William Cobbett’s classic work of self-sufficiency, originally publishing in 1821, is still a relevant work for [...]]]> Cottage Economy

William Cobbett’s classic work of self-sufficiency, originally publishing in 1821, is still a relevant work for anyone interested in “good living.” Cobbett traveled between England and America promoting his practical self-sufficiency with wit and humor. Whether expounding the values of brewing beer, making bread, or keeping bees (among other rural values), Cobbett’s work is still an inspiring read for anyone seeking to increase their family’s economy and happiness through the making and growing of their own food.

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[...]]]> Fresh Food from Small Spaces The Square Inch Gardeners Guide to Year Round Growing Fermenting and Sprouting

Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no comprehensive “how-to” guide for growing fresh food in the absence of open land. Fresh Food from Small Spaces fills the gap as a practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce their own fresh vegetables, mushrooms, sprouts, and fermented foods as well as to raise bees and chickens

The idea of growing food at controlled temperatures all year round and extending [...]]]> All About Greenhouse Growing

The idea of growing food at controlled temperatures all year round and extending the growing season have set fire to people’s imaginations. No wonder the greenhouse building industry has recorded phenomenal growth. From construction plans to tools and accessories for greenhouses, individuals are working on all fours to satisfy the increasing demands of consumers who have made building their own greenhouses top priority. This trend, which started humbly in the 70’s, is now a fullfledged endeavor on the part of greenhouse entrepreneurs and “homesteaders.”

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A landscape which is designed properly is a source of enjoyment for the entire [...]]]> Homeowners Guide to Landscaping

A landscape which is designed properly is a source of enjoyment for the entire family, it enhances a community and adds to the resale value of your property. Landscape design involves much more than placing trees, shrubs and other plants on the property. It is an art which deals with conscious arrangement or organization of outdoor space for human satisfaction and enjoyment. Americans spend tremendous amounts of money landscaping their businesses, homes, streets, parks, schools, etc. Much of this money is wasted, however, because of little or no planning. People cannot understand how to landscape until they know why they landscape. There are several reasons why people landscape: some think it improves the appearance of their place; others like to grow plants; still others just want their place to look pretty. Too often these landscapes dominate rather than serve. Masses of plants or other materials in the landscape may take up a large portion of the space and leave little room for people. Growth and change separate landscape designs from other arts. Most works of art such as architecture, sculpture and painting look their best when new. Landscape designs, however, are at their worst when new and improve with age. A well-designed landscape will seldom look the same any two months of the year. The urge to begin planting immediately is almost overwhelming. Whether you are landscaping a newly-built home or redesigning an existing landscape, the results will be much more satisfying if you plan first. If you follow the steps provided in this manual you can produce a plan that will result in a satisfying landscape.

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Get all the information and tricks you need to garden peppers [...]]]> How to Garden Peppers the Easy Way

Get all the information and tricks you need to garden peppers with success. This EBook comes with step-by-step instruction that give you the road map. How to Garden Peppers effortlessly, with Little Time and Effort, while Mastering this Gardening-Guaranteed!

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New ways to save energy & money by going green.

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For many years home gardening has [...]]]> Organic Gardening Beginners Guide to Growing Your Own Organic Vegetables

For many years home gardening has taken a back seat to other hobbies and outdoor past times. The most recent generations have considered gardening at home to be old fashioned and a waste of time, after all, vegetables and produce can be purchased at any local grocery store. However, as the economy has changed younger people have become interested in rural lifestyle and healthier diets. With this interest more attention has been given to home gardening and organic gardening.

Grocery stores have started carrying organic vegetables to meet with demands and health concerns but many shoppers have noticed that organic vegetables are often far more expensive than the non-organic counterpart. This discourages shoppers on a tight budget from buying and eating organically. There is an alternative to spending large amounts of money on organic vegetables. Now individuals can grow their own organic vegetables instead of buying them regardless of their individual living situation or available gardening space. Many great organic vegetables can be grown on a small balcony so you do not need a house and a garden to start growing your own organic vegetables.

This book has been created specifically for those who have become interested in growing organic vegetables in their home but do not know where or how to begin. This e-book is perfect for beginners who have never even thought about gardening before. It will walk you through the process of setting up your own garden easily and affordably. Now you will be able to start our own organic vegetable garden faster than you expected with a detailed, easy to understand, guide that has been created to help you get started.

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[...]]]> The New Organic Grower A Masters Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars New Organic Gardener
Some really good ideas for the mini-farmer, someone who wants to grow all their own veggies, and maybe even sell some to make extra money. You can even grow stuff year round!

5 Stars Excellent and Practical
This is a great resource for anyone who is interested in getting into organic farming. Not only does it have a multitude of topics, it includes practical information and does not assume it has all the answers. For example, it suggests that to find the BEST methods of irrigation for your farm or garden, you should talk to farmers or gardeners who are actually in your area!! Duh. It makes so much sense, and my husband and I will definitely use this book for years to come!

5 Stars Great Purchase!
This is a fantastic book with accessible information and easy to follow diagrams. It is a book about farming written by a farmer, not by a writer or a scientist. All the terms and concepts are laid out in understandable ways. This is the bible of organic gardening.

4 Stars lots of info
This book has a lot of useful information. If you are wanting to start growing organic produce for profit this is a good book for you. This book offers much how-to advice. It even covers hiring and firing of seasonal employees if necessary. Coleman recommends tools and devices that have worked well for him. Many gardening and farming books offer many should-dos but few how-tos. This book is full of how-to.

5 Stars Great Book, this should be the primer on gardening, and even for those beyond who just eat!
Great Book, this should be the primer on gardening, and even for those beyond who just eat!

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[...]]]> Perennial Vegetables From Artichokes to Zuiki Taro A Gardeners Guide to Over 100 Delicious and Easy to Grow Edibles

“There is a fantastic array of vegetables you can grow in your garden, and not all of them are annuals. In Perennial Vegetables the adventurous gardener will find information, tips, and sound advice on less common edibles that will make any garden a perpetual, low-maintenance source of food. Imagine growing vegetables that require just about the same amount of care as the flowers in your perennial beds and borders-no annual tilling and potting and planting. They thrive and produce abundant and nutritious crops throughout the season. It sounds too good to be true, but in Perennial Vegetables author and plant specialist Eric Toensmeier (Edible Forest Gardens) introduces gardeners to a world of little-known and wholly underappreciated plants. Ranging beyond the usual suspects (asparagus, rhubarb, and artichoke) to include such “”minor”" crops as ground cherry and ramps (both of which have found their way onto exclusive restaurant menus) and the much sought after, anti-oxidant-rich wolfberry (also known as goji berries), Toensmeier explains how to raise, tend, harvest, and cook with plants that yield great crops and satisfaction. Perennial vegetables are perfect as part of an edible landscape plan or permaculture garden. Profiling more than 100 species, illustrated with dozens of color photographs and illustrations, and filled with valuable growing tips, recipes, and resources, Perennial Vegetables is a groundbreaking and ground-healing book that will open the eyes of gardeners everywhere to the exciting world of edible perennials.”

User Ratings and Reviews

5 Stars Perennial Vegetables: From Artichokes to Zuiki Taro, A Gardener’s Guide to Over 100 Delicious and Easy to Grow Edibles
I have to give it 5 stars for being the first real comprehensive review of perennial vegetables, and the organization of this book is fabulous. Some of the information I found at odds with my own experience, such as that I have found hardy varieties of clumping bamboo available. Also, I question the sustainability of some of the quarantine methods for more invasive varieties he suggests (what happens if someone stops mowing?). Overall a fantastic book for gardeners who love perennials!

3 Stars I like it, but it could be better.
This is a good book well worth owning. I personally think that the layout could have been done better. There is a section at the end with lists of plants by climate zone, that really needed to give page numbers for the plants. Also the grouping by family, well very scientific, can make it hard to find what you are looking for. If you don’t happen to know what family it is in you have to look in the index. Be prepared to become very friendly with the index if you are looking for a certain plant. Also don’t take the maps too much to heart, the delineation of zones on the maps are wrong (he puts Vancouver WA as a Cold Temperate Climate type… we are zone 8 and rarely get snow.) but that is probley more a printer error then anything else. Add in the fact that the author has a HEAVY bias toward the warmer climes (like my zone 8 garden). Although a good part of that slant could very well be that there is a lack of research on edible perennials for the colder areas.

All that said I don’t regret buying this book, it is a good book with lots of interesting information.

3 Stars more pretty than practical
This is an interesting book with nice photos, but of limited use to me here in USDA zone 5. Most of these plants require much warmer weather than I have, and from those I have grown, I’d say that while some may be easy enough to grow there are reasons they’re not in widescale commercial production.

Take the sunchoke, or Jerusalem artichoke, for instance. It’s currently growing like a weed in a corner of my garden from six tubers I planted last year. I thought I had dug up the majority of what had grown last year – apparently not from the volume of new growth that sprouted this year. A friend of mine told me he had had a patch that got completely out of control before he mowed it into submission and gave up on harvesting it. I found the tubers really didn’t have much taste until after frost, which meant there was only a narrow window available for harvest in the late fall/early winter before the ground froze but not completely. They are small and knobby and a pain to peel, and don’t store all that well once they’ve been dug up out of the ground. All in all, easy to grow but not easy to use and certainly as likely as not to become a pest in the garden. I’ve tried New Zealand Spinach, too, and I’d have to say it was not very tasty – very tough and bitter. I’m glad it didn’t survive the winter.

So, while it’s a lovely coffee-table book and an interesting conversation piece, I’d say it’s “buyer beware” on the actual “veggies” featured in the book itself.

5 Stars Darned useful book
This is a fantastic resource for any serious gardener. You won’t find any stale information in here- we thought we were pretty well-informed about garden plants that are suitable for our area, but this book introduced us to many, many more, and we have tried quite a few, some very successfully! I now recommend this book to pretty much every gardener or gardener wannabe I know.

5 Stars Amazingly Well Written
I have spent a lot of time with this book. It is very well done and the standard of excellence is very high. Like many, I think we face the real possibility of having to be largely self-reliant as many different global crises converge, water, oil, climate change, etc. The antidote to despair is getting busy and one of the very best core strategies is to plant perennial vegetables and do edible landscaping.

As noted above, not only is this book very thorough and very complete, it will point the reader to seed, plant, and other resources to implement their ideas. I consider it a master work and far more valuable than its very reasonable price. Get it, it will be one cornerstone of your self reliance toolkit.

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