Winter doesn’t lend itself to spending many hours outdoors in the garden, so what better time is there to spend time perusing gardening catalogs and reading books about gardening than winter? Find yourself a comfy chair, maybe even one with a good view of the garden, and settle in for some reading
Gardening is full of practices ad and products that simply don’t work, and gardening blogger Linda Chalker-Scott debunks gardening myths with sound, scientific-based practices in How Plants Work. Using real-life situtations and a conversational style, Chalker-Scott makes the science of growing things simple for home gardeners. Readers of this book will be able to make more informed choices in gardening practices.
If the farm to table movement interests you, Dan Barber’s new book The Third Plate is worth checking out. Barber is an executive chef and a leader in the farm to table dining movement. Barber uses firsthand farming experience and lessons learned from the kitchen to gardening, farming and fishing practices around the world. He discusses how we eat and how that relates to our ecosystem.
Many gardeners are also writers, and writer Vita Sackville-West is well known for transforming Sissinghurst from a sad, old English estate to a flourishing garden. Using information from Sackville-West’s writings, author Sarah Raven tells the story of the garden in the book Sissinghurst. Detailed field notes and a complete plant index are also part of this book about one of the most well known gardens in the world.
Want to grow some fruit trees in your backyard? Check out Grow a Little Fruit Tree: Simple Pruning Techniques for Small-Space, Easy Harvest, Fruit Trees, a new Story Publishing book. Like all Story books, this one provides practical pruning and care techniques for productive fruit trees that are less than six feet tall. Get this book before you even get started because it also provides advice on choosing cultivars, too!
Backyard greenhouses seem to be quite popular with gardeners these days. Gardeners are using greenhouses for growing throughout the year and for seed and plant cultivation. Author Roger Marshall has a new book – The Greenhouse Gardener’s Manual – the provides the nuts and bolts for utilizing a home greenhouse. Although technical, this book will not overwhelm readers with too much technical information.
Author Craig LeHoullier has taken his love of the tomato to a whole new level with Epic Tomatoes. This new book covers the history of the fruit. (Did you know it was once considered poisonous?) LeHoullier, a former chemist, also dissects pH, soil, caging, spacing mulching, and everything else related to growing what he considers to be the garden’s best fruit. This book is detailed but interesting and well thought out for lovers of the tomato garden.
Questions or comments related to gardening? Contact Joleen at missourigardener@hotmail.com
