In celebration of the listing of Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners being finally listed on Amazon, I am posting book reviews. I have been collecting lots of new gardening books...trying to keep on top of what's going on in the world of green. Today's reviews are about two books given to me to review when I was at BookExpo America. Both are very practical, new gardener reference books.
Let's start with Good Bug, Bad Bug. Now, let me start by saying, I am nuts about this book...really, I wish I had written it. But I didn't...a wonderfully creative (and smart) author named Jessica Walliser wrote it and St. Lynn's Press had the good sense to publish it.
It is a small flip book with water resistant pages. Its focus is on teaching gardeners about both the nasties and the beneficial bugs in their gardens. This is the kind of book you take to the garden and compare the photos of damaged plants and bugs to the actual problems in your garden. Talk about practical...and a duh! moment...why aren't all garden pest and disease books written this way?
In addition to helping with identification, the book offers cultural and biological control methods for treating the problem. It also lists specific types of organic products that can be used to combat the evildoers if other interventions don't cut it.
What I also really appreciate is the section on beneficial insects. If ever there were a least understood method of organic pest control, this is it. By including these fearless fighters in her book, Walliser reminds readers that indiscriminate bug killing with pesticides can result in an explosion of growth of bad bugs. I mean, when you take out the good guys, the bad guys take over.
On a scale of 1 to 5 starts, I give this a 5...practical, useful and timeless.
The Veggie Gardener's Answer Book, by Barbara Ellis, published by Storey, is quite literally a compilation of garden questions about a ton of gardening topics. This is not the type of book you sit down on a rainy afternoon and read cover to cover. It is more of a flip through till you find the question you need book.
I have to say, this is not one of my favorite books. It is targeted towards beginning gardeners, yet I found that at times, the advice was so extensive it could be intimidating to new growers. It started to feel like just another gardening book where the author writes as the trained horticulturalist that she is, instead of in a language non-hortheads can understand.
A disclaimer may be in order here...I am biased. Anyone who has read my book and blog or listened to the Good Enough Gardening podcast knows that I believe we (the gardening industry) have put a ton of pressure on home gardeners to "get it right". I subscribe to the anti-perfection, don't make too big of a deal about it model. And while parts of this book definitely fit, especially where they author encourages readers to buy transplants if they have a hard time starting seeds, other parts are a bit on the Martha side.
For example, the section that talks about saving seeds from year to year tells readers that if the seeds haven't been stored in a cool dry place, they aren't worth trying to plant and better to buy a fresh pack. Now, for me that makes no sense at all. If you have a pack of seeds and you aren't sure about the viability, plant extra seeds, test them in a damp paper towel, succession sow with a fresh pack. I mean, there are several options that would save the gardener the cost of a new seed pack, and make them better stewards of their resources.
On a scale of 1 to 5, I would have to give this book a 3...which in my mind is a neutral rating. I have no doubt it would be of help to some folks, but could you find the same information in a better format? I think you can.
Have you read either of these books? I would love to hear more about it. And, if you have any books you would like to see reviewed, leave me a comment and I will try to accomodate! Chances are good I already own it anyway... :) And if the spirit moves you, I could use a few reviews on Amazon!
