Veg Patch

River Cottage Handbooks #4

by Mark Diacono

Drawing directly from his experience as an acclaimed climate-change gardener, and of setting up a kitchen garden from scratch for River Cottage, Mark explains the practical aspects of organic growing, introduces us to a whole world of vegetables we may not have previously considered, and does away with alienating gardening jargon once and for all. Mark begins with a catalogue of vegetables that will grow in this country, explaining for each their benefits, what varieties to go for, dos and don'ts, and popular culinary uses. He then invites us to create a wish list of foods, and shows us his own list from his early gardening days. Next, he explains how to turn this wish list into a coherent kitchen garden plan appropriate for our space, whether it be a patch of acidic soil, a roof-top garden or an allotment, whether we put on our wellies in every free moment or are 'time-poor' gardeners. Then he puts all the theory into practice, showing us how to look after nutrients in the soil, how to resist pests and diseases, and how to make our garden sustainable and organic. In clear, concise sections we learn about seed trays, supporting plants with climbing structures, mulching, composting, companion planting, irrigation and promoting pollination, and there are additional tables showing sowing and harvesting times, plant sizes, and alternative varieties of plants for different sites. About thirty recipes and a directory of useful addresses finish the book, and the handbook is complemented by bright colour photography throughout. Practical and inspiring, with a textured hard cover and an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Veg Patch is destined to join Handbooks No. 1, 2 and 3 as an indispensible household reference.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Gardening, Nonfiction, Food and Drink

272 pages, Hardcover

First published March 16, 2009

Reviews

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book as a birthday present from a friend, and I'm grateful to Anne because I may not have bought it myself and missed out on it.
I cheated a bit and didn't read every page but those were the recipe pages and the individual vegetable detail pages which will be useful to come back to throughout the gardening year.
There is some good information in this book, and it clarified the rotation system to me, I now know which crops should follow which!
The book is a nice neat size, with a textured cover. Lovely photography, and well written. It also contains some unbelievable facts like most peas and French beans are imported from abroad, which makes no sense at all. I grew French beans in a container this year and apart from keeping them watered they practically grew themselves. And they are ideal for freezing so there's no need to import them.
The author, Mark Diacono is head gardener at River Cottage, and has his own garden at Otter Farm.

[J Grimsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have used this book for a number of years and it is a very good guidebook for veg. In that way I would rate it as having 5 stars. But it is I feel too optimistic and as a failed allotmenteer I worry. If you want to be successful I feel you need to devote a great deal of time to an allotment- I now have a small back garden and my wife and I still find it hard work and I am retired. When running a veg patch there are major projects, planting, building compost bins and of course weeding watering harvesting and then using the produce effectively. It's a great hobby but if health of other things get in the way you get behind and catching up is hard. No mention is made in this book of the drawbacks. Unlike the river Cottage Handbook on Mushrooms it fails to tell us the drawbacks. If you try as this book says you will have many sucesses. I still grow courgettes and tomatoes and over 30 herbs.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great start for a beginner, good advice for an old hand. Pocket sized so you can carry it around with you whilst strolling through your Veg Patch.
Now I actually bothered to read this, although not buy it, on the strength of the others in this excellent series, all of which I have read and most of which I've bought. So what, you may say. Basically nothing I plant ever gets much above the transplanting from pots to patch, and if it does it produces nothing! So if you've even got a hint of green about your finger, and your patch is as big as a parking bay, buy it. If this book doesn't do the trick nothing will!
Foreword by Hugh F - W.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fab book which has become my veg growing bible - it's becoming well-thumbed.

[Bonnie]

Revisiting...as its spring and I've got a few verges growing