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This book is mostly an autobiography, I think. It felt like a therapy session for him to write this book. Some gardening advice that appeals to me but I haven't been able to try yet. I found the author very interesting, but am put off by his constant criticism of other gardening methods. I don't recommend this book for someone who just want to know how to grow food on the cheap. If, however, you just like reading books about gardening and growing in general then it will do just fine.
This is a must-have for the serious gardener; particularly one who is not just a "hobbyist" and wants to be more self-sufficient and frugal. I thought I knew a lot about gardening.but I have learned so much. Very easy to read and understand.
This is a good book to have on hand for reference. I would like to of seen more illustrations in it because the reading can be a bit boring but it still is a great book.
5) Professional farmers know about the plow pan where the soil compacts over multiple plowings and they understand that managing soil fertility is more than applying Miracle-Gro a few times a year. 3) A soil thermometer. What a novel idea for starting those seeds directly in soil. Most organic gardening guides don't approach the subject because most of their advice is quite costly, such as irrigation, growing of transplants and doubling up on seed for the necessary companion planting. Solomon provides a system for measuring your sprinkling system water output and gives ideas for cost management and placement that could be a huge help to someone whose environment makes irrigation a must.
Actually I recommend that you read both authors, both organic growers whose well-explained diametrically opposed approaches will give you a strong broad knowledge base that will support you through years of gardening. Homesteading is not for everyone nor should it be. No matter your gardening persuasion, if you are beyond beginning gardening, Solomon is worth a read. No other gardening book is going to tell you how to do this simple thing that every farmer knows.
It is health for my family. His strengths as an advisor are:1) If you take away nothing else, at least learn how to sharpen your tools from this man. The methods and products sprouting from this glorified ideal make for good sales but often leave home gardeneners feeling like failures when their efforts do not pay off. You may even get your feelings hurt.
Possibly overwhelming for a beginner, but intriguing and blessedly honest for the gardener or homesteader seeking to push ahead their soil management skills and increase their yields significantly. "If your food gardening is little more than a backyard hobby, an amusement, an entertainment that leads to a random mix of positive outcomes and disappointments, then getting great seeds and seedlings is of little consequence. If you plan to keep the same garden lot for many years you may find that you have decreased yield over time. When considering your particular environment raised beds, irrigation and intensive planting schemes may be your best or only option. Again cost containment is integrated in his approach and he brings some of the most valuable insider knowledge to the serious home gardener.
Read the seed chapter and you are going to learn a lot from an ex-seedsman about what makes a good seed, how to save and buy seed, and for how long seed can be kept to contain your purchasing costs. Solomon's one recurring limitation is one that we all share, he has a hard time imagining a life vastly different than his own. More people are cooking from scratch and they want to cook vegetables they have grown. And for people going through hard times, a thriving veggie garden can be the difference between painful poverty and a much more pleasant existence." (page 105, @2005 New Society Publishers, Canada)If you are a hobby gardener or a staunch enthusiast of intensive methods you are going to dislike this book. Having homesteaded so many years he doesn't have experience with the average shady city lot and may not realize just how much many urbanites relish home grown produce. Cost is a real world struggle for most of us and this issue permeates Solomon's experience and advice.
Solomon's strength is bringing professional information to the lay person and his writing will actually hold your attention as he talks about trace minerals and other arcane bits of soil fertility. 4) Low germination rates - it may not be your fault. The ingredients are accessible and it is worth a try. 2) Solomon never loses his emphasis on cost containment and the little balancing trick we all must do on this subject. If you must garden intensively I recommend Sally Jean Cunningham who is as chummy as Solomon is crotchety. Don't let any irritation with the old man lose you the chance to take in what he imparts.
Plants are not political nor are the insects that feed on them. But for me, gardening has never been a minor affair. Solomon provides a revealing if somewhat depressing look at the gardening industry and explains why I have been so often puzzled by low germination rates, low yield, or a piece of equipment simply not performing adequately. Though seed is cheaper than starters if you have to buy enough seed the bill can run high. They don't want to move 50 miles from work so they can have a large garden plot and the world still needs doctors, lawyers and such who keep our infrastructure going.
A contrarian voice is sometimes needed when the prevailing wisdom fails us. But I am going to look for one. Get mad but don't throw away your copy. I don't see this item in the gardening shops as often as the light meters and such. Gardeners are an opinionated lot and Solomon doesn't pull any punches concerning his own experience successfully running a mail-order seed business or working a homestead. Part of the intensive movement is a response to urban gardeners wanting to engage in more sustainable responsible environmental practices and partly due to an increased interest in gourmet, ethnic and traditional foods. It is independence.
That means utilizing the seed you buy as efficiently as possible. A sensible piece of equipment that I had never thought of seeking out. When he trashes a practice he admits to his negative tone but does not soft peddle his recommendations.
It is life itself. Gardening is as simple as putting a seed into dirt, but it is also a craft with a large body of research, experience and debate. This book is an articulate beginning primer into the actual science behind gardening. 8) The cornstarch gel for laying out seeds, or fluid drilling, (page 126) what an awesome idea I have never seen anywhere else. He shoots straight from the hip and be prepared to hear some of your more cherished notions challenged. 7) When you are paying for water knowing just how much is needed can save you a bundle. Much current garden literature perpetuates a garden of eden myth that purports to be an enlightened response to the supposedly brutal crass monoculture practices of the past. That is how we humans grow, not just as gardeners but as people.
Don't take to heart your failure to start plant from seed and resign yourself to buying costly transplants. 6) A soil amendment is provided in his COF formula (page 21) that addresses the trace minerals needed by plants over time and that doesn't flood the soil with one nutrient to the detriment of others. Solomon who describes himself as "gardening grandfather" is like all grandfathers, set in his ways, a bit crabby and way past any pretense of political correctness. There may come a time when you will need it.
This is an incredibly resourceful book for any type of gardener. We have been farming organically for 16 years and found a lot of information we are now practicing in this book.
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