A Few Good Books

In today’s day and age, reading actual paper books seems to be becoming a thing of the past.  Much information is available on the Internet–it certainly is an endless library of knowledge.  Call me old fashioned, but I still love to read a good book.

I love to write notes in the margins, I love to highlight helpful information, I love to earmark certain pages, and I love being able to refer back to something I’ve already read and read it again.  There are ways to do this online, you can bookmark pages, you can highlight text, but it’s just not as much fun–in my opinion!

For those of you who share my opinion, this blog is for you!  Following are some of my favorite books on organic gardening and related topics.  These are books I personally own and refer back to on a regular basis.  I have loaned them to friends, I have written in the margins, the page corners are lovingly bent, and many of their pages are filled with a rainbow of different highlighter colors.  These books are my roots to organic gardening.

Organic Gardening

Geoff Hamilton

This was one of the first books I read when I started gardening organically.  It basically covers it all!  From the different types of soils (and what plants grow best in the different types), to what you can do to improve your soil, to fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides, to all different types of fruits and veggies and how to grow and maintain them.  It offers information on different growing techniques and when you should plant and harvest.  It is a great resource for the beginning gardener, but also wonderful for the seasoned gardener.

Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening: The Indispensable Green Resource for Every Gardener

Edited by: Fern Marshall Bradley, Barbara Ellis, and Ellen Phillips

Rodale’s has been a well-known and trusted name in gardening for decades.  Also a good book for beginners, covering different techniques and tips on how to start gardening organically and then building comprehensively on that information.  It offers ideas on alternative gardening, such as urban gardening, community gardening, and even stonegardening.  In addition, it discusses other “green” ways of living: recycling, water conservation, etc.

Gaia’s Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture

Toby Hemenway

Gaia is another name for Mother Earth.  This book teaches you to work with her and not against her.  It also teaches you to work with what you have.  If all you have is a small space to build a garden, this book will provide you tips on how to be successful.  If you’re an apartment-dweller, this book will teach you about container gardening.  Basically, whatever your circumstances, you will find helpful information on how to be prosperous in your gardening adventures!

A Few Good Books Indeed!

I highly recommend building your library up just a little bit at least.  Come on, you can do it!  Although the Internet is fast and convenient, let’s face it, there’s nothing better than snuggling up with a good book, whether for the joy of it or with the intention of learning something new.  I hope these book recommendations come in handy for you!  Until next time, take care and happy gardening!