McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers
by Maggie Stuckey, Rose Marie Nichols McGee
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Book Summary Information
Author: Maggie Stuckey, Rose Marie Nichols McGeeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-02-01
ISBN: 0761116230
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Workman Publishing Company
Product features:
- ISBN13: 9780761116233
- Condition: New
- Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. Tracking provided on most orders. Buy with Confidence! Millions of books sold!
Book Reviews of McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers
Book Review: Great Book for an Abject Beginner
Summary: 5 Stars
When this book arrived on my front porch last week, I knew absolutely nothing about plants. I thought I had a black thumb. Everything I tried to plant died - on my windowsill, in the yard, in containers, it didn't seem to matter. But I decided recently that I want to teach my 2 young kids about where food comes from (hint: not the grocery store!) so I thought I'd learn enough about gardening to raise a few easy-care veggies on my back patio.
I bought a few other gardening books before discovering this one, but "McGee & Stuckey" has become my bible. For starters, it assumes that you are an idiot when it comes to plants. In my case, this was very true! It explains everything you need to know about soil, containers, fertilizers, plant varieties, hardiness, and heat tolerance. I thought my plants were dying because they weren't getting enough sun or water; now I realize that, often, they were drowning due to poor drainage in the pots I'd chosen, or because I'd put them in the ground in full sun and they really needed partial shade.
Maybe you're an experienced gardener who knows all these things, and if that's the case, you're more likely to get some good ideas for stunning vegetable-and-flower combinations from Pamela Crawford's book _Easy_Container_Combos_:_Vegetables_And_Flowers. But for someone like me, who didn't know the difference between a perennial and an annual, this is the perfect starter book.
I'm still a new gardener, but thanks to McGee & Stuckey, my gardening gurus, now know what I don't know. I can now go to the garden center and ask intelligent questions instead of just wandering around becoming more and more confused by all the choices. A few weeks ago, when the nice lady at my locally-owned nursery asked, "What can I help you find today," I said, "Uhh...I think I want to grow...some vegetables...what's easy?" (Bless that woman! She sent me home with a pre-potted tray variety lettuce tray and very detailed care instructions, and knock on wood, it's still alive!)
Now, after reading this book almost cover to cover, I can say, "I'm looking for strawberries, and I'm particularly interested in everbearing varieties. What can you tell me about the ones you have?" I'm so much more confident now, and when Pat at the nursery tells me things, I actually -- gasp -- understand what she's talking about!
Not only is The Bountiful Container filled with detailed, wonderful information, it's well-written and not at all dry. And it's organized in a very user-friendly way -- no need to read it cover to cover (although you easily could!). Part 1 talks about planning, including how to decide what you want to grow and balancing that against your space, time, and climate restrictions. It also talks a lot about color and aesthetics, which failed to inspire me (I just want to eat what I grow) but might be a big deal for you.
Part 2 talks about the nitty-gritty of container gardening, the differences between in-the-ground gardens and container gardens (though it doesn't dwell here, as many other books tediously do). It also gives the basics of container gardening. Here's where you'll learn about dirt, drainage, weather effects, choosing a container, choosing a location, and how to make the most of your space.
Part 3, which makes up the bulk of the book, talks about specific plants and explains how to choose, plant, grow, and harvest them. This is the part I return to again and again. Whether I'm planning a new container, choosing transplants at the garden center, or trying to figure out whether my vegetables are ready for harvest, all the answers are in this large (335 page!) section. There are at least 2 - 3 pages on each general type of vegetable, fruit, herb, and edible flower you can think of (and several you can't).
In short, this is the best book on container gardening for someone who is starting from zero, and I highly recommend it if you've never gardened before, but want to learn all the basics.
More McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers reviews:
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Summary of McGee & Stuckey's Bountiful Container: Create Container Gardens of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits, and Edible Flowers
With few exceptions-such as corn and pumpkins-everything edible that's grown in a traditional garden can be raised in a container. And with only one exception-watering-container gardening is a whole lot easier. Beginning with the down-to-earth basics of soil, sun and water, fertilizer, seeds and propagation, The Bountiful Container is an extraordinarily complete, plant-by-plant guide.Written by two seasoned container gardeners and writers, The Bountiful Container covers Vegetables-not just tomatoes (17 varieties) and peppers (19 varieties), butharicots verts, fava beans, Thumbelina carrots, Chioggia beets, and sugarsnap peas. Herbs, from basil to thyme, and including bay leaves, fennel, and saffron crocus. Edible Flowers, such as begonias, calendula, pansies, violets, and roses. And perhaps most surprising, Fruits, including apples, peaches, Meyer lemons, blueberries, currants, and figs-yes, even in the colder parts of the country. (Another benefit of container gardening: You can bring the less hardy perennials in over the winter.) There are theme gardens (an Italian cook's garden, a Four Seasons garden), lists of sources, and dozens of sidebars on everything from how to be a human honeybee to seeds that are All America Selections.
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