Gardening and reading are two of my favorite occupations. I saw this poster online the other day and I though it was perfect.
Going through my gardening books I pulled out eight of my favorite books. As you can see some of them are well loved.
Taylor’s Guide to Perennials and Taylor’s Guide to Annuals. I actually have a whole series of these books but there two are my favorites. Both are filled with excellent cultural information and wonderful photographs. The photographs are arranged by color, which I find very helpful, especially if you want to try and identify a flower.
Let It Rot! By Stu Cambell – Years ago I took a Master composting class from the University of Connecticut. This book was highly recommended at the time. It has been republished and is now in the third edition. Teaches gardeners how to recycle waste to create soil-nourishing compost. Also contains advice for starting and maintaining a compost system, building bins and using compost. If you’re not composting yet this is a great book to help you get started.
The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Tracy DiSabato-Aust This is one of the most useful tools a gardener can have. It gives you clear advice on taking care of your perennial garden from deadheading, pinching, cutting back, thinning and deadleafing. If you follow the advice in this book your garden will reward you with beautiful blooms all season.
Dick Raymond’s Gardening Year and The New Victory Garden both books are very similar and set up according to the month. I find it very useful to follow as you can just read the section relating to what month it is. These books guide you through step by step from planting to harvest.
Are you interested in learning how to garden year round? Since our growing season is so short here in Vermont this book has provided me with good advice on extending our season. Four Season Harvest by Eliot Coleman introduces techniques that the North American gardener can use to extend their growing season. Coleman has been successful in using cold frames and plastic covered tunnel greenhouses without any supplementary heat to produce fresh produce all through the winter. He is a true inspiration.
Seed saving is something I have just started to do. As we find our favorite plants no longer available in the local nurseries saving our own seeds is one thing we can learn how to do to make sure was can grow exactly the variety that we want to. Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth contains detailed information about saving seeds including the population size, isolation techniques and the proper methods for harvesting, drying and storing your seeds. It’s a wonderful book that will tell you everything you need to know about saving and keeping your own seeds.
These are just a few of the many books in my gardening library, but they are my favorites. Do you have any favorite books on gardening in your library?
Nancy on the Home Front 