Crocketts Victory Garden

by James Under Crocket

A month-by-month guide to the basic tasks of the flower and vegetable gardener includes questions and answers from the author's PBS television show

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference, Nature, Food

326 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1977

Reviews

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Back in the 1970’s my father and I would watch James Crockett on a local Boston television station discuss gardening techniques. I consider Crockett’s gardening book to provide the best advice on growing fruit and vegetables. Each spring I refer to this book just as my dad did. The 12 main chapters flow sequentially from month to month detailing cultivation, planting or picking. Now that I’m in the south I simply move the timetable up one month. The garden is tilled. How the years fly by.

[Pureschmaltz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Re-reading for the umpteenth time, my first edition (with my own necessary duct tape binding) of Crockett's Victory Garden. I've once again inherited an underdeveloped garden that could have, really should have been transformed at the end of last year's growing season, but we didn't move in until December. Beds were top-dressed without attending to the underlying structure of the soil. Now, with March waning, I'm referring to Mr. Crockett's wise council, as I have so many, many times before, to transform this superficially-dressed clay bed into something capable of growing decent veg. It'll be a sweat, and would be futile without James Underwood Crockett's wise council. I have his successor's Victory Garden book, and it's just not as powerful. Crockett turned what had been a hardpan gravel parking lot into the envy of everyone. His successor just had to maintain the decent start. My inherited gardens are less distressed than hardpan parking lot, but no less in need of hiswisdom. I'll be investing mostly sweat equity, digging deep, as J.U. recommends, building my fourth Cadillac composter, and trolling for a supply of decent horse manure. Welcome first day of Spring.

[Bookish]

This may seem an odd choice but in 1977 I was a freshman in college and my mother was planting her first garden. She watched the Victory Garden program on PBS and read the accompanying book as if she were a starving child in World War II America instead of a city woman in a country house by the sea. The book was organized month-by-month through the gardener’s year, which is March through February. The photographs promised such bounty! And James Underwood Crockett’s no nonsense instructions and commentary made it all seem terrifically possible. My mother was an accomplished cook but a novice gardener. At the end of the first season my father came into the house with three green beans and a thousand zucchinis and declared the harvest a success. —Ellen Herrick (https://www.bookish.com/articles/best...)

[Carlie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes when you go to dinner, you get good things in return. Like books! This lovely gardening classic was given to be by a similarly green-thumbed friend after he mentioned having an extra copy and I mentioned desperate cravings for one of my own. Upon sitting down at home and inhaling the book I discovered that I'm pretty sure my mom had this book too when I was growing up and she was feeling out vegetable gardening for herself. Veggie gardening is the main focus of the book and its set up in chapters to follow the months of the growing season...all organized by what you need to do to put your garden to rights in each month. When do you sow, till, transplant and harvest each crop. Just very cut and dried, very practical and organized for you so that if you happen to be a total disorganized mess yourself it can all still work out for you. James has done all the work! Brilliant.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I pick up this book every winter and pore over the pictures and instructions. Yes he uses lots of diazinon, yes money was no object for the show so hotbed, etc. are included but I say dream big -- when its -25 Fahrenheit before you tack on the old windchill there is just something comforting about dreaming of all the things you can plant for beauty and food in your garden.
My parents passed it on to me in 06, but this regularly gets consulted when I'm planning my vegetable garden every year. One could almost call it my gardening oracle.

[Nakia (Tammy) Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when I was in high school because I was thinking about starting my own garden, but primarily so that I could add a new lawn for my mother and to help take care of her yard as best I could. I loved the book and it helped me with my projects, including adding the new lawn. I later loaned it someone I knew at the time, who I thought was a good person, but when I asked for it back, she said that she had loaned it to someone and that it was gone. Lesson learned. I've never loaned one of my favorite books to anyone since. It's outdated re: toxic fertilizers, but otherwise, it's a gem for gardening and landscaping. However, I believe that it's no longer in publication, so in order to buy one that you'd have to buy a used copy, hopefully that has changed.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for every month of the year for gardening.

[Mlg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Still one of the best books on vegetable gardening.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an organic gardener I am always amazed at how many chemical poisons are recommended by conventional gardening experts. Jim Crockett was a gentle soul whose TV show intoduced me to gardening. I was saddened but not suprised when he succombed to cancer.
None the less this book's calender approach to gardening is a great resource for the beginner who needs help in deciding what to do throughout the year.

[Nick Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite gardening book. It is laid out in 12 chapters, one for every month of the year, and describes what must be done in the garden that month- what seeds should be planted, what plants to transplant, when certain plants should be fertilized, what maintenance must be done to the soil, etc. Lots of information on specific garden plants is included as well as many gardening tips that I have tried and now regulary use in my gardening. A must for any vegetable gardener.

[Lena · Rating 5 out of 5]

With all these folks in my area tearing up their front lawns in favor of raised beds that will produce food, I was delighted when my mom unearthed this classic.

Very pragmatic approach organized by month. Not completely organic, if that matters to you, but easy enough to modify it to be so.

Worth having as a reference if you have any interest in vegetable gardening or this new "victory garden" revival.

[Hilary]

Good gardening resource, though he sure is into a certain pesticide that I forget the name of now. But it's nicely organized -- each chapter is a month and he goes over what you're supposed to be doing in the garden and what your plants are likely to be doing. I think his climate may be a month ahead of my climate, but still good info.

[Nicol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, perfect for the beginner gardener. Even though this book was published back in the 70's, it is still full of useful information. I love that it is broken up into month. It tells you want to plant, transplant, start from seed and harvest. Good notes on how to prepare the soil, make cold frames, and what tools every gardener needs.

[Barb H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although I purchased this book many years ago, it has never left my nearby shelves. It is a perfact reference book for growing, planting,feeding and identifying garden problems. The information is timeless and written in an entertaining fashion. Years ago there was a wonderful, informative program on PBS hosted by the very personable, James Crockett. Unfortunately he died several years ago.

[Fae]

This book is simply amazing. For most vegetables, there is a month by month review of what to do and how to do it. It has troubleshooting and pest sections, and it is generally thorough. My mother has had this on her bookshelf for as long as I can remember, although she never used it; but when I started gardening, I found it invaluable.

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book never goes out of date--classic gardening advice given in a month-by-month format.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the way it is laid out by month.

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I look at each winter while awaiting seed catalogs.

[Veronica Davidson]

He's the man! Unless he is dead...then he was the man!

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

Crockett's Victory Garden by James Underwood Crockett (Little, Brown 1977)(635.0). Vegetable gardening advice from a noted plantsman. My rating: 7/10, finished 2003.

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[Agnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buddy and I learned to garden from this book. We LOVED Jim Crockett.

[Lori · Rating 5 out of 5]

Continuously referenced.

[M Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This classic is an excellent reference for vegetable gardening month by month, and vegetable by vegetable. Highly recommended!

[Martha · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my gardening bibles.

[Adrienne Donovan]

Indespensible.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

gardening classic, full of valuable info and tips

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book and the author was a wonderful man and highly knowledgeable gardener.