Product Description

Learn how to become a skilled, successful gardener one step at a time. Easy to follow illustrated lessons give you all the information you need to grow your favorite vegetables, flowers, trees, and shrubs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #682937 in Books
• Published on: 2000-03-28
• Released on: 2000-03-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Customer Reviews

Should be titled, "Gardening Martha's Way"
The photos truly are lovely, but I'm so glad I didn't buy based on reviews - I read a library copy first.

It does start out with some good advice. The Preface talks about choosing your gardening style and doing a bit of planning before digging. The Introduction talks about matching the plant to the site, and urges readers to ask local extension services or nurseries for advice. Invaluable info for a novice gardener, but I don't believe it was ever repeated later in the book.

Alas, the book then takes a nasty turn and descends into the pit of Martha's garden and Martha's terms. Rock powders - perhaps that's the New England name for soil amendments, but you'll have trouble if you ask for them in nurseries around here (unless they've read the book). Her lists of vegetables, perennials, and annuals must be the ones she favors growing in her zone; quite a few of them wouldn't do well in other parts of the country. You'll have to get ideas for your zone from some other book, because they're not in 101.

A lot of basic info is touched upon but not explained very well; for instance, one page is devoted to watering, yet three pages give instructions for casting your very own garden trough.

I didn't much care for her sources at the back of the book, either.

Not as comprehensive as it should be
If you are truely a beginner at gardening, this book would be ok but it seems to only scratch the surface. I've read other gardening books and have discovered and benefited more from them than this one. I know it's tempting to buy a book because it says that its for the beginner but in this case, I'd advise beginners to seek more comprehensive books on the topic. They may sound intimidating but in the end, they will make you a better gardener and work for you long after you've moved on from the beginner stage. I abandoned this book after I learned more.

If your just starting out, this is a wonderful reference
Don't be fooled by the size of this book. An abundance of information is inside. It is essentially a step by step guide to creating your first garden. If you are more experienced this is probably not the book for you. But for the novice (like me), there aren't many better.