Koncocoo

Best Container Gardening

All New Square Foot Gardening II: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space
That explains why author and gardening innovator Mel Bartholomew has sold more than two million books teaching how to become a successful DIY square foot gardener .
Reviews
"The thought of tilling our soil was too daunting, so we put the gardening project on hold for several years. This year we decided to "go for it" and the idea of using raised garden beds made sense (due to our horrible local soil). One of the key elements of this book is the innovative composition of the soil used in the garden beds. I'll quote a portion of the book that discusses the ideal soil: "There are three characteristics of a perfect growing mix. Next, it is nutrient rich and has all the minerals and trace elements that plants need without adding fertilizers. Mr. Bartholomew goes on to say, "After many experiments, I found three of my favorite ingredients made the perfect mix when combined in equal portions." Ok. Now, something about cost that will make you feel better: When using this mix again for another planting season, you do not need to ever again add vermiculite and peat moss. I also needed seeds, seed starters, ingredients for organic pest control mixture (I chose neem oil and organic liquid peppermint soap - I got this idea from the Global Healing Center... they wrote an article entitled "10 Organic Homemade Pesticides"), a water hose nozzle, garden fabric (for underneath raised beds), and other miscellaneous items. Fortunately, a dear older couple is giving us their anti critter materials because they no longer garden. Again, all of these prices can vary dramatically, but I'm just giving you a ball park figure based on my own experience. Available information at this website includes a blog by Mel Bartholomew as well as a forum with posts from SFG gardeners from around the world. In the forum, moderators and SFG gardeners provide a huge amount of supporting information. Based on my family's experience so far (we are at the indoor seed raising stage), I have to highly recommend this book. UPDATE 3/2013: We are in the process of determining where our raised beds should be located based on sun exposure. QUICK SEED STARTING TIP: My daughter and I found that a turkey baster is excellent for watering seedlings gently and precisely. UPDATE 4/23/2013: I have had various experiences (very bad and very good) with Jiffy seed starters (pellets). I started my beds a bit late in the season, but there is still time for them to produce a good harvest. I think my successes are completely due to the SFG method (vermiculite water retention is great). I know that my situation is unusual, but I think it is a credit to this method that if circumstances are less than perfect, you won't have a total loss. My Black Krim tomatoes produced a nice amount of juicy and sweet fruits (and they are still going). Those tomatoes not planted with basil nearby had some leaves stripped off by caterpillars (I'm not sure if there was a direct connection, perhaps it was a coincidence). We got one beautiful Sugar Baby watermelon (a personal sized melon and you typically only get one or two per plant each season). Our chives survived and even our carrots did ok. Our squash, bell pepper, and eggplant, and cucumber plants fared badly. I took a big chance on the radishes because they hate very hot weather (I at least wanted to try). UPDATE 01/10/2014: Despite bitter cold days (sometimes in the teens), I have been having fantastic success with winter variety vegetables. These included: Lunar White, Solar Yellow, Cosmic Purple, Atomic Red, Bambino and Dark Knight. UPDATE 3/23/2014: I planted tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, anaheim chiles and eggplant 2/21/2014. The "in-and-out" thing (no pun intended for my CA readers who are burger lovers), can be tiresome. UPDATE 4/13/2014: Unfortunately, my family and I did not make a concerted effort to prepare our own compost during the past months. I have been getting some good advice from folks at the Square Foot Gardening Forum. The good news is that I have gotten lots of Anaheim peppers, tomatoes of all sorts of varieties and and an eggplant (with more to come it looks like). I set up a large pot full of Mel's Mix and in it I have rosemary, thyme and ginger. With regard to tomato horn worms: After my daughter saw the first one of the season, I applied BT Thuricide. Something interesting: My daughter has foregone her flower bed for winter variety vegetables."
"I read this book last winter and my husband built 5 boxes for me for my summer 2016 garden. Lettuce grew great but other plants grew to about 4 inches and then seemed to stop. This increased my depth (6 inches just was not getting the job done) and lessened the percentage of vermiculite which was making Mel's mix too light and dusty. The book says to use 1/3 vermiculite which might work for growing flowers, herbs, lettuce but next time I will make his mix with only 1/5 vermiculite."
"I'm an absolute novice at vegetable gardening and this book was among the 6 books I found at the library."
"The only people selling organics at the farmer's market were the square foot gardeners. It was such a powerful testimony of all the ways people win when it comes to personal gardens!"
"Not only did I learn how easy it was to put together a small garden, but I also really enjoyed reading Mel's story on how he developed the SFG method."
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Succulents Simplified: Growing, Designing, and Crafting with 100 Easy-Care Varieties
Succulents are hot. "In her new book, Succulents Simplified:Growing, Designing, and Crafting with 100 Easy-Care Varieties , Baldwin even tells of a Jade plant that has lasted for more than two decades in her garden with various stages of neglect! "Anyone who knows Debra Lee Baldwin is aware of her extraordinary prowess as an author, writer, photographer, and artist...her book, Succulents Simplified , is a work of art." From quick and easy succulent rosettes for bouquets, to teeny tiny mint-tin gardens, to succulent-topped pumpkins there's a project in this book for even the most craft-challenged."
Reviews
"Her first two books, Designing with Succulents and Succulent Container Gardens, are still the most thoughtful, in-depth guides to those topics available. That's where Debra's new book, Succulents Simplified, comes in. Succulents Simplified has three sections: · How to grow and design with succulents successfully. · How-to projects that showcase succulents. · Debra's top 100 easy-care succulents. Even though I'm a landscaping professional, I'm definitely no succulent expert, so having Debra's keep-it-simple tips for how to succeed with them are incredibly useful to me. What I love best about this section is that Debra gives us the tools to create our own projects from her instructions - not only is there endless variety in terms of which succulents you choose, but each project has huge potential for you to personalize it and make it your own in other ways. I adore the in-depth information in her other two books and refer to them frequently, but I think the ease-of-use, inspirational photos and DIY projects, and the simple reference guide to the most common and noteworthy succulents is going to make this my favorite of the three to recommend people start with, because it has a little bit of everything you need, no matter how deep your interest in succulents."
"Perfect."
"Since I live in the southwestern U.S. in the fifth year of drought, this book has helped me change over to many less thirsty, but lovely plants."
"This book seems like a really good introduction to successfully growing succulents."
"Lot of good information about succulents."
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Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening: How to Grow Nutrient-Dense, Soil-Sprouted Greens in Less Than 10 days
Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening offers good news: with nothing more than a cupboard and a windowsill, you can grow all the fresh salad greens you need for the winter months (or throughout the entire year) with no lights, no pumps, and no greenhouse. Longtime gardener Peter Burke was tired of the growing season ending with the first frost, but due to his busy work schedule and family life, didn’t have the time or interest in high-input grow lights or greenhouses. Growing “Soil Sprouts”―Burke’s own descriptive term for sprouted seeds grown in soil as opposed to in jars―employs a method that encourages a long stem without expansive roots, and provides delicious salad greens in just seven to ten days, way earlier than any other method, with much less work. The author promises that the process is fairly forgiving of errors, but he also spends a good deal of the book giving precise details about the tricks, tips, and troubleshooting that has occupied his attention for many years. This obsession has become the basis for workshops and even a small indoor ‘farming' business selling greens to the local school cafeteria food service. Yet something about his enthusiasm makes the average home gardener want to run out and buy a bunch of aluminum foil loaf pans and a bale of vermiculite, and go to town with some pea shoots. Students love to grow soil sprouts because the results are so fast―and delicious!” --Steven Colangeli, Science and Agriculture Teacher at Middlebury Union High School, Vermont. Peter Burke offers new information that will inspire would-be sprouters, who never got started due to lack of space or time, as well as veteran growers of sprouts. Peter Burke makes growing easy and puts eating local, healthy, delicious food within everyone’s reach. Peter Burke’s straightforward instructions are easy to understand and provide clear insight on how to produce an abundance of fresh soil-sprouted greens at any time of year. Every dollar you invest in Peter Burke’s book can be returned to your pocket by next week.” --Shannon Hayes, author of Radical Homemakers. “ Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening offers an empowering path to growing food in any season and any living space, no matter the size or location. This is an essential book for deepening our practices of self-reliance for greater quality of life.” --Katrina Blair, author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds.
Reviews
"Having grown my share of sprouts in mason jars (lots of rinsing; very little output + associated health risks with e.coli and salmonella) and experimented with indoor micro greens (complicated and expensive) I was delighted to discover Peter Burke's simple soil sprout method. Follow the directions outlined in the book and you can't go wrong; you will be harvesting ultra-fresh, delicious organic greens from your windowsill in less than 10 days. The author clearly knows his subject and has thought through every aspect."
"In addition to being an outdoor organic gardener for over 40 years from Central America to Alaska, I have done sprouts in jars using a rinsing method, and I have grown micro greens in winter in standard seed flat trays. Peter Burke's soil sprouting method is infinitely superior to the jars, and it is faster in terms of usable veggies than micro greens. I suspect the result is not as nutrient dense as the micro greens, but it is clearly a very valuable growing technique since it requires much less time, space and light. I did add the thin layer of compost and kelp meal under the peat moss and vermiculite as Peter directed, but I'm wondering is the soil sprouts are metabolizing any of those nutrients or just utilizing the seed resources."
"After I've finished cutting the sprouts I give it (with the residual stems and sprouts) to my chickens and they love it."
"I love this book."
"This book was perfect!"
"Awesome book, can't wait to start growing my greens!!!"
"This has been a very useful resource for my indoor gardening needs!"
"Really enjoyed this book."
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Best House Plant Gardening

Urban Jungle: Living and Styling with Plants
Provides all your DIY ideas for styling and tips on how to plant Inspiration for seasoned plant lovers as well as beginners, providing the total package on the topic of living with plants. She is a steady companion for the plant- community Urban Jungle Bloggers and hopes to inspire others with her love for all things green.
Reviews
"Really beautiful inspirational images, and great information as far as styling with plants goes!"
"Absolutely amazing book."
"This is a beautiful book!"
"Nice and simple Maintenance tips and good selection of good looking plants."
"This book is really useful for the plant enthusiast."
"One of my favorite books!"
"Beautiful photos, display ideas and tips, showing plant lovers from all over the world and how they live with and care for their many plant friends."
"I love love this book!"
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Best Urban Gardening

All New Square Foot Gardening II: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space
That explains why author and gardening innovator Mel Bartholomew has sold more than two million books teaching how to become a successful DIY square foot gardener . Do you know what the best feature is in All New Square Foot Gardening?
Reviews
"The thought of tilling our soil was too daunting, so we put the gardening project on hold for several years. This year we decided to "go for it" and the idea of using raised garden beds made sense (due to our horrible local soil). One of the key elements of this book is the innovative composition of the soil used in the garden beds. I'll quote a portion of the book that discusses the ideal soil: "There are three characteristics of a perfect growing mix. Next, it is nutrient rich and has all the minerals and trace elements that plants need without adding fertilizers. Mr. Bartholomew goes on to say, "After many experiments, I found three of my favorite ingredients made the perfect mix when combined in equal portions." Ok. Now, something about cost that will make you feel better: When using this mix again for another planting season, you do not need to ever again add vermiculite and peat moss. I also needed seeds, seed starters, ingredients for organic pest control mixture (I chose neem oil and organic liquid peppermint soap - I got this idea from the Global Healing Center... they wrote an article entitled "10 Organic Homemade Pesticides"), a water hose nozzle, garden fabric (for underneath raised beds), and other miscellaneous items. Fortunately, a dear older couple is giving us their anti critter materials because they no longer garden. Again, all of these prices can vary dramatically, but I'm just giving you a ball park figure based on my own experience. Available information at this website includes a blog by Mel Bartholomew as well as a forum with posts from SFG gardeners from around the world. In the forum, moderators and SFG gardeners provide a huge amount of supporting information. Based on my family's experience so far (we are at the indoor seed raising stage), I have to highly recommend this book. UPDATE 3/2013: We are in the process of determining where our raised beds should be located based on sun exposure. QUICK SEED STARTING TIP: My daughter and I found that a turkey baster is excellent for watering seedlings gently and precisely. UPDATE 4/23/2013: I have had various experiences (very bad and very good) with Jiffy seed starters (pellets). I started my beds a bit late in the season, but there is still time for them to produce a good harvest. I think my successes are completely due to the SFG method (vermiculite water retention is great). I know that my situation is unusual, but I think it is a credit to this method that if circumstances are less than perfect, you won't have a total loss. My Black Krim tomatoes produced a nice amount of juicy and sweet fruits (and they are still going). Those tomatoes not planted with basil nearby had some leaves stripped off by caterpillars (I'm not sure if there was a direct connection, perhaps it was a coincidence). We got one beautiful Sugar Baby watermelon (a personal sized melon and you typically only get one or two per plant each season). Our chives survived and even our carrots did ok. Our squash, bell pepper, and eggplant, and cucumber plants fared badly. I took a big chance on the radishes because they hate very hot weather (I at least wanted to try). UPDATE 01/10/2014: Despite bitter cold days (sometimes in the teens), I have been having fantastic success with winter variety vegetables. These included: Lunar White, Solar Yellow, Cosmic Purple, Atomic Red, Bambino and Dark Knight. UPDATE 3/23/2014: I planted tomatoes, sweet bell peppers, anaheim chiles and eggplant 2/21/2014. The "in-and-out" thing (no pun intended for my CA readers who are burger lovers), can be tiresome. UPDATE 4/13/2014: Unfortunately, my family and I did not make a concerted effort to prepare our own compost during the past months. I have been getting some good advice from folks at the Square Foot Gardening Forum. The good news is that I have gotten lots of Anaheim peppers, tomatoes of all sorts of varieties and and an eggplant (with more to come it looks like). I set up a large pot full of Mel's Mix and in it I have rosemary, thyme and ginger. With regard to tomato horn worms: After my daughter saw the first one of the season, I applied BT Thuricide. Something interesting: My daughter has foregone her flower bed for winter variety vegetables."
"I read this book last winter and my husband built 5 boxes for me for my summer 2016 garden. Lettuce grew great but other plants grew to about 4 inches and then seemed to stop. This increased my depth (6 inches just was not getting the job done) and lessened the percentage of vermiculite which was making Mel's mix too light and dusty. The book says to use 1/3 vermiculite which might work for growing flowers, herbs, lettuce but next time I will make his mix with only 1/5 vermiculite."
"I'm an absolute novice at vegetable gardening and this book was among the 6 books I found at the library."
"The cost of the vermiculite represents about 2/3 of the total amount I have invested in these gardens."
"The only people selling organics at the farmer's market were the square foot gardeners. It was such a powerful testimony of all the ways people win when it comes to personal gardens!"
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Best Topiary Gardening

Niwaki: Pruning, Training and Shaping Trees the Japanese Way
Over the years, Japanese gardeners have fine-tuned a distinctive set of pruning techniques that coax out the essential characters of their garden trees, or niwaki. “More than a pruning manual, Hobson's guide encompasses the cultural implications of niwaki , an artistic custom integral to the gardening legacy of Japan.” — Booklist. “Of as much interest as the practical cutting points are the bits of history and lore woven into the chapters that stress the spiritual underpinnings of this ancient art.” — Seattle Post-Intelligence. “Detailed drawings of the pruning methods, as well as numerous photos of Japanese examples, make this an eminently practical guide.” — SciTech Book News.
Reviews
"Very helpful and complete book in the subject."
"Just what I needed: illustrations and details about which pruning method would be best for which type of tree."
"Being new to niwaki, Hobson gives a clear explanation of the principles."
"A truly great landscaping book for anyone with an eye toward Japanese sensibilities."
"A thoughtful perspective on aesthetic pruning."
"Very helpful."
"honest, knowledgeable, and valuable book."
"Loved the book, will be very helpful."
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Best Hydroponic Gardening

Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible
With 512 full color pages and 1120 full color photographs and illustrations, Marijuana Horticulture: The Indoor/Outdoor Medical Grower's Bible is the most complete cultivation book available. --Phil Kilv, Editor in Chief, Weed World Magazine, January 2006.
Reviews
"This is the standard for the amateur/novice grower it has everything you will need and more."
"excellent book for anyone who is looking to get basic knowledge."
"love the dvd, fast speedy service, A+."
"Jorge Cervantes, is the one and only master grower!"
"good book with great pictures."
"Great book but needs to be updated."
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Best Water Gardens & Ponds

The Bio-Integrated Farm: A Revolutionary Permaculture-Based System Using Greenhouses, Ponds, Compost Piles, Aquaponics, Chickens, and More
A bio-integrated greenhouse, for example, doesn’t just extend the season for growing vegetables; it also serves as a rainwater collector, a pond site, an aquaponics system, and a heat generator. By carefully engaging the free forces of nature―water, wind, sunlight, convection, gravity, and decomposition―Jadrnicek creates sustenance without maintenance and transforms waste into valuable farm resources. The Bio-Integrated Farm offers in-depth information about designing and building a wide range of bio-integrated projects including reflecting ponds, water-storage ponds, multipurpose basins, greenhouses, compost heat extraction, pastured chicken systems, aquaculture, hydroponics, hydronic heating, water filtration and aeration, cover cropping, and innovative rainwater-harvesting systems that supply water for drip irrigation and flushing toilets. "Jadrnicek, a farmer, educator (he teaches at and oversees Clemson University’s organic student farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains), and perpetually tinkering designer and inventor, implements the permaculture principle of 'stacking functions’―'Every component of a design should function in many ways'―and pushes its limits. Shawn Jadrnicek’s designs for greenhouses, irrigation, composting systems, and more are based on the most enduring answer: let’s look to nature. Shawn Jadrnicek’s creative use of materials, animals, and space, which he clearly and thoroughly explains in this book, will inspire and teach you how to improve the efficiency and resiliency of your farm or garden. Shawn has integrated these simple and effective technologies into his modern-day working farm; his book will allow readers to access some of that ancient wisdom, too.” --Jerome Osentowski, author of The Forest Garden Greenhouse. “Harvesting, multiplying, capturing, conveying, sloping, fertilizing, irrigating, heating, cooling… ‘at least seven functions’ is the genius of Shawn Jadrnicek’s stacked systems in The Bio-Integrated Farm. As a connoisseur of college farms, I’ve visited several dozen such operations across the United States, and I have yet to see another academic farm demonstrate the level of careful design and innovation found on the Clemson University Student Organic Farm, one of several permaculture masterworks Shawn has helped create. Every farm's needs and layouts are unique, and this book allows the reader to customize and hybridize systems that harness the power of nature to transform ordinary farms into models worthy of world-class learning centers for permaculture.” --Tradd Cotter, author of Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation. In this practical, clearly written, and beautifully designed book, Shawn Jadrnicek shares his unique ability to conceptualize, design, and manage water for whole-system benefits at multiple scales.
Reviews
"It clearly doesn't expect the reader to implement all or even most of the ideas, but I am confident that there are a few things just about anybody could apply to their situation, weather you are a suburbanite, urbanite, or a rural dweller. I was surprised by the extensiveness of instruction in chicken and pond fish rearing. From my perspective washing eggs is needed because of a defect in the management, usually putting too many chickens in too small of a coop or too few of roost boxes or not changing the bedding frequently enough. I honestly believe that a more extensive (the opposite of intensive), but equally thoughtful, agriculture is more bio-friendly if you want to put it that way."
"I have over 30 years experience on farms, but this book took me to school!"
"This is a very well-written book on how to actually implement Permaculture principles (especially stacking functions)."
"This book is very informative."
"I love the ideas in this book, and hope someday to get my farm to this level of integration!"
"The book does a good job showing the how not just the why."
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Best Propagation & Cultivation Gardening

American Horticultural Society Plant Propagation: The Fully Illustrated Plant-by-Plant Manual of Practical Techniques
AHS Plant Propagation instructs you on which seeds need special treatment before sowing, and how to provide the conditions to ensure a good rate of germination. This book is the quintessential, unrivaled, practical guide to the successful propagation of all garden plants—from trees and shrubs to culinary herbs, and everything in between. All the information you could ever possibly want in order to propagate virtually any plant or tree or cactus or succulent that might be growing on said desert island is to be found somewhere between the covers of this marvelous, informative book. The body of the book is divided into "Garden Trees," "Shrubs and Climbing Plants," "Perennials, Annuals and Biennials," "Cacti and Other Succulents," "Bulbous Plants," and "Vegetables."
Reviews
"My friend says this is all he needs for his greenhouse job :-)."
"Very comprehensive and worthwhile guide book."
"general information, lots of pictures; doesn't have detailed instructions."
"Nice add to my book collection."
"Absolutely essential primer for the beginning or experienced gardener."
"Excellent combination of scientific explanation and hands on practical "how to" information."
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Best Organic Gardening & Horticulture

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions: Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, Deep Soil
Ed Smith's W-O-R-D system has helped countless gardeners grow an abundance of vegetables and herbs. Everything you loved about the first edition of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is still here: friendly, accessible language; full-color photography; comprehensive vegetable specific information in the A-to-Z section; ahead-of-its-time commitment to organic methods; and much more. New to this edition is coverage of 15 additional vegetables, including an expanded section on salad greens and more European and Asian vegetables. Readers will also find growing information on more fruits and herbs, new cultivar photographs in many vegetable entries, and a much-requested section on extending the season into the winter months. The impulse to grow vegetables is even stronger in 2009 than it was in 2000, when Storey published The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible . clearly explains everything novice and experienced gardeners need to know to grow vegetables and herbs. Edward C. Smith is the best-selling author of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible and The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible.
Reviews
"The GREAT garden book and probably the only one you will ever need for veggie gardening."
"It provided me with enough information for create my own successful vegetable garden."
"If you love gardening like I do, this is a must!!!"
"This book is awesome."
"I need to use the book more but so far so good especially for the beginner."
"Great book to put in with garden tools and potting soils."
"Bought the book after checking it out in the library - great information and tips whether you're a beginner or have been gardening for years."
"Provides a lot of advice on planting all kinds of plants in your gardens."
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