Gardening Books

It's that time of year again! It is almost Spring. But this year is different from every other because we are in Grandmommy and Granddaddy's house now and THEY had a huge vegetable garden which has been sitting and waiting for us. It is already fenced in completely and deer-proof. We've been working on the compost pile since last summer (my husband and I met when I went to ask him for some scrap pallets so that the girls and I could build a Pallet Compost Bin).

It's hard to know where to hold the pallets as you fasten them together. And I dropped plenty of nails and screws trying to get them into that tough low-quality wood! But we paid nothing for the pallets and only a little for the hardware, so I really can't complain. And the two older girls were there to help.

Note the completely overgrown garden in the background. We left MD to head to IL exactly one year to the day that Granddaddy left IL to head to MD. So the garden was neglected for twelve months.

It was a hot day for such work!

Given that we are going down to one income with the new baby, this vegetable garden becomes more important than ever. I pulled the vegetable-specific gardening books I had on hand for the Farming & Gardening block. Last year I completed my Master Gardener training so I still have all of my books and notes from that; much of it will work for Southern Illinois since it is almost the same climate as Southern Maryland. For example, I'm hoping to still be able to use the very nice Planting Dates for Vegetable Crops chart which the University of Maryland Extension put together. But, still, some resources I left behind as a donation to Tidewater, so I only have a limited selection:

Time to head to the public library! Last time we paid fines at the library we had run up a bill of $79.00. Yes, $79.00. This was ONLY the three children! So suffice it to say that we love our library and get stacks and stacks of books each time we go. And that we need to remember to go back every other week or it will cost us a small fortune, besides not being fair to the other patrons. My stack this time:

I'm very excited to sit down and start reading! I will be sure to post which ones I found the most helpful. A note: There is a newer edition of How to Grow More Vegetables, Eighth Edition: (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land Than You ... (And Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains,)but I wanted to put the cover art of the one I have up there because it is the edition (the 6th) which I will be reviewing.

And I need to remember to get organized and join the Master Gardeners group around here...

UPDATE: I ended up buying the top four of the library books listed here but did not like the bottom three. However, here are three more vegetable gardening books I would recommend instead!

Gardener to Gardener Almanac & Pest-Control Primer:
A Month-By-Month Guide and Journal for Planning, Planting, and Tending Your Organic Garden
edited by Vicki Mattern and Fern Marshall Bradley

Groundbreaking Food Gardens:
73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden
by Niki Jabbour

Veggie Garden Remix:
224 New Plants to Shake Up Your Garden and Add Variety, Flavor, and Fun
by Niki Jabbour

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