24 Jan 2012 at 10:05
Karen Platt
Gardening, New Holland
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The Easy Fruit Garden by Clare Matthews, hardback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-84773-858-5, price 16.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com
This book has a sound philosophy – anyone can grow fruit. Clare even states that growing apple trees is easy and I have it on good authority that the pruning and care can be quite demanding. It’s wonderful to be encouraging and I love the idea that everything is easy to grow, but gardening often is not that simple. In planning your fruit garden, Clare gives you a list to consider and lists for fruit that grows in certain conditions and areas. Ample space is given to designing your fruit garden but there are no actual design plans as such. I like Clare’s simple and easy approach, she gives detailed information on growing all types of fruit. This is an excellent book for the beginner, those that feel daunted, those that have tried and failed. Clare has her own pick of the fruit, so you don’t have to do the hard work trying to figure out what to grow. She gives approximate yield, how many years something takes to fruit and lots of growing information. Includes tree fruit, soft fruit, nuts and more.
23 Jan 2012 at 10:04
Karen Platt
Gardening, New Holland, cooking
No Comments
Now Is The Season by Laura Faire, softback published by New Holland. ISBN 978-1-86966-316-2, price 16.99 available from www.newhollandpublishers.com
Common sense gardening and cooking combined. Grow, cook in season and eat simple and honest fayre for the table. Each season presents a gardening calendar and a menu. The simple gardening calendar gives what to plant, when to harvest and how to care for your crops. The recipes sound delicious and are easy to cook. I like the sausage and fennel pie for winter and would cook this with my home-made vegetarian sausages. Grapefruit marmalade creme brulee also looks too good to be true. I’m also dying to try Vanilla and Blueberry Tennis Cake. Whilst I like the ‘garden’ angle of this book, many recipes include meat and fish and I thought it had not gone far enough to using what you grow in the garden as a basis for the recipes. However, I did love the concept and many of the recipes I would try. Photography and layout are great.
Year Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour, softback published by Storey. ISBN 978-1-60342-568-1, price 19.55 in the Uk, available from www.storey.com
I have long extolled the virtues of sowing seed year round. I have long extolled the virtues of vegetable growing. So I welcomed this book with open arms. Niki looks at how to extend the season and grow vegetables all year round. Whilst northern gardeners in short season areas will easily think this a god send, Niki states that the book is for gardeners no matter where they live. The first chapter deals with extending the season. I love the harvest pages – cool, cold, warm season. The photography is great and there are some fab ideas for veg gardeners here. Some of it is specific to the USA and Canada, like frost dates, but most of this information can be adapted to where you live. Chapter 2 deals with continuous crops, soil amendment and interplanting to make the most of your site. Chapter 3 deals with growing into winter when most of us have stopped. It looks at all sorts of protection and more. Chapter 4 is all about designing productive gardens. Part 2 of the book is about the right crops. It’s an A-Z of veg and herbs to grow covered in two chapters with Niki’s picks, hints and tips. Wait, there’s even more , you get instructions for building a cold frame and useful charts. Best garden book I’ve seen for a while.
18 Jan 2012 at 16:15
Karen Platt
Uncategorized
No Comments
Vertical Vegetables & Fruit by Rhonda Massingham Hart, softback published by Storey Books. ISBN 978-1-60342-998-6, price 11.99 available from www.storey.com
Growing vertically is such a good way to maximise the space in your garden. Growing veg makes sense in more than one way – it’s a healthy thing to grow and eat! This is a no frills, common sense book. I think it is a pity the publisher didn’t splash out a little more on the publication. This book is mainly about the containers and supports for growing vertically. There are also chapters on favourite veg to grow vertically – Beans, Peas, Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Squash and more including fruit, all with recommended (American) varieties. Most of these will be available in the UK – if you are unsure, check out the latest copy of The Seed Search.
20 Dec 2011 at 09:17
Karen Platt
Frances Lincoln, Gardening
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Foliage Plants by Christopher Lloyd, softback published by Frances Lincoln. ISBN 978-0-71112-3243-3, price 12.99available from www.franceslincoln.com
Originally published in 1973, this edition of this gardener’s garden book comes with an introduction by Fergus Garrett, who himself needs no introduction to lovers of Great Dixter, the garden of the the late Christopher Lloyd. This small volume stands the test of time and is testimony to Lloyd’s ‘I’m going to tell you how it is’ sound gardening advice. That the book is still as useful now as it was then (Fergus has brought plant names up to current nomenclature), is also testimony to how slowly things move along in gardening. In fact, Lloyd talks about Melianthus major and grasses,which took until the 90’s to gain widespread fame. Inimitable, to the point, with excellent plant choices. It’s wonderful to read a garden book that can improve your garden through wise plant choices. You won’t agree with everything he says, but you know deep down inside, he’s making sense. I find once I pick the book up I cannot put it down. Same thing happened when reading one of Lloyd’s books one day and I missed my bus stop, went sailing down the hill lost in the joy of plants and Lloyd’s fine writing. The irreplaceable Lloyd still provides the ultimate garden pleasure – knowledge, know how and plant selection. There are no photos in this book, which does not detract from its pleasure for me, but might for some.