Anyone recommend a good book?

[Leicester Newbie]

Hi
I've grown some tomatoes, peppers and herbs before but never 'real' veg.
Just starting, slowly this year.
Not planning (yet!!) on growing lots - don't have the space - but do want to grow things that will be so much better than shop bought.
Can anyone recommend a book that would be worth buying by a complete novice ?

Thanks in advance, Leicester Newbie.

[selfraising]

I like Carol Kleins Grow your own Veg. It's my bible and the pages are all thumbed and covered in compost stains!!

[OverWyreGrower]

I like Andi Clevely's The Allotment Book (link)

I found it (and still find it) interesting and informative about setting up an allotment/veg patch, crop rotation, planning beds etc.

It's one of my tops books, and I did a lot of my veg patch setting up with it.

[snuffer]

'The Allotment Book' and 'Grow Your Own Veg' are both very good. Also worth a look, is Alan Titchmarsh's 'The Kitchen Gardener' and new from Haynes (yes the car maintenance manual guys) 'Home Grown Vegetable Manual'. Seems that now GYO is trendy everyone wants to get in on the act.

[TonyF]

Geoff Hamilton's Organic Gardens, any of Joy Larkcom's books, Organic Salad Garden - which deals with lots of veggies - is a good place to start.

[Victoria26]

I got a great book called crops in pots for my xmas. Its given me loads of ideas and I really like refferring to it.

It was published by Octopus and its a Hamlyns book. I'd let you borrow it if you were closer!

Why not try Ebay? If you dont like them you can always re-sell them?

[seasprout]

I like Carol Kleins Grow your own Veg. It's my bible and the pages are all thumbed and covered in compost stains!!

Hello Leicester Newbie, I also recommend this book.




I find the Dr D.G Hessayon books are a bit out of date these days.

[sallym]

The Allotment Book and Grow Your Own Veg get my vote too.

[Leicester Newbie]

Great - thanks everyone, H

[StephenH]

I like Carol Kleins Grow your own Veg. It's my bible and the pages are all thumbed and covered in compost stains!!

See separate thread: get round to your local W.H.Smith, and you might be able to pick up a boxed set of it and its companion 'Cook your own veg.' for a mere £9.99.

Also, Botanica's Organic Gardening: a big, fat, encyclopaedic guide which should tell you everything you need to know.

[Pumpkin Becki]

Also worth a look, is Alan Titchmarsh's 'The Kitchen Gardener'.

I second Snuffers vote for Alan - its really indepth but great for a novice because it doesn't get over complicated. It's also got great illustrations and photos but not the 'lifestyle' sort which publishers seem to use to bulk out a book at the expense of real knowledgeable text. I'm new to soft fruit this year and Alan has really demistified it for me.

[bluemoon]

The Andi Clevelly book is my current favourite, if only because of the sumptuous photography which keeps you going through the winter.

[borage]

Why not try your local library for gardening books you can then purchase something that will suit you personaly

[Two_Sheds]

Dr Hessayon's Vegetable and Herb Expert (about £3 on amazon).
Worth it's weight in gold ... it has more of the basics than any other book, but fewer pretty pictures.

[HayleyB]

My two 'bibles' are Dr Hessayon's Veg & Herb and Carol Klein's GYO Veg. Those and GYO mag each month of course