinction between C3 and C4 plants, for example), a lot of which are quite practical for gardeners of all types. Reich writes fluidly and makes interesting connections throughout the book. Worth a read for any gardener, and especially those who are curious about the why behind various plant phenomena and horticultural techniques.

[Lyndsay McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the garden observations explained by science. This book covered a lot of topics all across the garden. I can’t fully say I’m walking away with a lot I plan to apply to my own garden though. Hmmm.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good book for gardening lover.
Interesting and with very sound advices.
Recommended.
Many thanks to New Society Publishers and Edelweiss

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot about the science behind gardening and less of a how-to book of gardening. Really interesting.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of good science explanations for typical garden experiences.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very technical, honing in on the science. Lots of interesting information, but felt a little scattered. Best taken in small chunks.

[Jerry Owens · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author makes a lot of good observations about gardening. I mostly just have a vegetable garden so only some of them will be useful for me. Interesting read even if it doesn’t all apply.

[John Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of interesting and useful information. Northeast gardeners will benefit from this read. Validates some old gardening saws and debunks some others. Recommended.

[Charleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Makes me wonder how I manage to grow anything when I understand so little about the variables that go into growing plants, and how they interact. But you don't have to understand an internal combustion engine to drive a car, and I'm much more interested in reading about gardening than a mechanical manual.
The sections on how long seeds stay fresh, how to measure the sand/ silt/ clay ratios of your soil, and common nutrient deficiency signs in plants are good and useful. There's a lot of interesting information in this book, organized in a loosely flowing narrative.

[Carol Tilley · Rating 3 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 - like a series of lessons from a kindly elder.