Grow Your Own Magazine

I have one or two books that I love to dip into for advice when it comes to my garden and I was wondering if others also have favourites that they would recommend to others?
Here is my top three.

RHS Encyclopedia of Gardening
RHS New Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers
Square Foot Gardening

I love Square Foot Gardening, I'm doing my whole allotment like that in the spring, I've got 4 squares at the min but my the time I'm finished there will be 28! think I'm going over the top?

I think I would have to recommend The Vegetable and Herb Expert by Dr.D.G. Hessayon. Its a great book full of useful information and it's not expensive. You can buy it from garden centres.

Lesley Jay

Wow I am impressed. That's not an allotment thats a farm....how many people do you provide vegetables for?
I am starting off with one square this coming year as there are only two in my family, but I intend to go up one square at a time ( Squares are 4'x4' with 16, 1'x1' squares in each)
in each 1' square you can grow 16 carrots or 16 spring onions or 16 radish or one cabbage or 4 lettice or 9 dwarf beans....etc the list goes on. there is a web page run by Mel Bartholomew that people may like to see.
The Official Site of Square Foot Gardening

2 of us LOL but I have over 150 dif varieties to plant and I dont intend to get any veg from tesco this next yr

at the min I have 1 herb square with basil, purple, basil, sage, purple sage, bronze fennel, corriander, mint, chalmomile, angelica, borrage, curry and a few more cant remember, 1 strawberry with 16 plants in, 2 veg squares with lettuces, carrots, radishes, chinese cabbages, onions, garlic etc. some of which should be ready for harvesting tomorow and they should hopefully take me into december. then in jan/feb I can start planting again.

I think is will be Tescos buying from you!
150 different varieties is a lot of seed packets or do you collect your own seed. If you keep your seed in the fridge like a lot of keen gardeners then where will you put the vegetables that you are going to grow?
Jax

I'm a sucker for offers and I like veg and trying new veg, and also we go to lots of garden centres and I cant help looking at the seeds and buying things that look interesting. I've only had my allotment since april the seeds seem drawn to me.

I get told off by the boyf if I try to keep the seeds in the fridge, it takes up room reserved for beer. The veg dont hang arround long so I've got some wire trollies that hold most of them when they are out of the ground. and my friends like donations but I try to eat most of the veg before they get to the house

Going back to the initial topic of this thread, I'll have to recommend the following books:

Grow you own vegetables by Joy Larkcom (possibly the best of its kind)
The Allotment Handbook by Caroline Foley (Great for beginners)
and Your Gardening Questions Answered from Reader's Digest (absolutely ancient but brilliant - it cost me £1 from a charity shop )

Acorn

Acorn
I agree with your choice of "Grow you own vegetables" by Joy Larkcom. it has become my bed time reading for a number of weeks now and I have to say that the information it contains is first class. well worth buying as an investment for the future of any gardener old or new.
Jax

I have two old books now Gardening Year and the help guides from Hergayson (I know I have spelt that wrong but they're a series of very useful books e.g. expert gardener).

I also mentioned in another thread Adam the Gardener which, bar the references to chemicals, is a useful little book.

Andrewo

I'd agree about the Joy Larkcom book. (try to find it in hardback- the paperback version isn't pleasant to hold and leaf through.) I also like Organic Gardening by Geoff Hamilton. I like The Flowerdew books, any of them. They're not methodical in the way that Larkcom or Hamilton are but I think there's much one can learn from his sensuous approach to the subject.In particular, I liked his The Gourmet Gardener. If you're a polytunneller Bernard Salt's book Gardening Under Plastic is all but essential, I think. As I said elsewhere The Polytunnel Companion is a complete waste of money- the only book that ever made me ANGRY!

Berr.

Thought it may be a good idea to start reviewing some of the books we find helpful.
So I will start with Joy Larkcom's "Grow your own Vegetables"
Synopsis
This book contains everything you need to know to create a highly productive, tasty vegetable garden. Joy Larkcom’s easy-to-follow advice covers all aspects of modern vegetable growing.
Joy shows you how to improve your soil using, manure, home made composts and your own fertilisers such as Comfrey tea.
Joys growing techniques have been honed over years of experience. Methods have been tried and tested.
Pests are covered but the new Bio methods are not dealt will in full as at the time of writing these were in their infancy. Diseases are covered in each section of the vegetable pages. The book also takes some of the mystery out of garden speak as she explains various terms as well as braking down the garden year into the months that correspond with early spring, mid spring and late spring. Protection for each type of plant is covered but does not take into account heated greenhouses as Joy realises that a cold greenhouse or Polly tunnel is the best most vegetable growers ever have the opportunity of using. Planning and making good use of space is also covered well. Cultivation information for over 100 vegetables is found in the second half of the book, with cultivars being listed and advice given on the choice of seed available to produce the best results. Joy Larkcom was one of the first people to push oriental salad leaves in the UK and I believe that at one time she and her family were main suppliers for Marks and Spencer’s. Unusual vegetables from the increasingly wide range available today are included in the book. Joy understands that most gardeners today wish to be organic in their approach, and try’s to push natural methods to control pests and diseases.
In the final part of the book there is a planting calendar to help plan ahead with garden jobs, seed buying and succession planting utilising most methods of stretching the garden year by use of mulches, frames, cloches, fleece and plastic protection. All in all an excellent book worthy of a place in any ones mini gardening library.
Jax

Why not tell us more about your favourite books. If you have a book that you think others would benefit by having, why not write a review about it. Your review does not have to be very detailed, just highlight the points you found helpful when you read it. Tell us what made you go back again to re read some sections?
Jax

Has anyone got or read "The Heligan Vegetable Bible" I would love to know what people think about it?
Amazon says "

I've got most of the ones mentioned (Joy Lankom etc) but I can't resist 2nd hand bookshops and have got quite a collection now on all things gardening from Fuchsias, Cacti, CHrysanths, Dahlias & Veg. I enjoy reading about the old ways, I guess it's cos it's how my dad did things.

One favourite is Practical Gardeneing & Food Production in pictures by Richard Sudell. Cost £2.50 and if ever you want to know how to disguise your air raid shelter as a rockery, I'm your man

I also got a pen & pencil set off Geoff Amos for this as I wrote to him to see if he knew how old it was as there's no publish date and It was letter of the week in Garden News !!!

Nick,

All I can say is.....with it at his elbow, the gardener cannot go wrong, for he is not merely told, but also shown, what to do in every conceivable circumstance.

Berr, the veriest novice.

Yep! What a weird coincidence- it's the only old gardening book I've ever owned, and when I first saw this thread I thought to mention it because it must have been an excellent book in its day, and is still worthy of respect, I think. Can't remember where I got mine but it was a LONG time ago!