Organic Gardening for Everyone: Homegrown Vegetables Made Easy - No Experience Required!

by CaliKim

If you want to grow healthy vegetables at home, but have hesitated because it seems too hard and time consuming, Organic Gardening for Everyone is your perfect hands-on guide—an “if I can do it, you can do it” case study that addresses your concerns and gets you started.Loaded with practical advice and step-by-step guidance, Organic Gardening for Everyone takes a very personal and friendly approach to a subject that can be intimidating. It is a first-class primer on organic vegetable gardening, and an inspirational story about how anyone can balance the rigors of gardening with the demands of a modern, family-oriented lifestyle. In 2012, a California mom decided to start an organic vegetable garden. But she went about it in an unusual she crowdsourced it by launching a YouTube channel under the name “CaliKim” and asking for help. And then she started planting. As questions came up, she turned to her viewers and subscribers and they replied with answers and advice. As she learned, her garden grew successfully—even in the hot, harsh California climate. Her expertise also grew, and now she answers many more questions than she asks and has become a very accomplished home gardener.And CaliKim has a great story to growing healthy organic vegetables for your family is not difficult, even for today’s time-challenged lifestyles. She provides complete step-by-step information on growing the most popular edibles organically, and also gives sound advice on how to take on the challenges of balancing a hectic lifestyle with successful growing—and how to involve the whole family in the process. You'll be rewarded for your effort every time you place a plate of natural, organic vegetables on the family dinner table knowing exactly what they are, what is in them, and where they came from.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2019

Reviews

[Adine Marc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for beginning gardeners. CaliKim takes you by the hand and walks you through what to do beautifully! She makes gardening friendly and most importantly, doable! A must read!

[Kate M · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would give this a solid 2.75 stars, as it was a terrific introduction to how to simply start seeds and grow your own food no matter what kind of space you have. While I would love to compost, I live in an apartment and she does not address how to size things down (her own yard is likely larger than my apartment). She does give good tips with growing in containers, though, and how to start seeds no matter where you may live.
I grew quickly tired of the “CaliKim” branding, though, and her wanting me to buy her container bags, and her seeds, etc. But, overall, a good, albeit brief, introduction.

[Renee(Reneesramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Organic Gardening for Everyone contains an Introduction, ten chapters that cover everything from why you would want to grow your food, to seed starting indoors, transplanting those precious seedlings and caring for them, and disease and pest control. It's apparent throughout this book, that the author is passionate about growing healthy food and you can't help but feel like this is something you can do too!

I've been growing my vegetables( Zone 7) for long enough to know some tips and tricks, and not long enough to not learn new things from every book, gardener, or YouTube channel. Different zones have different challenges, but the basics are the same whether you have a container garden, a few raised beds, or a yard where every available space is dedicated to the garden( I'm looking in the mirror, with this statement). This book will appeal to someone who has the desire to start or grow their home garden, and is willing to put in the time! No year is perfect, but you will learn from your failures and your success!

As CaliKim suggests, start small by planting something that you love, and if you are like me, the garden will become a satisfying and money-saving hobby that you will plan out every year in the offseason. The pictures looked lovely on my tablet, and I am sure they will look even better in the physical book( did I mention I will be adding a copy to my gardening bookshelf)! I learned a new tip about grow lights as well as a few other great suggestions. It would be quite hard for a gardening book to cover every topic, but this one goes a long way towards providing a nice overview.
As a side note, I first say CaliKim and her husband Jerry, the Camera Guy on one of my favorite YouTube channels, The Rusted Garden Homestead. If you are unsure if this is the right book for you, might I suggest taking a look at CaliKim's videos on YouTube? You will get a nice feel for what her garden and her style is all about!

I received a DRC from Quarto Publishing Group-Cool Springs Press.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Organic Gardening for Everyone is an accessible basic gardening guide for beginning gardeners to get started. Due out 24th Dec 2019 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 160 pages and will be available in paperback format.

This is a very basic guide absolutely brimming with enthusiasm and "yes-you-can" cheerful encouragement. The author also has a longstanding presence on YouTube and a wealth of Q&A videos and posts. The book is laid out well and the chapters follow one another logically. Why to garden, how to start (start simply and expand later so you don't get overwhelmed), seed starting, transplanting, siting and planning. The book also includes a couple of planning appendices for warm and cold weather plants, as well as a simple glossary, index, and supplies/vendors list (slanted toward readers in North America).

The photography is clear, cheerful, abundant, and clear. There are a lot of good suggestions for container and raised bed plantings in the photos (most are not covered specifically in the text - but are certainly clear enough to utilize).

This would be a great selection for a housewarming gift for new gardeners, community garden library, or a fun and encouraging book for readers looking to get started.

Four stars. Beautifully presented and fun.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for a practical guide to organic gardening, this is the book! Whether you are a first time gardener, or a seasoned one, you are guaranteed to learn something! It’s full of helpful advice and step by step photos. The author makes you feel confident that you too can plant, grow and harvest a successful garden in any climate. The sections are well laid out and it takes you from planning, planting, watering and harvesting. Questions we all have are answered within the pages of the book. When can you plant tomatoes? Where should you plant your tomatoes? How do you fertilize them and many more. A complete guide to becoming an organic gardener right in your own backyard.
I loved this book. I have gardened my whole life, and found so many tips and tricks to help me be a better gardener. I enjoyed the step by step photos especially on drip irrigation which I have never attempted. After reading the book, I’m ready to give it a try. This book really builds your confidence. Thank you so much to CaliKim, Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review.

[Kristie J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars
I really liked this simple, straightforward book designed for beginners who want to learn how to grow organic vegetables. There were lots of beautiful photos on every page. The tone of the book is very encouraging and helpful. It makes growing vegetables sound easy enough that anyone can do it. I really liked the section about drip irrigation. The author explains how to set it up in detail with pictures of every step. The only reason I gave this book 4 1/2 stars instead of 5 is because throughout the book the author keeps promising to share her favorite items with the reader and then when you turn to the Resources page at the back of the book, it looks half-finished. For example, "Drip Irrigation Kit" does not tell me which is her favorite one. Looks like the Resources page was never finished, like the draft was put in the book instead of the final version. Other than that, this was an excellent book and gave me the confidence and step-by-step knowledge to try to grow my own vegetables this year.

[Ms. Arca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Useful, but didn’t quite meet my expectations for clarity/ how it was organized. There is use of frost dates and other terminology for a bit before they are actually explained, for example. For a pure beginners book, it is decently accessible but could be better.

Definitely a lot of helpful explanations sprinkled throughout and I like that it didn’t have too many plants involved and kept it to a focused group of vegetables.

An okay book to me!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Rhonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love gardening books and I love CaliKim's YouTube channel, so I knew this book was going to be a win situation. Like her channel, Organic Gardening focuses on growing vegetables, and it is packed with everything a novice and/or experienced gardener can learn from. It is well-organized, has clear, bold headings, easy how-to gardening steps and tips, and a chapter that focuses on how to deal with garden challenges such as pests and diseases.

The best thing about this book is the beautiful color photos. It's a great reference book.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good beginner book for people looking to start their first organic garden. However, if you've already got experience, you won't find much new here (though I did like the specifics on starting seeds indoors, especially the lighting options). I was hoping for more on the "organic" piece of the title - there was a tiny bit about pest and disease control, and a mention of healthy soil, but very little in the way of details.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Organic Gardening for Everyone by CaliKim is a wonderful resource for anyone looking to start or do better at organic gardening. This book tells you why you should grow your own food and then walks you through each step with all the tips and secrets to be successful. With chapters on starting seeds, transplanting, placement, watering, garden pests, and harvesting this book has it all! I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in gardening.

[Emma Dresser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great introduction to organic gardening. Lots of handy tips and hints spread throughout the book, along with really lovely photography. Growing seeds, an indoor light house and transplanting outside was really well done. Simple to follow with clear, concise instructions. Great book for a newbie gardener. Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very nice book for anyone who is wanting to start gardening and is afraid to do it. It is full of colorful pictures and easy to understand ideas. She starts with finding a good place (or container) and continues with picking plants to plant, seeds, how to plant for seedlings, how to water… just about everything you’d need to know. Even how and when to pick your crop.

[Nikki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book to get people started with their first garden. I love the smart pots, worm tea and castings, and I use straw for mulch. Everything is doing great except for watermelon and melon which have wilt. I love her youtube channel too. I really like the warm and cool vegetable references in the back. Wish she covered more veggies back there. Lots of beautiful pictures in there too.

[Rachelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Organic Gardening for Everyone... a fantastic beginner to intermediate resource detailing steps (with helpful images) to take for growing an organic garden in containers, raised beds, or direct in the soil. CaliKim provides valuable tips and strategies for successful plant growth and increased confidence in providing food for your family.

[Mason Sherrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe more like a 3.5, good starting place/resource for someone like me with absolutely zero experience! Would like to have this book permanently on my shelf, though I borrowed from the library. A little heavy on starting via sprouting seeds indoors but still has good steps for starting without that. Overall, good!

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful and informative introduction to organic gardening. I liked how the book is organised and the advice.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Kirsten Lost 2022 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A not-scary, easy to understand, not-intimidating guide to growing vegetables, even if it's for the first time! It's thorough enough to give a lot of information without being overloading. Very impressed with this great guide for the beginning vegetable gardener!

[PermaPrepper · Rating 4 out of 5]

For the beginner this is a good, easy to understand, not overwhelming guide to getting started with organic vegetable gardening. It breaks down a complicated topic very well and is very accessible. It does not go into a lot of depth so for a more advanced grower I would say go elsewhere.

[Witch-at-Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on organic gardening. I found it helpful and the pictures are great. I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fantastic book. I’ve followed her YouTube channel for years and this book puts everything in here. I reference it time and time again.

[Gaby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good!!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m going on my third year of garden and man do I wish I had this book three years ago. It’s by far the more clear book for a beginner gardener that I’ve read. Perfect for any novice.

[Anna Bushi]

Beginner vegetable gardening book with useful tips.