KG Bookshelf: March 2011

One stop allotment book

As more and more people become interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables, allotments are becoming increasingly popular.

In response, established garden writer Caroline Foley has produced the perfect accompanying guide for anyone starting out.

The Allotment Source Book provides a complete reference for everything to do with starting and managing an allotment from finding a plot, preparing the ground, gathering the stock and dealing with pests and diseases to the essential tasks to tackle on a weekly basis.

It includes a wealth of information on vegetable, fruit and herb varieties as well as invaluable advice on harvesting and storage, with all methods covered being organic; essential directories of vegetables, fruit and herbs provide all the information needed to produce a successful crop.

The book includes detailed seasonal planting plans from the exemplary allotment plot at Garden Organic and stunning photography by Francesca Foley.

The Allotment Source Book by Caroline Foley is published by New Holland, priced £20, in hardback.

ISBN: 978-1-84773-664-2

WHO IS IT FOR?

A definitive guide to success for anyone hoping for a productive allotment plot and essential reading for fruit and veg growers everywhere.

Growing togetherness

Some plants thrive in each other's company, offering protection from bugs and disease, providing shade and enriching the earth with nutrients – but some plants just don't get on at all.

Companion planting is all about using this knowledge to get the very best crop with the highest yield.

Two books with a completely different take on the subject are The A-Z Companion Planting by Jayne Neville and Soil Mates, Companion Planting For Your Vegetable Garden, by Sara Alway.

The A-Z Companion Planting explains the theory and the practice, offering the reader a handy little reference book on an age-old gardening practice in an attractive, user-friendly format.

Soil Mates Companion Planting For Your Vegetable Garden is a charming and unusual little volume (naughty but nice) giving the low-down on 'matchmaking' in the vegetable garden, complete with 20 pairings, full plant information and specially chosen, tasty recipes.

Author Sara Alway is a graphic designer who lives in Ohio where she tends her own garden of happy soil mates.

The A-Z Companion Planting is published by The Good Life Press Ltd. Softback, priced £9.99.

ISBN 978-1-904871-82-8

Soil Mates Companion Planting for Your Vegetable Garden is published by Quirk Books, hardback, price £10.99, ISBN 978-1-59474-445-7.

WHO IS IT FOR?

All gardeners who want to get the most from their plots.

Create your own good life

Creating Your Own Garden Farm gives you a taste of the good life that is easy, satisfying and inexpensive to achieve, and author Nicki Trench, with her practical, easy-to-follow style, makes the whole process fun.

In this comprehensive and colourful volume, Nicki shows how even a novice gardener can successfully grow vegetables, fruit and herbs, and even raise chickens and keep bees, by taking you step-by-step through the process of creating your very own garden farm.

As Nicki says: “Starting off with a vegetable garden is one of the most enjoyable things in life, and with a little thought and planning you'll be set up for the forseeable future.”

Creating Your Own Garden Farm by Nicki Trench is published in hardback by CICO Books at £19.99.

ISBN: 978-1-907030-10-9

WHO IS IT FOR?

For anyone who dreams of growing, harvesting and eating their own produce.

War time gardening

In our modern world, gardening is a lifestyle choice, but during World War Two, 'Digging for Victory' was a patriotic duty and Britain's 'allotment army' was out in force growing as many vegetables as possible.

Digging for Victory – Gardens and Gardening in Wartime Britain is an expertly researched, informative and fascinating account of the 'Dig for Victory' campaign and includes many archive images of home front gardening, garden produce and advertisements.

Authors are Twigs Way and Mike Brown. Twigs Way is a garden historian and author and Mike Brown is an author, broadcaster and authority on the Home Front.

Digging for Victory is published by Sabrestorm Publishing and is priced at £20.

ISBN: 978-0-9552723-7-0

WHO IS IT FOR?

Anyone interested in gardening and its history.

For more reviews, see this months issue, available to buy online!