Good book to help me?

savingmummy

As many of you probably already know i am a newbie at growing from seeds and to gardening in general!

I have so many questions and so many things i`m unsure about doing and i`m hoping there is a good book somewhere out there that could help me out.

I have been looking online and i find a lot of the instructions for things very hard to understand and am a bit worried my lack of knowledge is going to put a stop on my new hobby!

laurel7172

Amongst others, the Book People are selling the RHS "Gardening Through The Year" for £4.99:

http://www.thebookpeople.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_10001_10051_176471_100_48155__category_

Also the current Alys Fowler (have you been watching the series?) for £7.99

There's usually a free delivery code knocking about on the appropriate forum, and the cashback (Via topcashback) is generous too...

mrbadexample

Grow Your Own Vegetables ~ Joy Larkcom.

Recommended here.

I've got it and it seems pretty comprehensive and understandable.

A._Badger

He's not what you'd call an entertaining writer, but there is a good reason why Dr D. G. Hessayon's 'Garden Expert' series is the world's best selling. For a beginner, unless you can afford one of the excellent, thumping great RHS encyclopaedias, I really think you could do no better than to look at his paperback Expert series and pick from there. You can get them almost anywhere.

Avoid, at all costs, the overpriced witterings of fashonable TV gardeners, many of whom seem to be chosen more for their eye-candy qualities than their depth of gardening experience and knowledge.

One other thought - in a charity shop or secondhand book store you might just find one of the wonderful Reader's Digest gardening books published in the 1980s. Something like 'Your Gardening Questions Answered' is a godsend and can be bought for a couple of pounds. The only thing that will be out of date will be advice about pesticides (we were still allowed to use them, then) but the rest is a treasury of good gardening wisdom, produced by some of the best writers around.

Hope that helps.

savingmummy

Thank you all for taking the time to help!
I will be having a look tomorrow and get DH to buy me one or two

Will also have a look in the charity shops over the weekend - what a fab idea!!

Money_maker

Even better still, raid the library. That way you can literally try before you buy! I like the old fashioned Readers Digest one by the way - lots of preserving 'recipes' too.

Lotus-eater

The books I generally go back to, are the old ones I got from charity shops, but I do like Monty Dons, complete gardening.
The readers digest one, as said by Money maker is a great book for beginners. If you are lucky you may find it in a charity shop.
There are also some month by month books which can be good, look on amazon for reviews.


Many of the methods I use now aren't in books and as your skill grows you will find yourself relying more on the forums to get new information.

Zazen999

Forums such as.....the Vine

conradmum

Bob Flowerdew's books are very practical and handy if you want to try the organic route.

valentina

Agree about the Joy Larkcom, also River Cottage Veg Handbook and Alan Titchmarsh Kitchen Gardener. Bob Flowerdew's books are my bibles.

EmptyPockets

As a complete newbie to gardening myself, I would really recommend the 'Garden Expert' series too. I've got three on the go at the moment, two have been lent to me, and they're very easy to follow and great for ideas.