I did a couple of book reviews for the Home Garden Seed Association and I decided to include them here since I would recommend both books to those who read this blog.

The New Organic Grower: A Master’s Manual of Tools and Techniques for the Home and Market Gardener

By Eliot Coleman

This book is pretty well known in the gardening community, particularly with those interested in organic gardening. In fact, for those looking to learn more about organic gardening, this is the best book I have read on the subject because it is geared toward the average gardener looking for practical advise and simple prose, without the “save the planet” preaching that other organic gardening authors needlessly include in a gardening book.

Eliot Coleman not only explains the different processes of how to produce vegetables organically with authority but continually invites improvement and even expects the reader to do it better by standing on his shoulders and years of experience. I was looking for a book that would help me understand why organic gardening is worth trying and Mr. Coleman has convinced my to experiment with his tried and true techniques.

This book is for both the home gardener and small commercial farm and the ideas presented in the book make a lot of sense and are backed up with Mr. Coleman’s years of experience.

I am not sure if after all is said and done that I will never buy conventional fertilizer again or even invest in some of his recommended hand tools, but he has made the case and then some for me to experiment with the virtues of organic gardening. For those who do not understand what organic gardening is or why it is important than this is a must read.

The Secret Life of Compost: A “How-To” & “Why” Guide to Composting-Lawn, Garden, Feedlot or Farm

By Malcolm Beck

I wanted to learn more about composting and got this book from my local library. I was blown away by what I learned and read this 150 page book in one sitting. Try telling someone you know that you couldn’t put down a composting book. Well that is what happened to me and I feel very capable of producing my own compost now.

Malcolm Beck did exactly what I was hoping by telling me how to compost, instead of trying to explain the science behind it. Paraphrasing his own words, “the science of composting will mean something to you after you figure out how to do it.” Therefore, he doesn’t waste any of my time by trying to cram a bunch of science that would be better in a textbook.

He also spent time discussing why to compost and shared some experiences with how to “revive” soil that has been left for dead. Toward the end of the book he shares how one might start a composting business for themselves and includes many pictures of his own composting facility.

Unlike many “how-to” books, I came away from this one with a simple plan and felt less overwhelmed then when I started the book. That to me is the best praise I could give any “how-to” author. If I come away overwhelmed and unable to proceed then the author failed. In this case, Mr. Beck hits a home-run for composting.

Popularity: 27% [?]