An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.
Benjamin Franklin
Gardening
Gardener's Latin
I like this book because it helps me understand the characteristics of plants found in their Latin names. This is basically a Latin dictionary, limited to terms used in plant names, with easy-to-read, well-designed pages. It's the book to use to find out that quadrifolius means this plant has four leaves.
The Secret Life of Plants
Plants come alive in this book as the authors expolore the physical, emotional, and spiritual relationships between plants and man. It describes the ability of plants to adapt to human wishes, their response to music, their curative powers, and their ability to communicate with humans. Though this book was first published in 1973, it's discoveries are still on the cutting edge today. After reading this book, I was convinced that plants have feelings too--your salad will never look the same. This is a classic must-read!
Secrets of the Soil
A fascinating account of the innovative approaches being taken to restore soil fertility--physically, mentally, and spiritually. Contains much information on how natural forces are at work in life and how we can use these techologies to restore the Earth.
In Harmony With Nature
More than a book filled with gorgeous color garden photos, this book applies basic principles of Arts and Crafts design to garden planning, celebrating a marriage of nature and culture. While taking a visual tour through magnificent Arts and Crafts gardens in England and North America, you'll learn principles you can apply simplicity and harmony with nature in your own garden.
A Gardener Touched With Genius
An exellent biography of the "Wizard of Horticulture," who dedicated his life to creating new plant varieties useful to mankind, working with Nature instead of against it. This wonderful book, which I have read twice, now seems to be out of print. This link has a few used copies. The book contains the full manuscript of Mr. Burbank's article "The Training of the Human Plant," which tells his views on raising a child naturally.
Good Bugs for Your Garden
This is one of my favorite garden books because it shows that not all bugs are bad!
From this book I learned which insects in my garden are beneficial and need to be encouraged, as they help control plant-eating insects that otherwise would feed off our gardens. The author's own full-color illustrations of each insect in egg, larval, and adult stages are included, along with a list of plants that attract them, the insects they feed on, and their habits, habitats, and appearance.
Square Foot Gardening
When I started my first organic garden, a veteran gardener handed me this book to get me started.
Cultivating and planting one square foot at a time, a garden of any size is easy to design, manage and maintain.
Trowel & Error
Containing the depth of knowledge that only comes from experience, this book is a joy to read and look at as well as to learn from.
The author obviously delights in all the natural ways to control pests and recycle in the garden as well as sharing interesting things to do in an organic garden. Every page is filled with detailed watercolor drawings that illustrate tips on reusing ordinary household items in the garden, homespun remedies for healthy plants and soil, controlling pests, repellents and preventatives, using lures to attract allies, successful starts for seeds and seedlings, feeding the soil, winning with weeds, and fanciful decor for the garden. And...a whole separate section devoted to indoor gardening. My husband and I found this book while Christmas shopping for our family, and I was so delighted with it, he surprised me with a copy too. This is a great gift or introduction to organic gardening.
Worms Eat My Garbage
The original book on using worms to make great compost.
Easy to read and so inspiring that I set up my own worm box immediately. This is a great garden activity for kids. It's very satisfying to watch the worms turn your kitchen refuse into fertile soil.
