Gardening for Geeks by Christy Wilhelmi

Here is the book summary:

Know the nature of your garden!

·       The ultimate resource to organic gardening for people who want to learn the science behind it all

·       Step-by-step processes, helpful diagrams, and expert tips on best practices

·       Learn the biology and ecology of how plants work, how soil lives, how bugs help, and more

·       Expert advice on planning, planting, garden beds, irrigation, pest control, garden ecosystems, harvesting, storage, and composting

The perfect organic gardening guide and gateway into all things gardening, this updated and redesigned edition of Gardening for Geeks provides everything you need to know about designing, building, and sustaining the garden of your dreams!

Filled with step-by-step processes, helpful diagrams, and expert tips on the best practices, this book covers it all for anyone who dreams of gardening, even if you're a city dweller! Starting off with the beginner-friendly basics, then progressing into more advanced, in-depth concepts for a wide scope of gardening strategies and techniques, this is a comprehensive and geeky look at your favorite hobby. This newly designed edition includes additional plant profiles, the latest research and terminology, and more photographs and illustrations.

Author and founder of Gardenerd (the ultimate resource for garden nerds, gardenerd.com), Christy Wilhelmi shares her expertise to break down and explain the biology and ecology of gardening in an easy, breezy writing style that will make you appreciate and understand gardening even more than you did before! Christy specializes in small-space, organic vegetable garden design and consulting. Her writing has appeared in Edible Los Angeles, Edible Westside, and The Good Food Blog, among other publications.

Inside this information-packed 248-page beginner's guide, you'll learn the basics of gardening, whether you're planting in the country or in an urban area. Discover the science behind how plants work, how soil lives, and how bugs help. Get advice ranging from planning to pest control, including recommendations, step-by-step directions, and over 150 photos, illustrations, and diagrams.

For anyone with a curiosity for the world of soil biology, botany, and horticulture, and an interest in the nerdy details of how to garden, Gardening for Geeks is your go-to guide!

"If you find that you really love to get your hands in the dirt and put food you grew yourself on the table, then this book sets you on your gardening path."
—Anne K. Moore, GardenSmart.tv

"Loaded with tons of geeky gardening info and then some! Recommended for all gardeners, experienced or beginners."
—Bob Tanem, Radio Host, Bob Tanem in the Garden, KSFO 560 AM

And now, my review:

Gardening for Geeks All the science you need for successful organic gardening has everything I was looking for right in the title.  From setting up your garden, to the soil and what makes for successful soil, to the plants.  Great information is to be had.  Of course, no garden is without pests to control and she’s included great helps in that area, too.  I love the section in there on composting and have been implementing her ideas for that.  I was inspired as I was paging through and loved all the scientific facts that she threw in along the way.  I believe that this will be a resource that I will draw from for years to come. 

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Geeks-Science-Ecology-Mathmatics/dp/1620083582/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=gardening+for+geeks&qid=1596141353&sr=8-2

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gardening-for-geeks-christy-wilhelmi/1134813211?ean=9781620083581

Gardening Complete by Cool Springs Press

Here is the book summary:

Gardening Complete is the most up-to-date and complete guide to gardening for homeowners. Inside, eight of North America’s top gardening experts—and Cool Springs Press authors—present 19 subjects of critical interest to anyone who wants to learn or broaden gardening skills. Whether your main interest is in designing landscapes and gardens, ornamental gardening to make your yard more attractive, or gardening to provide nutritious edibles for the family table, this book will become your definitive source of information. It is intended for serious beginning to intermediate gardeners, but even veteran gardeners will be intrigued by what these experts have to say about core gardening skills and common horticultural subjects.
 
Gardening Complete is a practical book that demonstrates how to accomplish the routine activities of gardening, including: planning and planting your garden, essential care for the garden during the growing season, dealing with pests and diseases, and harvesting fruits and vegetables. While many gardening books focus on regional plant species or devote large sections to some form of plant catalog, this book is different. Gardening Complete serves not only as a self-contained manual for gardening skills and information in all regions, but also as a sampler that may help you determine where to focus your gardening hobby in the future or even help you identify authors you’d like to explore further. Each of the eight authors has an impressively broad background in publishing and lecturing on gardening, and you may discover a new favorite writer in these pages. We haven’t just allowed these authorities to express their individual views—we’ve encouraged them to do so. As is true in a healthy garden, we’ve aimed at diversity for this book.
 
This book is not an organic gardening book per se, but if you have any previous familiarity with Cool Springs Press or any of these authors, you will know that we tend to take a low-impact approach to gardening. Thus, our authors generally offer advice that is gentle to the soil, to the environment, and to beneficial insects and animals. 
 
Success in your yard and garden awaits you with the help of Gardening Complete. Our authors are among the most passionate gardeners you will ever meet, and they have helped thousands of home gardeners just like you.

And now, my review:

The thing that drew me into this book at first was the expanse of flowers and vegetable plants.  I already grow a vegetable garden but can always learn new tricks of the trade with it.  There are things that I face every year that have me rejoicing or looking to find a fix.  So this is a great go-to for me.  It tells me about diseases, pest control, and even helps with finding the right amount of water.  In the winter, I can look through and dream up what next summer will/can look like.  Also, the added information on the flower side is a great inspiration that can get me moving in planting more and more beautiful flowers around my house.  I can always learn more and more about fertilizer and I found the pruning to be very helpful. A recommended resource for your garden library.

I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/Gardening-Complete-Authors-Springs-Press-ebook/dp/B079ZJPK3V/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1537395588&sr=8-1&keywords=gardening+complete+book

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew Foundation

Here is th book summary:

Is It Ripe?

Even the most experienced homegrowers get a little apprehensive when harvest time comes around. You’ve spent so much time and energy and money to grow beautiful produce and now the moment of reckoning is at hand. Savvy shoppers looking for the best produce have similar concerns as they peruse the aisles. It is ripe and ready to be picked or bought. Or is it? Maybe that tomato will be bigger or sweeter on Tuesday than it was on Sunday. Or maybe it will soften too much or fall off the vine or split, or wrinkle up in the produce bin. You know that once you make the decision to pluck your fruit from the vine or buy there is no going back. So you want to make sure you are doing it at the right time.

Square Foot Gardening: Growing Perfect Vegetables helps you prepare for those moments of decision-making in your garden and at the market. Inside, you will find hundreds of beautiful photos that show you what your cherished produce should look like when it is ready for picking and buying, along with tips and clues to help you interpret what your plants are trying to tell you. Whether you garden in a Square Foot box, plant a conventional garden, or stick to the grocery-store produce section, ripe is ripe. This visual guide is your tool for picking and buying produce with confidence.

And now, my review:

What a great gardening book.  It is so practical and such a blessing.  It shows you so many things that are helpful to know.  I really enjoyed the companion planting that helps things to flourish well.  It tells you when things are not yet ripe, ripe and over ripe with full color pictures.  This is helpful when you’re in the produce section of the store shopping as well as in your own garden.  As fall is upon us and the garden is coming to an end for this year, this book is full of encouragement for me as I make plans for next summer.  Happy gardening J

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. 

https://www.amazon.com/Square-Foot-Gardening-Vegetables-Harvesting-ebook/dp/B06XFNSB9Z/ref=sr_1_8?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1506090317&sr=1-8&keywords=square+foot+gardening

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/square-foot-gardening-mel-bartholomew-foundation/1125827993?ean=9781591866831#/

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Marta McDowell

Here is the book Summary:

A must-read companion to the Little House books

2017 is the 150th anniversary of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s birthday. Her beloved Little House series tells a classic coming-of-age story based on Wilder’s own family life and is a reflection of the pioneer spirit of the time. They are also deeply rooted in the natural world. The plants, animals, and landscapes are so integral to the stories, they are practically their own characters.

The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder, by New York Times bestselling author Marta McDowell, explores Wilder’s deep relationship to the landscape. Follow the wagon trail of the series, starting in the Wisconsin setting of Little House in the Big Woods to the Dakotas and finally to Missouri. Throughout, you’ll learn details about Wilder’s life and inspirations, discover how to visit the real places today, and even learn to grow the plants and vegetables featured in the stories.

The artful package includes original illustrations by Helen Sewell and Garth Williams, along with historical and contemporary photographs. The World of Laura Ingalls Wilder is a must-have treasure for the millions of readers enchanted by Laura’s wild and beautiful life.

And now, my review:

A great school book or a companion book if you just love the Little House of the Praise books or tv series.  I really enjoyed this book.  There are full color pictures in this book that brings what the author is talking about in a visual form.  That is SO helpful for all ages and keeps the reader reading.  We enjoyed reading about the “pioneers of our country” and the hardships they faced.  The way they lived off the land and made due with what they had.  I recommend you pick up a copy of this book for yourself and enjoy.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Laura-Ingalls-Wilder-Landscapes-ebook/dp/B06XPPYH47/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499969116&sr=8-1&keywords=the+world+of+laura+ingalls+wilder

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-world-of-laura-ingalls-wilder-marta-mcdowell/1125855631?ean=9781604697278