(And that's why I only gave it 3 stars - I crave to know why things work the way they do so I can alter them for my own circumstances.)ĭecember 2011 - I was a Greenhouse Technology student at Niagara college, new to this thing called "twitter" when I stumbled across a quote from Niki Jabbour "In the middle of winter, there are no bugs, there are no slugs" So, if you are looking for more advanced gardening books infused with the background logic behind things, this is not for you. The cons of this book were that it didn't go into a whole lot of science about why crops need what they need, how cover crops work, and why you really want them for increase the nutrient of the soil. There are lots of helpful tips for many different types of vegetables and even some herbs.Īll in all, this was a pretty good book for beginners to gardening, and even had a few tips for urbanites to get their patio gardens thriving in a small space. This second half goes over the various type of vegetables, when to plant them (usually from seed), how to take care of them, and how to harvest. The best part of the book for intermediate level gardeners is the second half of the book. This is not a bad thing - unless you really don't know a whole lot about gardening the rest of the year. In the back of the book it also gives the blueprints for building the same cold frame she uses. It gives you tips on how to plant, when to plant, and what to plant. The reader should be warned, though, that this book focuses heavily on winter farming with cold frames and tunnels. While there are whole volumes of books written on the subject, as well as experimentation as to what works best together, Jabbour does a really good job of explaining the basics and giving the beginner a good head start. I really liked the introduction Jabbour makes for intensive farming in small spaces, which will be very useful for urban and rural farmers alike when it comes to growing a lot lot in a small space. As a soil scientist, I approved heartily of this, and applaud her spending more than a page or to on the topic. I was most surprised, however, at the depth on which she talks about keeping a decently healthy soil with a combination of organic methods like crop rotation, cover crops, and organic fertilisers. Jabbour does a fairly good job of glossing over a wide variety of the science topics such as timing, temperature, and light needs of the plants. I love gardening, and I would very much like to see how I can grow my own food all year round - despite being in the middle of zone 5 and living in the city. When I saw The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener on the library's "new" shelf, I snagged it up without hesitation.
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