Recommended Gardening Book?

[sarger17]

Hi all,

Looking to start my own home garden (southern New Jersey). Haven't decided yet but likely a 10x10 space, I have plenty of room and get great sunlight. Problem is, I'm brand new to gardening. Does anyone have a recommended book for beginners? I'd love to do some reading first before I start!

Thanks!

[jacob]

Given that space, go for squarefoot gardening (there are a number of books).

[7Wannabe5]

I agree that square foot gardening is a great beginner's method. Mel Bartholomew is popular author and advocate. Sort of the gardening equivalent to practicing your scales when you learn to play piano. It is the first successful method I used. Success is definitely what you want when you first garden!

I think a useful activity to supplement the highly organized square foot method, would be to start identifying the other species (animal, plant, insect, etc.) , both native and common invasive or landscape planted, in your neck of the woods, starting from your front porch. There are many well-organized field guides available for this purpose, and the internet is also a great resource. There are at least two good reasons for doing this. The first is that maybe you won't be so surprised (devastated)when a woodchuck eats your broccoli or so nonchalant in your relationship to crabgrass. The second being that almost every other sort of gardening style or approach is going to fall somewhere on the spectrum between intensive Square Foot and extensive nature untouched, and you will be able to level jump a bit if you simultaneously start as a beginner from either direction. Also, it is a very fun way to experience the joy of being a collector without accumulating a bunch of junk that you will have to dust. Plus, you might end up spending less money on travel if you start thinking like you are off on a safari from your own front porch each day.

Here's a fun video on common worm bin organisms to get you started:

https://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm- ... organisms/

[Frita]

Also, check to see if there is local gardening club and/or seed library in your area. Our club is full of master gardeners who can help, has a monthly program, and costs a whopping $5/year. We exchange plants for free. The seed library, in which I volunteer, offers free seeds and most are organic.

[sarger17]

Given that space, go for squarefoot gardening (there are a number of books).

Thanks! I have plenty more room, but also want to make sure I don't go over my head my first time around. I will check them out.

[sarger17]

I agree that square foot gardening is a great beginner's method. Mel Bartholomew is popular author and advocate. Sort of the gardening equivalent to practicing your scales when you learn to play piano. It is the first successful method I used. Success is definitely what you want when you first garden!

I think a useful activity to supplement the highly organized square foot method, would be to start identifying the other species (animal, plant, insect, etc.) , both native and common invasive or landscape planted, in your neck of the woods, starting from your front porch. There are many well-organized field guides available for this purpose, and the internet is also a great resource. There are at least two good reasons for doing this. The first is that maybe you won't be so surprised (devastated)when a woodchuck eats your broccoli or so nonchalant in your relationship to crabgrass. The second being that almost every other sort of gardening style or approach is going to fall somewhere on the spectrum between intensive Square Foot and extensive nature untouched, and you will be able to level jump a bit if you simultaneously start as a beginner from either direction. Also, it is a very fun way to experience the joy of being a collector without accumulating a bunch of junk that you will have to dust. Plus, you might end up spending less money on travel if you start thinking like you are off on a safari from your own front porch each day.

Here's a fun video on common worm bin organisms to get you started:

https://www.redwormcomposting.com/worm- ... organisms/

Very helpful thank you!

[Kriegsspiel]

I thought Jon Jeavons' book (How To Grow More Vegetables) that details his Grow Bio-Intensive techniques was good. With your 10x10 area you could have two 3x10 or 4x10 plots with a path in between, which is about what he recommended as a minimum size IIRC.

[George the original one]

To broaden your gardening horizons, try https://librivox.org/gardening-without- ... e-solomon/

[Lemur]

Never read a gardening book so this thread is a good list of resources for OP...

As for me. I have learned mostly through Youtube and hands-on lets see what this does approach...