Three New Gardening Books – Inspiring and Informative, A Different Approach to Space, Water, and Food

 For anyone who gardens, especially seriously, having any or all of the following books would greatly enhance one’s home library.  They all are beautifully illustrated and deal with different aspects of gardening, although each of them gives takes into consideration the changing climate.

Just in time for gift giving and/or getting a jump on spring planting, these books are user friendly and beautiful. If water is an issue, you will find useful ideas and instructions in Noelle Johnson’s new book, The Water-Smart Garden. This book is pleasant to hold and easy to look through.  The photos in this book are outstanding.  While lovely enough to be a coffee table book, it is a clear how to book that tells you how to “Grow a beautiful, resilient, and productive garden with minimal water”. Among the chapters, you can learn how to “capture free water” and how to build drought- resistant soil.

This book can double as a coffee table book with photos that are especially beautiful.

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Another gardening approach can be found in this book now in its 4^th edition, a reliable reference, Square Foot Gardening by the Square Foot Gardening Foundation. This book is especially helpful for those who want an edible garden that can fit any space and provide an impressive yield. There are excellent and clear instructions for serious gardeners who are interested in producing food for their families and friends and more.

There is a guide to a “Quick Start Square Foot Garden” where you will harvest more food in less space. You can learn what to plant and where to plant, how to grow and how to harvest.  It also requires the gardener have tools, and wood, and some skill with both.  However, the results are worth the effort. Order from Amazon

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From the founder of The Kitchen Garden Society, Bailey Van Tassel, comes Kitchen Garden Living which promises “seasonal Growing and Eating from a Bountiful Food Garden”.  There are many recipes for all aspects of a garden, such as creating soil, fertilizer, making tea and, of course, those for creating beautiful dishes to eat that look delicious.

One section caught my attention as I don’t recall seeing this important advice explained in this way.  It focuses on pruning and staking plants in order to allow airflow that will discourage the spread of disease and fungus and prevents some pests from accumulating.

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Some of the standouts from this book include: planning a garden, developing a water plan, consideration of raised beds vs in ground planting, offering a list of flowers that are perfect to combine with edible plants, 10 great garden jobs for kids, natural approaches to preventing and controlling pests, edible flowers, keeping a garden journal, how to plant seeds, and label plants.                                      

 This book is very pleasant to handle and the language is personal and friendly. Author Bailey says, “Together in these pages, we’ll start a garden from scratch and explore how to bring it to life, letting it inspire our days.”

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