Product Description

Originally published in 1959, this is the book that started it all. J.I. Rodale, founder of the organic gardening movement in the United States, compiled information from his visionary magazine into a 1100 page masterpiece on the art and function of organic gardening. Not a word has been changed in this nostalgic, yet extraordinarily applicable work. Topics include flower and vegetable gardening, soils, composting, greenhouses, fruit and nut trees, lawns, landscaping, pest control, and more. The Encuyclopedia of Organic Gardening truly does for gardeners what Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook is doing for food lovers!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #687137 in Books
• Published on: 1999-12-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 926 pages

From Amazon.com
Another impressive tome from Rodale Press, this practical text of nearly 1,000 pages covers organic gardening from the first soil preparation to the final harvesting and preserving. How to Grow Vegetable and Fruits by the Organic Method may be a bit daunting for the novice gardener, simply because of the size, but rest assured that all information is presented with a clear and simple vocabulary that first-timers can relate to easily. There's lots of handy lists and tables outlining the chemical composition of common items (feathers, fur, leaves) as well as charts for planting seasons and depths.

Unusual in a book of this size, there's also lots of letters from amateur gardeners addressing topics that range from a favorite type of lettuce (oakleaf) to in-house mushroom cultivation (under the sink is excellent). Illustrations tend to be line drawings, as well as small black-and-white photos--while helpful, they're just not as eye-pleasing as the big, color photos found in other books. For the committed organic gardener, the completeness of the text should more than make up for the lack of prettiness, as this book outlines numerous successful methods in use for decades. A great textbook for a crash course in organics or a handy reference manual for unfamiliar challenges, this is sure to provide fresh ideas for even the most experienced green thumbs out there. --Jill Lightner

About the Author
J.I. Rodale is the founder of Rodale Press, Inc. His idea that healthy soil is directly related to healthy people was originally controversial, but has proven to be a truly timeless philosophy.

Customer Reviews

Everything you need to know about gardening all year is here
This review is for the copyright 1961 edition by J.I. Rodale, Eleventh Printing-November 1975. In this book, you will find chapters of planning the vegetable garden,starting with the soil, improving soil structure, fertilizing your soil, how to make compost, preparing the soil for planting, starting plants from seed, seeding, planting and transplanting outside, how to use mulches, summer garden care, watering and irrigating, when to harvest, fall and winter garden care, storing the surplus, controlling insects and disease, freezing and canning vegetables, marketing organic foods, growing vegetables in the greenhouse and year-round schedules of garden activity. There is also 16 chapters of fruit gardening. Index included.

If You Only Could Pick One Book.....
Organic gardening is the only way that really makes sense when you get right down to it. Nature's perfect cycle of plant's growth, bearing fruit, and decomposition back to the soil can't be improved upon by ANY artificial means. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are dangerous, expensive, and totally unnecessary if you will take the time to understand the very simple methods of organic gardening. There are few things quite so satisfying as watching your garden grow and thrive using the organic method. You will be shocked at just how productive even a relatively small garden can be, and once you see how easy it is to go organic, you'll never use anything synthetic on your plants again. This book sold me completely on organic gardening, and I'll bet it will do the same for you.