The Gardener’s Reading List

Is it too early to call myself a gardener? Probably. But I’ve been researching like it’s my job. Well, really, research is my job. It’s my day job… or my night job. I’m technically the evening librarian. Whatever works.

I recently took the Myers-Briggs personality test for work and it said that I’m a sensor which can mean that I like to give too much details and ramble. I need to control that. So without further ado, here’s what I’ve been reading in preparation for warm weather!

Growing Veggies

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The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible gets great reviews on Amazon and was written with beginning gardeners as the intended audience. That’s me. And it claims to be the bible for vegetable gardener’s so I’m relying on this one heavily for a beginner’s reference guide.

 

 

 

The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast51E7ayNJ7IL._SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_
I’m still very much the novice gardener, but I know that growing veggies in the Southeast will be very different than growing veggies elsewhere. This guide should help me with regionally specific information based on weather and climate.

 

 

 

Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening51Me-evQWIL
What interested me about this book is how plants can naturally benefit from each other. Symbiosis is so exciting!

 

 

 

 

 

Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening including 50 recipes, plus harvesting and storage tips 51YcjpN6V4L._SX258_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_

Grow Cook Eat has an ambitious scope; it covers gardening, recipes and storage of vegetables. I love ambition and I love that this book takes readers through the entire process of growing and eating your own food.

 

 

 

Preserving Veggies
I’m just as excited about growing veggies as I am about preserving them!

Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving A17ENc0DoGL._SY450_
Many of my beautiful readers recommended this book as the go-to guide to canning staples. As much as I love my library books, I think I’ll end up purchasing this one for reference.

 

 

 

 

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Canning For a New Generation
Canning for a New Generation is an absolutely gorgeous book. The pictures alone make my mouth water! Something that isn’t always the case with canned food. The Ball book is more for classic canning recipes and I’m hoping this one provides something a little more exotic!

 

 

 

Food in Jars: Preserving in Small Batches Year-Round51nywEGQJoL._SY344_PJlook-inside-v2,TopRight,1,0_SH20_BO1,204,203,200_
I would love to can 20 pounds of pickles, but that just won’t work with my small space. I also love that this book emphasizes year-round canning. The author even explains how to can nut butters! I hope this book will carry my enthusiasm for canning through even the winter months!

 

 

 

 

 

I want to thank everyone for their kind gardening tips and book recommendations. I’m off to read and dream about spring!

love,
melanie

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