books

[BroadRipple]

Hello all...just wondered what your favourite books in 3 categories are:
1)gardening advice esp. for GYO (can't be doing with non-edibles though occasionally try)
2)cookery
3)enjoyable 'it's past midnight so even I can't be in the garden but I'm obsessed so I want to READ about gardening' books

oh and, in flagrant breach of all possible GYO forum etiquette I'm sure, which, er, gardening, er, magazines (whisper it) do you read? Is GYO better than my current favourite, Kitchen Gardener, home to some of the most bonkers columns I've ever read? And can we even email about this without reprimand?
Thank you...

[Rocketron]

I don't read any books on gardening.
I find nearly all the information I need on this (and one other) website and ask if I can't find it.
As a 53 year old man who has only been growing my own veggies for 5 years, only had a computer for 10 years I am constantly amazed how easy it is to answer questions that niggle at me. If only we had t'internet when i were a lad !

[vicky]

I like the Sarah Raven books for gardening/cooking/flowers as they're quite entertaining and Matt Dianco (I think) has an interesting one out about unusual veg.

[Florian]

Hello there
I have been given some smashing books on gardening and can recommend the River Cottage Handbooks http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&k...sl_l4oxa92io_b For cookery there are soo many! River Cottage again, Slater, lots of Mexican and such

Just for fun, this is a gorgeous read http://www.amazon.co.uk/Taste-Unexpe...9293679&sr=1-1

[BroadRipple]

Hello - you're both recommending Mark Diacono - I LOVED A Taste of the Unexpected when I first read it, but have been frustrated by it too, b/c it expects you to have a LOT more space than I have. Anyone else recommend something about unusual fruit and vegetables?
I like Sarah Raven too, despite her having the whole of Sissinghurst! Oh dear I do have terrible plot envy.
Any others? Go on...

[Florence Fennel]

For beginners, I think Carol Klein's Grow Your Own Veg is a good reference book, but like Rocketron, I use the Tinternet more than books. I can echo his sentiments about having it around when we were younger. Really the only other gardening read I enjoy is once a month when my magazine arrives.

[Tattie-muncher]

I've never read a book on gardening since my rural science teacher gave me one to look over, my reading material is more adventure stories, like C.S. Forester or Alistair MacLean, with Hornblower my favourite read.
But having said all that, I've written my own book, and I've been trying for a long long time to get a publisher to take me on, its a science fiction disaster story, and took me well over a year to write, I've sent it off to many publishers and had good reports on it, but they all wanted money to take me on and do the printing and publishing.

[taff]

1 - carol klein again for me, and alan buckingham, the book's just called 'grow vegetables', andi clevely.
2 - giorgio locatelli, any italian chef/chefette, river cottage dvds.
3 - fiction books, haven't found that many, and most of them are romances of some kind....so a little bit ewww....for feeding a gardening obsession, I used to look on 4od for programs [ I haven't got a tv, so only watch stuff online], and again, the river cottage dvds.

[Comfreyfan]

I started with the Vegetable Expert (Dr DG Hessayon), although they talk about using pesticides etc - but you can ignore that if it doesn't fit your scheme. The information is clear and the layout is nice and straightforward.
My current favourite kitchen book is also an 'Expert' book. The Garden to Kitchen Expert. For each veg and fruit it gives you an overview, the basic cooking techniques and then plenty of recipes to use up your produce. Although River Cottage Preserves Handbook has inspired me to preserve everything and anything!!

[mothhawk]

"An Ear to the Ground" by Ken Thompson is a very interesting, entertaining, and absorbing read, if you want to know why plants do what they do.

And (I'm not ashamed to admit it), anything by Bob Flowerdew.

Don't like gardening books that lecture me, I like chatty books that read as if the author was talking to me over a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

[thepict]

Whil'st browsing in my local Library today I came across a book called A Vegetable Gardener's Year by 'Dirty Nails ' of the Blackmore Vale Magazine. It's divide up into jobs to do for the week throughout the year . Also there are jottings from the Dirty Nails Journal along with some beautiful sketches. Reminds me of the writing style of Wainright's Lakeland Guides.

[SarrissUK]

I borrowed Joe Swift's book on allotments and I found so incredibly inspirational! It's also got a really handy table of vegetables and when to sow indoors/outdoors, harvest and what types are easiest to grow. Very good indeed! I'm buying my own copy as I find it very difficult to part with it!

[yorkshire sam]

My very favourite and well thumbed gardening book was given to me some years ago by an old allotmenteer, its called The Culture of Vegetables and Flowers. No author is credited but printed by Sutton and Son back in the early 30's. I first read it as a curiosity but even today I often refer to it because some of the ideas are so much in vogue today and could still teach the organic gardener a thing or two. it is suprising the number of vegetable cultivars that are recommended and still to be found! Magic chapters show how to grow vegetable that can almost be harvested every month of the year!

[pauco]

My 2 favorite books are 1 Growing Vegetables. Tony Biggs. 2 Grow your own Veg. Carol Klein.
Both good easy going reads.


paul.

[BroadRipple]

love the sound of yours, Yorkshire Sam. Anyone else a fan of Jekka's complete herb book?