Step by step growing book.

[Greedo]

Hi there,

Can anyone recommend a great book about growing veg. I've bought a few and they all seem aimed more at the gardener who has a bit of experience.

I'm looking for an almost "idiots" guy that takes you from the very beginning about sowing, propagating etc.... right through to harvest.

Like a month to month guide throughout the year.

 

[Tjohn]

Unfortunately, gardening is not an exact science, and there is no way to make it foolproof. Every garden is different, just like the gardeners! I grow tomatoes and eggplants, but my peppers don't do well, while my neighbor can't grow tomatoes or eggplant at all, but his peppers make enough for both of us He grows 45 pound Hubbard squash, but mine (from the same seeds) only get 3 pounds. It is all trial and error (mostly error !). Relax, try different things, and have FUN ! Also, you really can't go by calendar dates,some years are colder and wetter than others, so the conditions you need will vary from year to year. Find out what conditions your plants need and go by that.

 

[Gardening Girl]

@Tjohn, I agree. Gardening is a trial and error process. I don't know if this is available outside the US, but our local University has put together a vegetable calendar. This is part of the county extension office service, but if you have a University with a horticulture department they may have something. It shows when seeds or plants can be put out. We plant in the spring and fall, so it has a section for both seasons.

 

[Greedo]

Thanks for your replies.

What I'm trying to get at is in the UK the north of Scotland has a temperature difference to the south of England and I know crops will grow at different rates and times and it's also dependable on soil type etc...

But I know there are certain crops that should be started indoors, some in greenhouses and some straight in to the ground and there is therefore a right and wrong way to do things depending on the time of year. I bought one book but it's more for the advanced grower and it breaks down things you should be doing at every month of the year but it just talks about for example "sow your second round of carrots in August" but it doesn't explain how you should do this. It just assumes I know. But I don't.

I'm a total beginner and I'm well prepared for mistakes, failures and trial and error but I know there must be a book for beginners to save wasting time and money. There's no point in me having fun if it's not amounting to anything edible because I've stuck seeds straight into the ground in May when it should have been indoors in March etc....

 

[Tjohn]

Don't try to overthink this. Sow means "put it in the ground". Any way you can do this is the right way! If you put in too many, thin them out, if too few, plant more. Most packets of seeds will tell you where, how deep, and how far apart, also if you should plant indoors first. Start with those clearly labeled vegetables first. Do a little research to find the germination temperatures and soil requirements, and you should do just fine.

 

[alp]

@Greedo Do you watch The Beechgrove Garden? It is a very good gardening programme for gardening in Scotland. They have a factsheet which can easily be accessible online.

Would you mind telling us what you would like to grow so that we can concentrate our effort and thinking please? I think the best way forward is try something easy, for example, salad leaves, Pak Choi, land cress, rocket, Come and cut salad. Read the instruction at the back and think about the temperature. If you are worried about the difference in temperature, try to get a fleece ready to fleece over crops as soon as the temperature drops. But don't overthink it. We all learn by trials and errors and sometimes weather also throws in a spanner. So stick to the easiest and quickest harvesting crops to have a bit of fun and use your judgement, intuition to forge a way forward. We would like to share your gardening journey. There really is no need to buy idiot's guide as the latest advice can easily be accessible online, for example, youtube can be a real bonus as there is nothing better than being talked through the whole process.