The 7 Best Gardening Books of 2020 from Peninsula Friends of the Library
The 7 Best Gardening Books of 2020
from Peninsula Friends of the Library
Camryn Rabideau does a great job helping us figure out what is the best book depending on our gardening needs!
Want to make a salad purely from homegrown produce? The Vegetable Gardener's Bible can teach you everything you need to know to grow beautiful veggies, from basics like tomatoes and carrots to more unusual varieties of produce. This book on growing vegetables is well-suited for both beginners and experienced gardeners, all of whom can learn something from the author’s high-yield gardening methods.
This book is based on Ed Smith’s W-O-R-D gardening system, which he claims will work in all North American regions. W-O-R-D stands for wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil — four gardening strategies that will help increase your harvest when used correctly. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible includes thorough profiles of hundreds of popular vegetables, giving you all the insights, you need to successfully grow them at home. Further, you’ll find tips on how to succeed with fussy plants, grow unusual varieties and extend your growing season.
On the other hand, maybe you’re just interested in filling your yard with beautiful flowers. In this case, you’ll find The Flower Gardener's Bible to be an incredibly valuable resource as you plant your gardens full of colorful blooms.
The Flower Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Colorful Blooms All Season Long will help you plant vibrant, flourishing gardens that bloom all season long. The book contains a wealth of expert advice, addressing everything from how to pick the best growing site to tips on maximizing the lifespan of your plants. In addition to stunning images, you’ll find actionable advice on how to improve soil, fight off pests, arrange your gardens and make 400 types of flowers bloom with radiant color — essential information for any serious gardener.
Not everyone has a spacious yard to call their own, but that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your gardening dreams! The top-rated gardening guide, All New Square Foot Gardening II, will teach you how to create an amazing garden in just a few square feet.
The gardening techniques in this book have been around since the 1980s, and they’re still every bit as useful today. The updated guide explains how you can create a small plot close to your home and use vertical gardening techniques to grow beautiful, healthy plants. What’s unique about the methods in this book is that there are no complicated tools or ingredients. You just need the basics, which makes it a perfect guide for beginners!
Not all gardening takes place outside. Many people enjoy growing houseplants, but if you’ve ever tried to keep an indoor plant alive, you know it’s harder than it looks. Luckily, you can turn to The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual to figure out the best ways to grow more than 150 flourishing houseplants.
This book is a must-have for new plant parents. The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual, written by expert gardener Barbara Pleasant, includes personality profiles, growing needs, and troubleshooting tips for 160 common indoor plants, from ivy to bonsai trees and everything in between. The guide is broken up into three sections: two directories with in-depth plant profiles, and a third that delves into proper care of indoor greenery. You’ll find answers to all your pressing questions, including important topics like acclimatization, watering, fertilizing and more.
If you’re pressed for gardening space or simply don’t want to care for a huge plot of land, you should read Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. This gardening book delves into vertical growing strategies using string supports, trellises, pergolas, raised beds, skyscraper gardens and more, helping you save space while still cultivating happy plants.
Vertical gardening might sound complicated, but this guide makes it easy for even novice gardeners to understand. Vertical Gardening focuses on varieties of climbing plants, which are actually less prone to insects, diseases and animal pests, making them easier to care for. The various growing strategies use a mixture of DIY and commercial supports, and there are plenty of tips on how you can reduce work, increase yields and make harvesting easier.
What better way to peel your kids away from the TV than by getting them involved in the garden? If you’re looking for fun ways to get your children into gardening, you should look into Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children. This kid-friendly gardening book will help you teach your children the basics of plants while providing innovative ideas for fun outdoor projects.
In Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, you’ll find 12 easy-to-implement projects, designed especially for kids. For instance, there are instructions for a “Pizza Patch,” where you create a wheel-shaped garden and each “slice” is used to grow an essential pizza ingredient, such as tomatoes or basil. Other projects include a “Moon Garden” of night-blooming flowers or a “Flower Maze” full of brilliant blooms. The book also provides care instructions, as well as a list of kid-friendly plants that are easy to keep alive.
Colleen Cotter is the Executive Director of the Peninsula Friends of the Library. The Friends raise money to support Palos Verdes Library District which is an award-winning special district with a highly driven staff that works hard to bring our community unique, fun and educational programs. The Friends supports over 1000 programs, Sunday Hours, the Teen Annex, online resources, capital improvements and more.
Colleen Cotter - Peninsula Friends of the Library
Executive Director
701 Silver Spur Road
Rolling Hills Estates, CA 90274
310-921-7505