The Edible Garden

by Sunset Books

A complete guide to growing food covers everything from fruits and vegetables to edible flowers and includes practical advice applicable to both large and small gardens, with more than three hundred photographs, quick and easy recipes, and kid-friendly activities. Original.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Food

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

Reviews

[jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is adequate as an introduction to an edible garden. A wide variety of topics are covered with a fairly small amount of information on each one. It's enough info to get you started, but not make you an expert. There are fortunately giant, full color photographs on every page, a luxury often absent from lower-budget publications. So yes, this is a glo$$y production, but that makes it pornographically delicious in an ocean of lower budget books. Normally I prefer underdog style, but there is something inspirational about these photographs, even if it's not all my style. The book is broken up into sections of basic landscape design principles, seasonal gardening advice, composting, etc. Pretty much the entire second half of the book is a collection of recommended plants and varieties for edible gardening. This can be redundant if you already have an idea of the varities and types of veggies you want to grow, but if your vegetable exprience is limited to the super market, there is a world of variety to discover. At the end, there is a small resource list that is a good place to start, but by no means exhaustive. Some of my favorite suppliers are there, but others are notably absent. Some of the bigger picture concepts are missing - unless I totally skipped the section on companion planting? All in all, The Edible Garden an inspirating starting point, doesn't alienate or intimidate a beginner, and the pics are nice. I like Sunset's gardening publications for those reasons.

[Stacy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, a Sunset magazine publication, is wonderfully useful. Information is provided concerning different layouts and themes for various types of edible gardens, including container or small space gardens. There is a summary on how to grow a variety of vegetables and herbs, along with instructions on soil preparation, watering, fertilization, and common types of pests and diseases. This would make an excellent reference book for any gardener.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

OK so I haven't exactly read this cover to cover, but I have looked at every page. I really want a garden and while there are a few things I need to get before I can have one ( a permanent job, a house...) it never hurts to dream. I was drawn to the photos in this book. There are a number of pictures about training climbing plants which is something I dearly long to do. Also, it includes a section on using scent in the garden which I thought was a nice idea as opposed to focusing merely on color and texture. This isn't the best book for techniques or an exhaustive catalog of plants but it has just enough of everything to be inspiring but not so much as to be overwhelming. Love it. Now if only I could get Hunter to come around and see the appeal of the "messy" garden over the tightly controlled formal garden...

[Steven Yoder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book to learn more about growing my own garden.

[Inder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I checked out a big pile of books about vegetable gardening and this one is my favorite. Perhaps not quite as much practical information as some (although there is plenty), but it is aimed at my region, and the eye candy is really nice.

[Serity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gorgeous pictures with some really great ideas! It also has some more basic information for the beginning gardener. I appreciated the 2nd half that goes through common fruits and veggies and how to best grow them.

[karyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I use this book over and over. It has great inspirational gardens and as a reference it couldn't be better.

[Brittney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Out of all the landscaping/gardening books I checked out this winter, this is the one I bought. It's a great resource.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a few new ideas from this book.