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Title: Cubed Foot Gardening : Growing Vegetables in Raised, Intensive Beds by Christopher O. Bird ISBN: 1585743127 Publisher: The Lyons Press Pub. Date: December, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4
Rating: 3
Summary: Good basic introduction, but not consistent philosophy
Comment: This little book is a crash course into raised bed intensive gardening. It can be very helpful to beginning gardeners, containing enough info on how to get started - and how to keep going.
My major personal peeve is the lack of emphasis on organic gardening, and the "bigger context". Many people start gardening to experience and learn about nature, and about (self-) sustainable agriculture. The author goes to great lengths explaining that gardening to him is a hobby and NOT a way to be self-sustainable. In this light, I ask myself why he doesn't seem to be very concerned about using pesticides (he does opt for organic methods first, though). I mean if it's fun and learning, without much pressure to "cash in", why poison your soil at all? Even if you lose a crop to pests, you learn something along the way - and next year you try again (hopefully with more and better knowledge about organic pest management methods), or try another crop alltogether. I would rather lose a whole crop than to ever use any syntethic pesticide in my garden!
BTW, he often mentions how cheap produce is in the US - however, that's generally not true for organic produce. Hobby or not, by keeping your garden organic, you DO get organic produce a lot cheaper than buying it.
That is the only reason (but it is a good reason for me) why I wouldn't recommend this book to beginning gardeners.
Rating: 5
Summary: It's about what works best, organic or not.
Comment: If you're looking for a time- and labor-saving method of growing vegetables, this is your book, whether you're a complete beginner or a more experienced gardener. Everything you need to know is clearly set out, including charts, diagrams and practical tips (e.g. why buy expensive little pots for your seedlings when you can recycle styrofoam cups from the office?). The at-a-glance guide to each vegetable from seed to harvest is especially useful, as are the more detailed sections on individual veggies. Christopher Bird writes in a refreshingly informal way that neither patronizes you nor blinds you with science, and the text is enhanced with plenty of mouthwatering full-color photos from the author's own gardens.
A previous reviewer criticizes the book for not being organic enough. But it's obvious to me that Cubed Foot Gardening isn't about organics. It's about intensive, raised-bed vegetable gardening using the most effective techniques available, some of which are organic, others not. That makes perfect sense to me.
Rating: 4
Summary: Great book, but short on organics
Comment: This is a great book and I would have given it a 5 if the author had stressed the benefits of organic gardening, rather than recommending standard chemical fertilizers.
The author shows you how to get started with gardening and clearly demonstrates how to build raised beds using wood 2x12's (and others sizes). He also offers great coverage of each of the major vegetables that he recommends that you grow. This part contains some particularly good material.
There are many practical and original techniques in this book. Although this is not necessarily a beginner's book, I would recommend this book to a beginner. The only problem I had was his reliance on chemical fertilizers.
Many beginners might find it easier at first to use standard chemical fertilizers, as recommended by the author. However, today many gardeners are finding their way to organics to avoid the industrial wastes sometimes found in the standard chemical fertilizers.
I get the feeling that the author writes with your best interests at heart. He appears to be a successful gardener with much practical experience. His writing is very clear and at times quite humorous. There are plenty of pictures and diagrams to keep the book interesting.
I use raised bed gardening, but use concrete blocks and take an organic approach. Although the materials are different, the methodology is very similar. I highly recommend this book to any one getting started, or anyone who wants to build raised bed gardens using wood (looks better than concrete blocks, but deteriortes more quickly).
John Dunbar
Sugar Land, TX
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Title: Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew ISBN: 0878573410 Publisher: Rodale Press Pub. Date: 1981 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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Title: The Postage Stamp Garden Book: Grow Tons of Vegetables in Small Places by Duane G. Newcomb, Karen Newcomb ISBN: 1580621236 Publisher: Adams Media Corporation Pub. Date: April, 1999 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
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Title: Grow-Bed Gardening by Jacob R. Mittleider ISBN: 0880071443 Publisher: Woodbridge Pr Pub Pub. Date: 01 March, 1986 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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Title: The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions by Edward C. Smith, John Storey ISBN: 1580172121 Publisher: Storey Books List Price(USD): $24.95 |
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Title: Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden by Sally Jean Cunningham ISBN: 0875968473 Publisher: Rodale Press Pub. Date: May, 2000 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
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