Product Description
Garden writer and editor Cecil Bothwell delivers a series of essays reflecting almost 40 years as an organic gardener, with characteristic insight and humor. The book is a guide through the seasons and the weeds, with ideas about edible landscaping and vermiculture, back yard ponds and alternatives to the suburban lawn, by a writer with a deep background in environmentalism and green living. Bothwell is the author of several books including the best-selling guide, Finding Your Way in Asheville, and the critically acclaimed biography, The Prince of War: Billy Graham's Crusade for a Wholly Christian Empire. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

easy to read for the novice gardner
This book is written in laymens terms for the novice. Explains the anatomy of a seedling to what happens to your garden in differents areas of the country. I learned alot about why things happend during my past failed attempts which I can apply to future gardening projects. This is a good read. I'm no expert gardener but I think even an expert will enjoy this for nostalgic reasons. ... Read more

Product Description
Here is an entertaining, common sense organic gardening book from a master of both gardening and storytelling. The Woodchuck’s Guide reconnects us to the four gardening cycles of the year — from spade to seed to grain to bread—through anecdotes and history, poetry and wit, politics, stories, and lots of down-to-earth organic gardening tips. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A true human woodchuck


Ron Krupp is a true human woodchuck, a person who lives, breathes and eats close to the soil. I say this with great admiration. Ron's book, The Woodchuck's Guide to Gardening, is a collection of thoughts, philosophy, stories and tidbits on managing soil, plant growth, human mental and physical health, and his admiration of human ingenuity. It includes prose and poetry from his long connection to plants, nature, and people who work or live close to the earth.

I have never seen another book like this one. Every paragraph and chapter is full of wit and wisdom. He gives tales of how gardening can teach school children the value of tending the earth to provide food, or how wild flowers and native plants provide the essence of spring to reinvigorate the human body, spirit and soul.

The appendices include Ron's favorite catalogs: seed companies, garden tools, machines and products, heirloom seed-savers, fruits, organic organizations and other lists. He provides a glossary of garden and plant terms. This book is truly unique among gardening books.

Norman Pellett, author of Gardener's Quiz Book

Seasonal Tips
This book is a collection of tips and garden lore written especially for the Northern New England gardener.It is arranged seasonally, with sections for spring, summer, fall and winter, and a separate section on children and gardening. The chapters include poems, recipes, and photographs as well as tips on seasonal gardening tasks and organic and biodynamic gardening practices.At the end of each section is an appendix with lists of books, catalogs, and more specific details on topics covered in the section.End material for the book includes a glossary and index.

This book isn't an all-around gardening reference (like Ed Smith's Vegetable Gardener's Bible, for instance), but it does include information on a wide range of gardening topics.The integration of poetry, stories, and seasonal wild edibles makes it an engaging book to read, and every reader is likely to find some new information.Gardeners in the far north need to keep in mind, however, that while Krupp gardens in Vermont, he lives in one of the warmer regions of the state, so they may need to plan for cooler conditions than those Krupp describes.

Written in down-to-earth, accessible language
The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening by Vermont organic gardener Ron Krupp, is a thoroughly "user friendly" guidebook written especially for aspiring organic and biodynamic home gardeners. Embracing thrift and the practical considerations as symbolized by the woodchuck, The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening provides a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for keeping soil healthy, overseeing nutritious produce through all four seasons, foraging for wild plants, teaching one's children to garden, and a great deal more. Written in down-to-earth, accessible language for gardeners of all experience levels and backgrounds, The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library gardening reference collections and supplemental reading lists.

For aspiring organic and biodynamic home gardeners
The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening by Vermont organic gardener Ron Krupp, is a thoroughly "user friendly" guidebook written especially for aspiring organic and biodynamic home gardeners. Embracing thrift and the practical considerations as symbolized by the woodchuck, The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening provides a wealth of tips, tricks, and techniques for keeping soil healthy, overseeing nutritious produce through all four seasons, foraging for wild plants, teaching one's children to garden, and a great deal more. Written in down-to-earth, accessible language for gardeners of all experience levels and backgrounds, The Woodchuck's Guide To Gardening is an enthusiastically recommended addition to personal and community library gardening reference collections and supplemental reading lists. ... Read more

Product Description
Preventing and controlling pests and diseases is an important part of good garden care. This guide demonstrates how to correctly identify problems and offers safe yet effective options, including how to attract and identify beneficial insects as natural pest controllers. 50 illustrations/250 color plates. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Like having an ole time farmer advice manual
I own several really good gardening books, but the majority of what you find in this book you won't find in them.Can you use it all?Probably not, but you are bound to find enough useful information to inact in your own garden space to warrent the purchase.It covers a wide range of subject matter and addresses several things I never thought of doing differently.What is refreshing is approaches to fixes that doesn't always involve throwing money at the problem.

incredible ideas for recycling, making do, etc.
There are more ideas in this book than I will ever be able to implement.I was absolutely amazed as some of them.This is fun just to read.

good gardening tool
Borrowed a copy from the library and just had to have a copy of my own.Very useful and have been adding notes on how/where I used the book's tips.

Helpful Hints & Insights
This is an interesting read with lots of helpful information. We've been able to apply some of the gardening techniques and like the simplicity of some of the ideas.

Fun book
Very fun gardening tips book. Don't expect it to be gardening bible, but as additional book it is great! ... Read more

Product Description

Roots Demystified, explains simple solutions about growing healthy roots and, thereby, healthier plants. The book explores the subterranean part of every gardener’s world, revealing how roots really grow while dispelling myths such as where most gardeners apply water, mulch, and fertilizer or compost. This is the first and only book in print for gardeners with such an extensive number of illustrations of garden and orchard roots.The roots covered are: lawns, prairies, shrubs, vegetables, fruit trees, and native and ornamental trees. Practical tips for how a gardener might use this new information to create more abundant vegetables, better lawns and sturdier trees and shrubs are offered with each of the 70 illustrations.Roots Demystified also describes several ways to garden without turning the soil--no-till and surface cultivation--a plus for aging baby-boomers.

Customer Reviews (10)

Unique, entertaining and intelligent
Robert is an outstanding landscaper with an international reputation. His environmentally sound approach to landscape design, plant selection, establishment, and management is not his alone but is far too rare. Long before it became fashionable, he was a pioneer of sustainable landscapes and his work is based on a far deeper knowledge of plants than is commonly encountered among even the best in the profession. This book is unique in its approach, fascinating, and what is only too rare in modern horticultural books genuinely original. For the thinking gardener who likes to explore unexpected beauty and discover rare information about the plant world rather than be offered a one size fits all prescription for landscaping, this book is strongly recommended. For that matter few professional botanists would fail to learn much from this book. Judyth A McLeod, author of 'Botanica's Organic Gardening' and 'In A Unicorn's Garden'.

A Must For All Gardeners
Everything you wanted to know about roots, planting trees and shrubs and caring for them once they are planted. A book for everyone not just scientists.

Great source book, excellent writing
"Roots Demystified" is a great read, which you wouldn't expect from a gardening/horticultural book about roots. Kourik gives amazing information that I'd never heard before, lining up his drawings with the facts about how roots feed the tree. I've already changed my method of watering and feeding a tree further from the root to make these roots spread out wider. There are many personal touches that make the book fun to read. I highly recommend. Barbara Baer, Forestville CA

Experience and devotion
Familiar with Kourik and with his work, I can honestly say this is my favorite of his books because it shows, better than any,the results of his many years working in the soil as a gardener and working at the typewriter and computer as a writer. Unlike many, if not most, writers about such topics, Kourik knows, from personal experience, what is best for both soil and soul, what to do and what not to do, with shovel and heart.

Great book!
I found Robert Kourik's "Roots Demystified" to be a great gardening book! The information was very useful, the humor kept a potentially drab topic interesting and fun, and the additional tidbits and side discussions were all relevant to my gardening life.The book was also terrifically useful inconjunction with one of his earlier books, "Drip Irrigation For Every Landscape and Climate", reinforcing and expanding on many of the concepts of the earlier book. ... Read more

Product Description
Provides the comprehensive information needed to grow roses simply and safely, the organic way. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

Somewhat disappointed...
There were positives and negatives here, but the bottom line is the book turns out to be not terribly helpful. It was really good to know that a book on organic rose gardening was finally on the market. I have always gardened organically, and so, although the idea of growing heirloom roses organically was not a new concept for me when the book came out, I wanted to pick up some tips and support the author. I was happy to welcome it as a much-needed addition to the rose-growing literature.

While Druitt is knowledgeable and well-meaning, it turned out that I never used the book. I think it was the offhand writing style and the very dark & amateur-looking photos that ruined the book for me. I'm a person who requires equal parts inspiration and education in the realm of gardening books. It was lacking esthetically, so I turned to other sources for info, and mostly to trial and error. It's not that big a stretch to figure out what organic soil supplements roses crave.That's all I do for roses: amend the soil. And the results are spectacular, particularly because I go to to some effort to research the easiest and most rewarding roses and buy them. Choosing healthy, easy roses and amending the soil organically is the whole deal for my garden.

If a garden book is going to really get my attention, it will have to be beautiful, entertaining or inspiring -- on top of having good info. Druitt's book wasn't.

For someone who is transitioning to organic rose gardening for the first time, I recommend the book as a good introduction. But for those of us who are experienced organic gardeners -- it will not be as useful.

A book to suit Australia too
This is the best rose guide book that I have seen and suits Australian conditions well. I often recommend it, in fact I bought a little stockpile so I could give it to rosie friends. Liz Druitt has a charming writing style and has obviously amassed a great deal of experience growing these roses. I found the references to how healthy particular roses are especially useful as it is an area often ignored in other books. The only disappointing aspect of this book is the photography which is uninspiring to say the least. Never mind, there are plenty of books with fabulous photos, but good down to earth advice is much harder to come by.

great resource book-not just for organic folks
The extensive photos with full description of roses makes this book worth the price alone. I also really liked the pages devoted to the "Quick Reference Chart" that gives each roses' qualities (size, fragrance, color, repeat bloom, etc).

(minor point: Crepescule, a wonderful heirloom rose seems to be missing).

This book is a MUST for every heirloom rose gardener south of the Mason-Dixon line including California of course :-)

Best for a limited audience
The paperback edition of this book may differ in format from the hardback edition. In the paperback edition, the color pictures are small and of poor quality. Photos intended to illustrate particular techniques (weaving a climbing rose on a pillar, for instance) are simply too small to provide any visual information at all. Not all roses are pictured, which is a drawback in a book that leans heavily on older roses.

There's a good index, which is helpful, because one ends up having to consult it often to pull together information about specific roses. Rather than include all data about zones, shade tolerance, size and more in each alphabetized annotation, there is a cumbersome table cross-referenced by class. Within the annotations, the author includes such observations as "more than worth the wait" and "I think this rose is really cute". Not everyone will find such informality off-putting, of course.

The book is not a useful survey for gardeners in places cooler than Zone 6. Given the constraints of the author's experiences and apparent research, perhaps the book would be of greatest interest and use to those in the author's home state of Texas.

A charming chapter on rose recipes, which really should be contemplated only by organic rose gardeners, concludes the book.

Pragmatic with a dash of humor....
You might want to read THE ORGANIC ROSE GARDEN by Liz Druitt even if you aren't planning on growing roses. Druitt has a wonderful sense of humor. For example, she says the rugosa rose must require a great deal of nitrogen since it has thorns designed to extract human blood. Each of the entries for her list of 100 is written in a friendly, helpful, and folksy way, helpful and not hokey.

Druitt's book contains a handy "Quick Reference Chart for Garden Form" with information organized by height: name; color; fragrance (***); size;repeat bloom; hips; shade tolerance; and Best in zones (4-9). The entries for roses in alpha order follow this chart.

Since ROSES was written for organic gardening, the reader is advised on organic methods.In a section entitled "Getting and Planting Roses" she describes the preliminary tasks the gardener must undertake to ensure she starts with good stock. She covers purchasing, layering, planting in containers and climbing roses. In "Maintaining the Roses" the reader learns about weeding, watering, fertilizing, pruning and seasonal care. In "Trouble Shooting" the author deals with pests. Because this is an organic book we learn about beneficial insects, nectary and shelter plants, and hedgerow barriers (to keep out the deer). Pests include the neighbor's dog (get a fence), fire ants (get the hormone 'Logic'); and other bugs--plant dill, garlic, or get out the hose.

All in all, this book is solid gold for the new or the old rose gardener and I recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
A unique combination of a month-by-month garden journal, an almanac, and a garden hints book in one.

In Organic Gardening magazine, the popular "Gardener to Gardener" column is a forum for gardeners across the country to reveal their most ingenious ideas to one another. Now, this unique format is combined with the best of a practical record-keeping tool and a garden almanac, offering readers a gardening book unlike any other on the market.

The focus of Gardener to Gardener is on natural, organic pest control-the most common problems among gardeners. Each month, readers are given specific projects and activities, which are complimented by garden-tested advice from both the readers and writers ofOrganic Gardening magazine. Journal pages allow gardeners to chart the progress of their developing gardens. Every region of the country is addressed, and readers are given fully-illustrated, what-to-do-in-the-garden instructions for their particular region. Timed for December, when gardeners begin planning for the growing season, Gardener to Gardener will help and inspire them to create their own organic masterpieces. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Gardener's Must-Have!
If you want to organize your gardening and plan things better, this book is for you!This book goes month by month for each region, and includes many useful tips from gardeners around the country that are tried and true, and also organic.There is a lot of general info, so this is a great place to start.

Great Resource
This is a great resource for the new or experienced gardener.Book is broken down by month and helps you know what things to do in the climate zone you are in.Highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Growing Corn -- Indian Style
This is a unique and irreplaceable book. In the early 20th century, the author interviewed Buffalo Bird, an old Hidasta Indian woman about Indian farming methods in the mid 19th century. The result is a primer on how the Indians grew corn and other crops on the Great Plains. Interspaced with the explanation of agricultural techniques are charming stories, songs, recipes, and ancedotes told by Buffalo Bird. She also describes how the Indians preserved their crop.

The Hidasta lived in North Dakota and this book is a primer on how to garden in the State without recourse to chemical fertilizers, pesticides, or motor powered equipment. The Hidasta grew five crops: corn, beans, squash, sunflower seeds, and tobacco. Their methods of cultivation, storage, and usage of each crop is described, usually with enough detail to be copied by the modern low-impact sustainable agriculturalist. A large number of illustrations and photographs supplement the text and show how the Indians built fences, dug storage pits, dried squash, and laid out their fields.

This book is only about about 150 pages but within its covers is a wealth of practical farming advice and cultural information.

Smallchief

... Read more

Product Description
GARDENING, PERSONAL GROWTH, COMMUNITY, AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

The basic elements of any garden are always the same: seeds, soil, sun, and water. It is in the search for that perfect combination that leads the gardener into the broader aspects of each element. The transitions made during the growing season tell many stories about not only seed, soil, sun, and water, but also about one's self. Each season brings its own discoveries, whether using new methods to overcome old problems, celebrating an innovative success, or dealing with the failures and setbacks that befall any gardener. Growing With The Seasons gives many tools and plans for the garden, but lets the reader assemble them as they want and need, traveling the roads of personal discovery, reaching a fruition that is productive, satisfying, and universal. This book is also the evolving story of the authors' endeavors to provide ideas, concepts, and encouragements for the practical application of a personal and joined effort of beneficial direction to make the world a better place bringing about a planned harmony within ourselves and the people around us. Those who have attended the Giannangelos' workshops, bought produce at the Ramah Farmers Market in New Mexico, and met with the authors at community gatherings inspired Growing With The Seasons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Wonderful insights and ideas for Getting Back to the Garden
I purchased this book because I had read alot on the web about the Giannangelo's Organic Gardening and wanted to read & learn more.Their book provided me wonderful insights into what life is like as organic gardeners at 7200 feet in the beautiful remote high desert of Northwest New Mexico near El Morro National Monument. I will soon be living in the area and wanted to learn from their meaningful, down to earth experiences.After reading their book, I am very excited about the new adventures & challenges that await me down the road, as I pass through the four seasons in the remote, 1 1/4 mile high, enchanting "Land of Fire and Ice". I highly recommend this book to those who appreciate and desire to return to a simpler, down-to-earth life! Like the words to an old Joni Mitchell song say... " ...And we gotta get ourselves back to the Garden"

Lenhardt Library - Joan Richards, library volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden.
Frank and Vicky Giannangelo give the reader insights into organic gardening and also into coping with the world around us. Their backgrounds were not originally in gardening, but after they were married in 1986 they became interested in organic gardening, first in Arizona and later in New Mexico. They write that this is "the evolving story of our endeavors to bring about a planned harmony between ourselves, our world, and the people around us."

This book is a delight to read. It is divided into sections by season, with each season having a fitting epigraph. The chapter titles alone are intriguing: Lost in Anticipation, Life Scales, A Stricken World, or Stretching Out. These descriptions are an indication that you will learn not only about how to tend your garden but also your relationships. The black-and-white photographs by Vicky Giannangelo are charming: a garden with iris, catmint, a kitty and thyme, a wonderful close-up of bees getting nectar from the center of a flower. The authors offer some useful tips on gardening and philosophy, saying, "In the end, the garden is an anchor that holds us fast in our place in the universe."

Gardening and Life
On the surface, Growing with the Seasons is an evocative series of short muses about an organic garden in a small New Mexico community.It carries the reader through the four seasons with bright images of suppers with friends, wild weather, and putting up vegetables for the long cold winter, all illustrated with an abundance of lovely photographs,

The greatest value of this book, however, is not found in its advice on gardening.The Giannangelos have written a touching and accessible treatise on how to live better in the world and with each other, using their garden as a teaching companion.This is not so much a book about gardening, as it is a wonderful reminder to live a happier and more connected life. ... Read more

Product Description
Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin turn the compost bin upside down with their liberating system of keeping compost heaps right in the garden, rather than in some dark corner behind the garage. The compost and the plants live together from the beginning in a nourishing, organic environment. The authors' bountiful, compost-rich gardens require less digging, weeding, mulching, and even less planting. And here's one of the best parts — no more backbreaking slogs from compost bin to garden. The authors even identify the plants that benefit most from compost and how the elements of a composted garden work together.

A natural Six-Way Compost Gardening System provides the ruling principles for successfully improving every garden with healthy compost. Readers will learn how to:

1. Choose labor-saving sites that keep gardens and compost piles as close to one another as possible.

2. Work with the compostable riches produced at home. Every yard and kitchen produces plenty of material — easily identified with at-a-glance charts — for a great start.

3. Help composting critters do their work by balancing ingredients, adding high-nitrogen meals when needed, and keeping the compost moist.

4. Reuse recycling bin items, such as large plastic buckets and cardboard boxes, as composting equipment.

5. Keep diversity in the mix. The magic is in the variety of the components and how they work together to create "gardener’s gold."

6. Customize composting to suit specific garden needs, always concentrating first on soil care.

Adhering to these guidelines, Pleasant and Martin bring readers on a thorough, informative tour of materials and innovative techniques, leading the way to an efficient and rewarding home gardening system. Their methods are sure to help gardeners turn average vegetable plots into rich incubators of healthy produce, bursting with fresh flavor, and flower beds into rich tapestries of bountiful blooms all season long. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (20)

Not for beginners
I checked this book out from the library hoping to learn how to compost, something about which I know very little except that you use organic materials, you layer things, and you may need to turn it. This book seemed like it would be great if I had the vaguest idea about composting. For instance, there is only the thinnest of detail on how to set up what they call Grow Heaps, in which you apparently grow seeds directly in your composted material. But what good does it do you to know that you need one part soil to four parts leaves and grass clippings when you don't even know what you're supposed to do with this? Do you layer things or just randomly toss them in the pile? Do you have to turn it? How tall does it need to be? How wide? Do you put the soil or the clippings down first, or does it matter? There was lots of information on the genetics and history and biology of the Grow Heap, but not one single step-by-step guide on how to set the darn things up. The authors assume you're already composting and need ideas on how to do it better, so if this isn't you, don't get this book.

There's hope
This book has all types of useful information relating to composting and gardening. If the information given is true, our rose gareden should be easy care and healtier with less expense.

good book
A lot of pages about composting with a lot of made up words about types of composting that I found irritating.I would suggest the book, however be advised that if you know much about composting then this book will not help you learn a lot more

Not what I expected
Although there is a lot of different information in the book it, in some instances, just briefly describes the technique, but offers no pictures or examples.Also, sometimes the descriptions of "How To" are not descriptive enough for me.I am a highly visual person so I need to also see what they are describing.

Wonderful
Great book for anyone who does gardening. I wasn't much into the worm farm in my house but to each it's own. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (6)

Permaculture at it's finest!
These Asian farmers were accomplishing something eons ago that the new Permaculture movement is striving for now. Why did things ever change? Big Chemical Demons stepped in and turned things around for a profit and our government has allowed it to grow till we are all poisoned by the air we breathe to the water we drink, to the food we eat. It is time to step back...

When you read the simplistic yet exacting ways that the earliest of farmers in Asian countries grew food and raised their meat/milk animals it is amazing. Everyone worked together to accomplish great things. Hard work was the norm and realized as a necessity to survival. In our day and age, it is just the opposite as man strives to get out of working hard for his "daily bread". Shame! Shame! Shame!

This book is for anyone interested in Permaculture, organic gardening, and sustainable living. After you read it all will make sense and you might just get on the bandwagon and help stop the chemical onslaught we are all exposed to on a daily basis.

Read and learn...

Looking at How Others Have Kept Their Soil Healthy Through the Millenium
This book describes in a fair amount of detail the several thousand year-old practices of several Asian cultures for successfully maintaining the health of their soil through community composting and spreading that on the fields. While these practices are culture-wide, a single farmer could do much of it on his own farm or multiple farms as a community practice in order to pool composting resources. What's odd is that those countries in "Farmers of Forty Centuries" have been able to feed large numbers of people using the methods outlined in this book, yet they have recently been turning away from those tried and true methods in favor of European and American farming methods, both of whose methods have impoverished their soils. There must have been a great sales pitch, pressure from supposedly knowing university studies along with inward cultural pressures to become "modern". They don't realize what an amazing feat they've been accomplishing in keeping their soils healthy for so long.

Along with this book I would highly recommend all of Masanobu Fukuoka's books on farming (if you can find them), especially "Natural Farming", which outlines his methods.For a fresh and humorous approach to night soil composting, check out "The Humanure Handbook: A Guide To Composting Human Manure", which outlines how to use human waste to recharge the soil rather than wasting it in cess tanks and polluting our ground water with it.Although this would only work for warm climates year-round, it certainly follows the spirit of Farmers of Forty Centuries and would be do-able in the warm months in colder climates.(Maybe worth a university study to observe pathogen behavior in humanure compost?)Also, for farmers in or near a desert environment, check out Geoff Lawton's video on [...] about how to green the desert -yes he's actually doing it and teaches others how, especially important in areas of the USA where farming and other usage is draining the Oglala aquifer.[...]

Valuable Post Catastrophic Survival Knowledge
As the publisher of yowusa.com, I'm always on the lookout for solid books with something to offer who have to rebuild after a catastrophe.This book was recommended to me by one of my Cut to the Chase radio guests and it is a treasure trove of knowledge.

A Pre-Industrial Agronomy Well Described
This book is one of the influences on Bill Mollison, of Permaculture fame.

It is the record of a fact-finding mission, and describes how East Asia fed itself sustainably for "forty centuries".The original idea was to take home lessons for American farmers, but the agronomy King describes is highly intensive and uses huge inputs of human labour.

As custodian of a bit of rural land, with an abiding interest in sustainable agronomies, I found it a good and interesting read.

The principal take-home lesson for me is that land can be managed for human sustenance, on very long time-scales, without large inputs of external resources, and without the steady degradation suffered by other landscapes.

That's a lesson worth learning, even if we can't apply the detail of the traditional East Asian methods in other times and places.

Skills For a Low Tech Future
A wonderful book, despite its having been originally written more than 100 years ago. Fresh and sobering look at what it takes to make a civilized society run on a daily basis without modern technology, from food production to how to make cotton mattresses by hand, to manufacturing coal based blocks for home heating and cooking - in a backyard; and how to build a k'ang, a raised heated platform used for sitting and sleeping.
'Farmers' also gives an idea of the human cost and effort needed to keep land fertile and productive, conserve scarce resources, and the ingenuity required daily to have a reasonably comfortable, sustainable lifestyle over many hundreds of generations - a workable world one can confidently pass on to one's descendents, something we DON'T have, for all our vaunted "quality of life" in the US. ... Read more

Product Description
For years, gardeners have submitted questions to the staff and editors of Organic Gardening magazine, dealing with the real challenges they face in their own yards and gardens. Combined with the honest, well-informed answers of the OG staff, the question-and-answer department has become the most popular in the magazine. Now the best of these questions have been collected in one volume.

The OG experts answer tough questions about gardening safely and organically, such as "will it hurt my garden if I mulch with clippings from lawns that have been sprayed with herbicides or pesticides?" and "does watering my garden with chlorinated tap water kill helpful soil microorganisms?" Organic Gardening Solutions also includes helpful suggestions for all kinds of gardeners with specific questions on herb, flower, and vegetable gardening, controlling weeds, fighting insect pests, composting, soil care, garden design, caring for trees and shrubs, and water gardening. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A "must" for the novice gardener.
In Rodale Organic Gardening Solutions, Cheryl Long collaborated with the editors of "Organic Gardening" magazine to offer the gardener easy, proven, practical organic, non-toxic solutions for sixty commongardening problems. Readers will learn how to get the most from theirvegetable crops, produce beautiful flower gardens, learn to nurture treeand vine fruits, discover how to grow their own seasonings, master the nutsand bolts of saving and starting seeds, improve composting and soilmanagement, keep pests under control, control weeds organically, andsimplify lawn and landscape care. Superbly organized and thoroughly"user friendly", Rodale Organic Gardening Solutions is a"must" for the novice gardener, and has much of significant valueto offer even the more experienced horticulturalist. ... Read more

Product Description
A lively and practical guide to organic gardening from a renowned garden expert.

Annie Spiegelman's down-to-earth wit and wisdom create the perfect primer for anyone with a passion for home-grown veggies or fresh-cut flowers, no matter what their skill level, location, or resources. Includes advice on:

•Learning to worship the worm and build a compost pile

•Landscape designs-start small in order to create a basic plan for a plot

•The secret to healthy soil (the only way to have a healthy garden)

•Irrigation systems and strategies to conserve water

•Proper pruning-from roses to trees

•How to combine vegetables to make them thrive

•How to let your garden go native and become drought tolerant

•Edible landscaping and gardening in small spaces

Talking Dirt is a one-stop handbook that features resources for shopping, learning, and promoting environmentally sound garden practices within local communities.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

If you are new to gardening, it covers it all...If you are a pro, you'll still learn lots
I am in a major gardening and landscaping obsession right now as my reviews and purchases note. Consequently, my reading is consisting almost entirely of books on the subject.

Most books, however, are geared towards the writer's personal style, interests, or region.I was so impressed that this book was uber thorough in capturing it ALL.What I mean by this is that our front yard is very formal and traditional, yet our backyard is ALL native plants to our region, some xeriscaping, waterfall, organic veggie garden and only native groundcovers as opposed to grass in "grassy" areas.Yes, we have covered it all.And so did she. This takes the reader from garden design, to composting, to compost tea (your plants will love it), to laying out a vegetable garden, to really, really super gardening tips, to formal and traditional gardening to worm beds to weeds to proper pruning to zen gardens.

zzzzz. That sounds so boring. Expecially to anyone not yet INTO gardening. And that's the best pard. This book is funny and entertaining. NOT boring.In fact, I typically go through gardening books looking for info on what I'm focusing on at the time, but this is one of the very, very few that I actually read cover-to-cover and word-for-word.I lost the book for 3 weeks (had it in a bag in my pantry, I still don't know why...) and I actually felt like I had misplaced an action novel in the midst of coming to the climax of its plot. That sounds crazy to say about a gardening book...but the style is highly unusual, full of upbeat and "real" wit and wisdom and, most importantly, I learned a tremendous amount in spite of already thinking I had mastered the art.

I'll be honest, I opened the book and didn't expect to be "wowed".I am a visual person and it contained no pictures. (It does have drawings of various plant species) I am extremely visual in learning. So I went in with a negative mindset. ...Until I began reading. That says a lot.

Honestly, I think if I had to pick one book to hand to friends who want to learn the art of gardening, whether just a small container or herb garden on a balcony, to a massive spread like we took on at our own home, I think this would be the book I'd hand off and suggest. It's fun and funny to read, (imagine if Erma Bombeck told you how to garden...somehow I retain more when it's done in that tone, maybe because I enjoy reading it more that way.) but contains almost 300 pages of a ton of information that is really important stuff. It's obvious she's done this awhile.

Like me, she has found the art of gardening that actually requires no need for synthetic fertilizers and petrochemicals due to "feeding the soilinstead of feeding the plant" and, consequently, (if only feeding the plant with chemicals) killing the good microorganisms in the soil which inevitably make gardening harder. Yeah, she "gets it". It took me a long time to learn this. She breaks it down so it doesn't. In fact, she passes on wisdom that makes your garden WAY less work and WAY more productive. Impressed. Organic gardening, in the end, makes your garden work for you even when you sleep, rather than you constantly working to keep it alive...if you do it right.

I'd give it more stars if I could. VERY helpful to us. In fact, we used her exact layout of a vegetable garden diagram for our organic veggies.

Edible Dirt
Talking Dirt is the perfect gardening book for the beginner or amateur gardener.It is entirely approachable, inviting, downright edible.And you feel really good and wholesome after consuming it.It is stuffed with practical tips, facts that are both ethically and practically relevant, and personable insights on how to make the creation of a perfect ecological garden in your own backyard really fun.The book is just the kind that will end up stained and dog eared, for years floating around the kitchen, the garden, the tool shed.The young kids growing up with this book will perhaps go off to some urban college, make their way in an urban landscape for years, then one day in their forties, they will spot this filthy book in the corner of someone's house in the suburbs.They will exclaim, 'oh my God, I remember this book!', then curl up and consume it, dreaming of one day making their own garden wherever they have a little bit of dirt.

Best organic gardening book I have seen!
I have been making sad attempts at organic gardening for years, and I have used many resources (books, websites, magazines, etc.) and after reading just HALF of this great book, I am convinced it's the best I have come across. The author's informative and funny style makes for an enjoyable AND practical read. There is some great information about urban gardening, container gardens and small plots as well as the more traditional gardening tips. I have more ideas now and I am more confident about my chances of success for this summer's garden. I plan on getting copies for all my gardening friends!

Just got my copy from Amazon!
What perfect timing to be ready for Spring planting! Spiegelman makes its easy enough for a novice like me.
This book is so informative and easy to understand. I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description

2007 Foreword Book of the Year Finalist (Mind/Body/Spirit)

2008 Independent Publisher Book Award for "Most Likely to Save the Planet" - Bronze Medal WinnerClea Danaan breaks new ground with Sacred Land-a fresh approach to sacred gardening that goes beyond your own backyard.     In this positive and practical handbook, Danaan shows how organic gardening can germinate environmental awareness and political change while feeding your spirit. You'll learn how to plan and plant your garden, create compost, save seeds, conserve and transmute water, connect with garden goddesses, and incorporate planetary energy in your garden.     Sacred Land explores the benefits of native plants, organic food and agriculture, buying locally, and eating seasonally. It suggests simple yet effective ways of spreading the message of ecology and sustainability to your community. You'll discover how to get along with ants, bats, bees, butterflies, fairies, frogs, gnomes, worms, and other creatures who share our gardens. This one-of-a-kind gardening guidebook also includes inspiring stories of women activists, farmers, artists, and healers who are making a difference in the world.

Book text printed on recycled paper

Customer Reviews (4)

Sacred Land is magic in words
I borrowed this book from our local library with the intent of using what I learned in a community garden. Instead, as I started reading it spoke to me on a more personal level. It brought back to my mind and heart WHY I wanted to garden.

I live in my grandparents' house, a place that for me was magical when I was growing up. I learned about cooking and gardening here in these walls, and outside in the gardens. My grandmother was detrimental in shaping and forming me into who I am today.

Sacred Land opened my eyes to the things I want to pass onto our children, and our community. I hope that one day I will be fortunate enough to own this book, to be able to pass it on to our children.

Not only does this book have great tips for bringing life back into your garden through personal spirituality, it also gives great organic gardening tips. There are also many wonderful resources available at the end of each section!

This book is most definitely a keeper!!

Food and thought
I'm generally not a fan of gardening books, but this was an enjoyable and informative read.Most surprisingly, it's changed my approach to gardening.I hadn't considered my relationship with nature beyond trying to garden organically and not waste natural resources.Having read Danaan's book, I'm seeing my relationship with the land as more than simply scientific, and it has enriched gardening for me.

Blessed Gardens LOVES Sacred Land
Being an author myself, I love writers. I love artists in general, but when a writer pours their heart and soul into a book, I'm humbled. Clea Danaan has done just that in her astoundingly rich book, Sacred Land.

As I am going through a profoundly painful, personal loss at this time, the melancholy I felt when I looked at my beloved garden drove me back into the house day after day. I would see that which I had planted so lovingly months earlier blooming, and the joy of the flowers was too much for me. They reminded me of a time when I couldn't wait for them to appear, a time when I was happy. And now, here they were happy and abundant, and I simply didn't feel that way. I couldn't enjoy anything through my sadness.

Clea suggests in her book that when we go to sleep at night, to ask the devas for a dream. I did just that.

The next morning, I stepped out onto my deck and looked out at my garden, blocked by my massively tall weeping willows. I couldn't see much and felt disappointed that these trees were in my way. But something happened. I stepped onto my drying lawn, pulled a chair under one of the willows, and sat in the shade with my coffee and wept.

I cried about my divorce and all the time I spent laboring in my garden, hopeful about the coming months. I felt so deeply sad that I almost did hear them speaking to me. It was a soft buzz at first, and then it grew louder.

I sat up and wiped my eyes. I heard them; bees. They were everywhere around me, in the trees and in the [...] willows. They were so loud I almost forgot that we were in a bee crisis. The world was having a bee shortage. And in that moment, the bees were all in my yard. I laughed.

And then it dawned on me, there is never a lack, the bees are somewhere, aren't they? Don't we all go where we are noticed or appreciated? I sat with the bees for a long time that day. And I have slowly begun to care for my garden again.

I brought Sacred Land out to my garden and read it. Toward the end of the book, one question popped out at me: "What change do you wish to see that you might bring to the world through your garden?".

And perhaps that is best answered here. We can all bring the bees back by inviting them into our world, can't we? I once said to a client when she asked where I was going to get the money to fund my newest project--"from wherever it is now," I told her.

Sacred Land takes you through a personal journey. And while Clea outlines organic gardening and gives tips, be prepared to find a personal awakening between the covers of this book. This is more than a random book on gardening, it is a journey. And I thank her for my simple awareness and the profound reminder of the power of a garden. Her focus on Organic gardening is a deeply rooted passion for her and is evident with her generous links and suggestions throughout the text, gently guiding us to care for the earth. She also reminds us that a garden is something we leave behind for future generations.

A wonderful read, and a powerful moon journey. Sacred Land by Clea Dannaan is a magical and intuitive catalyst for change.

Wonderful book
This book was a super informative and enjoyable read. Clea is not only an expert organic gardner, but shares that wealth of knowledge in an articulate and meaningful way. The metaphysical connection she makes to this activity is brilliant and I'll just say that you don't have to subscribe to any particular philosophy to relate to it. I will continue to use Sacred Land as a reference tool in my organic gardening arsenal of information. Recommended. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (70)

Lasagna Gardening is for everyone
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0875969623/ref=cm_cr_rev_prod_img

I have a confession. I didn't buy Lasagna Gardening from Amazon. I found it at DI, which is Utah's version of Goodwill. But it is available from Amazon, and well worth buying.

It explains how to create compost and planting soil without using worms or a composter. It explains how to create a rich layer of soil anywhere, whether it's your large backyard or a pot on your apartment patio. Literally anybody can use it, even if you're in a wheelchair. If you're confined to bed, you can tell your caretakers how to do it, so they can create rich soil in a small pot that you can use beside your bed.

It works especially well in combination with the book Square Foot Gardening, and although I haven't read Square Inch Gardening, I'm sure it would work there too.

Don't be like me and waste three years trying to find your copy used. Get it today and think of all those bags of soil you won't have to haul from the garden store next year. This is the best time to start.

Every gardener should have a copy of this book!
Exactly what is needed to produce a small or LARGE garden with minimal work.The set up of the garden area, maitenance, and general gardening information are excellent.Cut my gardening "work" in half!

Lasagna gardening, fun!
I love my Lasagna gardening book.It not only gives you information on how to grow a spectacular garden, but has helpful information on gardening in general from berries to vegtables.

Diane Packingham, Freeman, Missouri

Still waiting
The book arrived quickly and in good shape. My lovely wife has not finished it yet so I haven't read it yet. But she really likes it and we'll be trying some of the ideas in our spring garden

New Gardening!
This book is really great!I am preparing this coming winter to start new garden beds, probably flowers.I now have 12.Since my health isn't as it was, I need to modify wherever I can to continue this hobby! ... Read more

Product Description
The Soil and Health was published in 1945, just before agricultural corporations surged to global proportions. Sir Albert Howard's work is a major inspiration to the growing organic and sustainable farming movement and a thought-provoking reminder of a road not taken in developing mainstream agriculture during the past half-century.

The central tenet of Howard's philosophy is that healthy soil, vegetation, animals, and humans are connected and that undernourishment of soil is the source of modern agricultural and health problems. In Howard's estimation, heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers will ultimately lead to widespread disease and destruction of vibrant communities. As the environmental and social consequences of industrial farming are being hotly debated, The Soil and Health remains vital to understanding what is at stake in the battle between chemical and organic farming. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

This book does not have $ value---it is PRICELESS, beyond any price
[[ASIN:0813191718 The Soil and Health: A Study of Organic Agriculture (Culture of the Land)]

Robert Rodale dedicated the September,1948 issue of ORGANIC GARDENING as a memorial to Albert Howard .I made this note from that issue, "The purpose of this book is threefold:to record my own observations and reflections, which have accumulated during some forty-five years, on the occurance and prevention of disease, to establish the thesis that most disease can be traced to am impoverished soil, which leads to imperfectly synthesized protein in the green leaf and finally to the breakdown of those protective arrangements which Nature has designed for us." Howard's preface.

Also from my notes, "The quality of our food and health decreases each year.In 1995the USA ranked 17th in life expectancy, in 10000 we ranked 24th.Countries are not ranked 17th in life expectancy on the internet at WHO Statistical Information System.Dr. Christopher Murray, MD,PhD of Who has this to say,"Basically you die earlier and spend more time sidabled if you are an American rather than a member of most other developed countries"

A God bless you to Wendell Barry for your introduction.I am still haunted by your UNSETTLING OF AMERICA;CULTURE AND AGRICULTURE which I read many years ago.

For the Agriculturally Literate
As a long time reader of Wendell Berry, I have been fascinated to read this book that Berry claims to have influenced his thinking to such a great extent. Sir Albert Howard is a wonderful science writer, able to lucidly explain complicated biological processes and marshall all of his observations in the service of a coherent argument about our relationship to nature. I see deep truth in this book, and an approach to scientific thinking that never loses site of our unavoidable ignorance or our ultimately spiritual destiny.

Why does soil matter? Read this first
Jared Diamond and others have written about how civilizations have destroyed themselves by exploiting their soils. Sir Albert Howard said the same thing, but he said it 100 years ago. Howard was the father of the modern organic, holistic farming movement. This book is incredibly readable and will change how you think about food, soil, and the fate of civilization.

Great Early Book on Organic Agriculture
The Soil and Health is a wonderful book that is equal parts agricultural science and environmental advocacy, with just a dash of kooky Nature worship thrown in.Howard was a conventionally trained agricultural scientist in the late 19th and early to mid 20th century who was employed by the British government to bring modern industrial agriculture, based on chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides to Britain's tropical colonies.Soon, though, he realized the value of more traditional agricultural practices from India and China, especially in keeping the microbial, fungal and invertebrate life in the soil healthy.

If you believe in the value of organic agriculture, it is somewhat sad to see how little has changed since 1945.Howard confidently predicts in his book that organic methods based on compost would soon sweep the globe.Things have changed some, though.We can now buy "organic" labeled products in most markets in America, and I believe that more people have an appreciation for the importance of treating the earth well.This book does an excellent job of establishing and reinforcing that appreciation. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (3)

Nice for beginners; better than most
My farming partner, with 12 years experience in California (but no formal training) in organic farming, knew most of the contents of this book before we started farming in Hawaii. After two years, some of his experience has rubbed off onto me, and we've picked up site-specific know-how that couldn't be in a generic book. This book would have been more valuable before I started farming. It's well organized and practical, with lots of photos. A good bargain. Definitely better than most.

Wonderful Insight
I really enjoyed this book. It was well written and plenty of illustrations.

I found clear instructions on how to start organic farming and market your products.

There is only one chapter devoted to livestock and If the author ever writes more about livestock I will by it.

Fossel covers everything from how to start seeds to using the right farm equipment.

The book is a good read and doesn't get the reader lost. I will keep and use as a reference.

An easy-to-follow, hands-on primer
Organic Farming: Everything You Need to Know is a primer to getting one's own organic farm up and running. From obtaining organic certification and acting in accordance with laws and rules, to caring for vegetables, crops, livestock, and poultry, to alternatives to pesticides and drugs, to marketing strategies for one's products and much more, Organic Farming offers plain-terms instructions illustrated with full-color photography. An easy-to-follow, hands-on primer, enthusiastically recommended for current and prospective organic farmers. ... Read more

Product Description
This handy tool for pest identification is just the right size for being taken right into the garden. Large color pictures and descriptions of each pest and their life cycle help make identification easy. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
This is a brief but excellent introduction to the topic. Although short, it's full of hundreds of tips and pieces of information on how to control various pests in your garden. Knowing a little about entomology helps, but isn't necessary. But a lot of the control comes down to using a weak solution of soap or lime to spray directly on the pests. This doesn't harm the plants, apparently, but many insect pests are susceptible to it. And there are many other such tips and methods discussed in the book. Some plants, such as marigolds, interestingly, can be planted also to control certain infestations since their roots secret a substance that is toxic to certain pests. Overall an interesing, practical, and informative little guide on the subject.

Excellent Service
The book was in perfect condition and it was delivered ahead of the expected delivery date. ... Read more

Product Description
For more than thirty years Sandra Perrin has gardened year-round in Montana, learning to adapt to cold weather. Consumer demand encouraged her to update this popular gardening book, adding new hardy varieties and time-tested hints. Among other things, you will learn how to store carrots in the ground for winter harvesting, fry zucchini &flowers, and ripen green tomatoes. So get ready to dig! Organic gardening is not only healthy for the body but also, in Perrin's words, "good for the soul." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Wonderful tips for cold climate gardens
The thing that struck me most strongly about this book was the common-sense approach the author uses. This isn't some idealistic "greenie" trying to further her cause; but a woman who has spent her entire life caring for the soil and garden that feeds her and her family.

The sections on companion planting and rotation are invaluable for anyone attempting to reduce pests and disease in their garden without using pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. The fact that these methods also tend to increase your harvest yield is just a happy coincidence!

One of the most distinctive differences with this organic gardening book is that it focuses on cold climates, in some cases even very cold climates, where we don't have the luxury of a long growing season or temperate winters. It's easier to be organic when you have 180+ days in your growing season and you don't have to worry about your compost pile freezing... it's a little more difficult when your "guaranteed" season is more like 60-90 days, and it gets so cold and for long enough that the ground freezes solid (not just your compost pile).

By far, this is one of the best organic gardening "primers" I've read, the fact that it focuses on latitudes north of 40 is a special treat. Just the right amount of information to get you thinking and growing without being proscriptive.

An advice book. No digging up scientific references here!
Some terrific points of interest and knowledge, but there could have been some better referencing and classification of information to make this a more respectable volume. Nevertheless, the feel-good aspect - as if you were reading your auntie's gardening book - makes for an enjoyable and insightful read. A keeper!

Review of Organice Gardening in Cold Climates
Terrific book!Very, very helpful.I love it.

The perfect instructional reference for the novice gardener in a colder climate
In this newly revised and expanded edition of Organic Gardening In Cold Climates, gardening expert Sandra Perrin draws upon her more than thirty years of experience gardening year-round in Montana to teach aspiring gardeners in the upper states of the U.S. and the provinces of Canada how to adapt to cold weather and early frosts when raising their garden vegetables. There are special sections devoted to "companion planting", season extenders, composting, natural pest and disease control, and "French Intensive Gardening". Every aspect of gardening in a northern climate is clearly addressed from planning the garden, to preparing the soil, to planting, to tending what has been planted, and harvesting. Enhanced with chapters devoted to fruit and vegetable seeds, growing herbs in a garden setting,, gardening and therapy, a listing of seed companies, and a bibliography of useful literature, Organic Gardening In Cold Climates is the perfect instructional reference for the novice gardener in a colder climate.

Good book and quick to get through
I'm 20 and in college and have a small (8' by 12') vegetable garden in Vermont and this book is perfect for anyone interested in doing the same sort of thing.It introduced me into many concepts I had never heard of including how to make a compost pile, companion planting, and season extenders such as hotbeds.One thing I liked was that it gave a number of ways to do each thing...it didn't demand that there was one best way to do things...it lets you choose what's best for you.The second half of the book lists a number of different varieties of each vege/herb and when/where you should plant them and how they should be cared for. ... Read more