Garden Primer

The Garden Primer

This is a wonderful resource book for any level of gardener. Our friends in Maine shared this title with us recently, and it's definitely one of those go-to kind of books. Our friends said that their copy is a bit worn looking as they tend to drag it right out to the garden and read the specific instructions when they're planting or transplanting. They follow her advice to the letter! This author, Barbara Damrosch, and her husband Eliot Coleman (also a gardening author and authority), are from Maine. Recently they were the key speakers at a yearly gathering at Seed Savers Exchange in Decorah, IA. Oh, it would have been great to be there!

Must Have Canning and Freezing Guide

Ball Blue Book of Preserving

This is an indispensable guide book for canning or freezing your garden goodies. It's full of all the basic recipes, but also a number of very adventurous combinations of ingredients to keep things interesting in your kitchen! This has the Bread and Butter recipe that I use every year, and a number of jam and jelly stand-bys that we enjoy at our house. It's tried and true for sure! Click the link or the picture to purchase one for yourself.

Best Garden Cookbook Ever!

Joy of Gardening Cookbook

Last year I discovered this book at my library and I had to have it! I even bought a second copy for my aunt and uncle. It's an oldie, but it can still be purchased. I can't say enough about how helpful the harvesting tips have been and how many of the recipes we've enjoyed. Just when you think you have no more use for another garden squash, you open this book and have a new favorite recipe just waiting there! Click the picture or title and you can get this book!

Starting a Garden

The books listed here are our very favorite garden books that we've used over the years. Whether you're looking for a starting point in gardening or looking to enhance your library, I don't think you'll be disappointed in these choices. Click on the pictures or titles if you want to add them to your collection.

The square foot book was one of the first ones we bought together, nearly 25 years ago, and the techniques used in it have worked for us in all kinds of living arrangements, including the side yard of an old Victorian house, the backyard of a small suburban house, and now, out in the middle of a large farm garden. Our daughter won a ribbon in the Colorado state fair for her 4H project on Square Foot Gardening techniques when she was 10!

All New Square Foot Gardening

In contrast, this is our newest gardening book purchase. It is so full of wonderful information, and covers an unbelievable number of topics. The author says that she gleaned the best of the best from the many Storey publications over the years, and we think it's been put together extremely well. Don't be fooled by the title though, you don't need a parcel of land to benefit from the instruction. An average back yard has lots of hidden potential!

The Backyard Homestead

These next two are Rodale books and if you have any knowledge of that publisher, you probably know that they produce nothing but quality books. These have been on our shelf for a long time and are always reliable.

The New Seed-Starters Handbook

I hope you're becoming aware of the increasing importance of organic gardening. There are more and more reasons for knowing what's in your food and what's not. It's really not as complicated or intimidating as it may sound. It's just good old fashioned horse sense, the kind your grandparents thrived on, that makes an organic garden possible. This book will teach you!

Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Resource for Every Gardener

Now, be sure you put to use what you read here. Get started!