In 2018, we started our first garden. We’ve expanded our garden every year since, and each year we continue to learn new and better methods for planting, composting, and setting up new garden spaces. There are a number of books and resources we’ve utilized over the years and I’d like to share a few of my favorite books. These are all great for beginners if you’re looking to get started in gardening, because growing your own food and favorite flowers is more than just planting a seed in some dirt – SO much more!
Starting from the ground up -literally; we’re talking about dirt. Soil is SO important in a successful garden. This is something I overlooked in the beginning. Because dirt is dirt, right?
Nope!
We tilled up an area for our first garden, hoping that loosening the soil and adding some good straw mulch would be enough to get us started. It was enough to get a few things to grow (both from seed and some garden store-bought seedlings), but it was far from successful. The first few years in any garden may not quite reach what you hope, as you build nutrients in your soil and figure out what is going to work best in your particular spot given the existing soil, climate, and sunlight.
In Hess’ The Ultimate Guide to Soil, she covers all the basics and most important parts of building, fixing, and maintaining a healthy and fertile growing area. From composting, adding manure, wood products and various mulches to improve soil and keep weeds down, and utilizing what’s available in your area and already on your property, Hess’ writing is an easy read with helpful tips on a subject that could easily become boring and scientific.
She also talks about a few gardening methods that we have tried out. One of those methods is hügelkultur. This method of gardening starts with a layer of rotting wood logs, that may or may not be placed under the surface of the ground, with layers of wood chips and other composted material building up the beds. The first year or two, these beds worked well for us. Now, a few years later, the rotting wood has continued to break down and these beds are probably the most fertile and best spots in our garden.
Early on, we also tried the Back to Eden method of gardening. Also utilizing wood chips, this method did not work out well for us. Although Hess doesn’t explain this particular method in her book, she does explain the many pros and cons of using wood chips in a garden. This helped us figure out that the biggest problem with the Back to Eden garden method is using wood chips that are not composted and broken down enough, and also perhaps using too much of them.
Hess’ book can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/48rTqZM
The Backyard Gardener by Kelly Orzel is a great resource for beginner and experienced gardeners. Orzel touches on all aspects of gardening: soil, compost, fertilizers, garden pests, propagation and seed starting, gardening methods, and extending your growing season. Also quite helpful is a full rundown of vegetables, herbs and flowers, with helpful planting information and tips for each one. I’ve probably referenced these pages at some point every year.
The book is full of beautiful pictures of gardens, giving the reader lots of great ideas and inspiration for their own gardens.
Orzel’s book can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/3vdkHRz
A great book for someone just getting started, especially if you know you want to use raised beds, is the book Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners by Tammy Wylie. The book is super straightforward and simple. It includes ideas and plans for building raised beds, and gives you just enough information to get started growing without being overwhelming. Wylie also includes “Plant Profiles” like in The Backyard Gardener. This is helpful year after year, especially if you like to try growing new plants and aren’t familiar with timing and placement of the plants in your garden.
Wylie’s book can be purchased here: https://amzn.to/48wTd7Q
Finally, I’d like to share a book that will also benefit the chicken keeper. Lisa Steele’s Gardening with Chickens is definitely one of my favorites, filled with helpful information and inspiring garden photos. Plus, who doesn’t love chickens?
Steele touches on basic garden knowledge, like choosing a spot for a garden, starting plants, composting, and growing herbs. The book also has some in-depth information about growing herbs and plants that are beneficial for chickens, and how to get chickens to help you in the garden, like tilling the soil and utilizing their compost.
Steele’s book can be found here: https://amzn.to/3RUUlwm
If you’re an avid gardener or experienced chicken keeper, or maybe just looking to get started in gardening, perhaps one or more of these books might be a good addition to your library. With lots of helpful information and inspirational pictures, these books are sure to help you take your garden to the next level.
blackberryhillhomestead.com 