I know very well that not everyone was raised by gardeners nor surrounded at the moment by individuals with green fingers—whether parents, neighbors, or friends. But that does not imply that you can’t start a garden or cause an existing one to thrive. A good book on gardening can help; it will be your mentor.
While it’s impossible to talk about all the good books that are out there on gardening, I have narrowed it down to the books I often return to for gardening wisdom and inspiration. Some of these manuals have been around for years, but their advice still holds.
Without taking much of your time, let’s now see what I have for you: the top 10 gardening books every gardener should read.
The Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook
Do you love growing vegetables? If so, this is your book, whether you are starting your garden from scratch or are part of head gardeners.
Getting The Old Farmer’s Almanac Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook and applying the principles discussed therein is the best way to start gardening.
This best-seller vegetable gardening book contains proven methods of sowing, growing, and harvesting veggies.
Here are some of the subjects tackled in this book:
- Detailed plant care instructions for more than 30 veggies in any zone
- Soil testing
- Easy methods of planting in-ground and replacements for traditional raised beds
- Seed-starting and seed-saving simplified methods
- Container gardening
- Friends and foes of a vegetable garden
- Companion plants
- And much more!
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 2nd Edition
This guide will teach you everything you need to know on how to grow beautiful edible plants, from basic veggies like carrots and tomatoes to other uncommon ones.
This guide to gardening is perfect for everyone, whether you are gardening from scratch or a gardening expert; all learn from the author’s high-yielding gardening methods.
The author of this book uses the W-O-R-D system, which he says works in all the North American regions. WORD stands for wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil—these four approaches increase garden yields when appropriately used.
In addition, this vegetable gardener’s bible contains profiles of multiple popular veggies, giving you all the insights for a successful home garden.
The Flower Gardener’s Bible
The Flower Gardener’s Bible is the best book for flower gardens. It’s a comprehensive guide to growing vibrant and glorious gardens that bloom colorfully in all seasons.
This guide is rich in expert advice, tackling everything from choosing the right location for your plants to tips on caring for your plants. Besides beautiful images, you will find practical advice on improving soil, pest management, and garden arrangements.
The Flower Gardener’s Bible is ideal for both beginners and experienced growers. Readers say that it contains a lot of helpful information and resources on identifying and growing dozens of different flower types.
All New Square Foot Gardening II
Not everybody has a spacious garden. But does that indicate that you should give up on your gardening desires? No. The All New Square Foot Gardening II gardening book teaches you to be a perfect gardener, even in small spaces.
The gardening methods discussed in this book have been around since 1980 and are still valuable. This book shows how to create a small garden and use vertical gardening knowledge to grow beautiful, healthy plants.
One notable feature of this book is that it is very basic—no complex tools or ingredients, thus making it a great gardening companion for beginners.
Reviewers of the methods discussed in this book say that the plans work. However, the only downside highlighted by some readers is that the recommended soil mixes are a bit pricey, though it depends on where one shops.
The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual
Many people love houseplants, but if you have ever tried growing a plant indoors, you might have noticed that it took a lot of work to keep the plant alive and healthy.
With that in mind, The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual is the best gardening book for indoor plants. This text will give you the best ways of growing more than 150 flourishing houseplants.
This manual contains plant personality profiles, growing needs, and troubleshooting tips for popular indoor plants. You will get answers to all your pressing questions on topics like fertilizing, watering, acclimatization, and more.
Buyers of this book praise it for their thriving indoor gardens. Also, they say it is well organized, has detailed instructions, and is full of essential gardening knowledge.
Vertical Gardening
Do you want to garden in a limited space and wondering how to go about it?
Vertical Gardening by Dereck Fell is the best book for vertical gardening.
This guide discusses all the strategies in this type of gardening, like trellises, string support, pergolas, skyscraper gardens, raised bed gardens, and more, to help you grow healthy plants in small spaces.
Vertical gardening may sound complicated in some people’s minds, but this guide explains it easily so that even novice gardeners can understand.
This book focuses on different types of climbing plants, which are less vulnerable to plant diseases and pests, making them easier to tend. Also, this guide has numerous strategies and tips to help you reduce the work, increase productivity and make harvesting easy.
This book’s reviews say its ideas are doable, offer excellent alternatives to traditional planting methods, and provide better gardening experiences.
Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening with Children
Gardening with kids is one of the best ways of peeling them from the TV, and Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening with Children is the best gardening book for kids.
This kid-friendly gardening book has all the aspects of gardening a kid should know. It will teach your kids the basics of plants while giving them creative ideas for fun garden projects.
In this guide, you will find 12 easy-to-implement projects designed for kids. For example, it has instructions for a “pizza patch” where the kid will create a wheel-shaped garden and use each slice to grow a pizza ingredient like basil or tomatoes.
Other projects in this book include a “Flower Maze” full of beautiful blooms” and a “Moon Garden” for night-blooming flowers.
Reviewers say this gardening book for kids has beautiful illustrations, detailed descriptions, and amazing fun project ideas. However, some say kids need basic gardening knowledge to get the most out of this book.
All New Square Foot Gardening
Square-foot gardening was pioneered in 1981 by Mel Bartholomew. Since then, this revolutionary way of growing veggies has helped millions of gardeners. Square foot gardeners enjoy their organic, fresh produce using little space and less work than traditional row gardening.
New and expert gardeners will love this book’s illustrations, photos, charts, and how-to-tips, including multiple specific vegetable planting, growing, and harvesting guides that will make growing your food fun, easy and productive.
In this text, you will learn the three simple steps of square food gardening. There are no digging, fertilizing, or weeds here, and you will enjoy less watering and lower waste.
Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners
Do you want a bountiful harvest but are discouraged by your limited gardening space? Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners teaches what a beginner gardener needs to know about raised bed gardening. It is an excellent resource that will enlighten you on how to plan, build and grow your raised-bed garden regardless of the size of your garden.
This guide will teach you how to build your garden bed, choose the right plants, grow your own veggies, and much more.
People who have read this book say it is easy to read and contains all the basics of raised bed gardening. One reviewer said, “whenever I read this book, i feel like the author is with me in the garden, warmly directing me step by step.”
Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening
This comprehensive guidebook will answer all your questions to help you start your organic garden.
Rodale covers all the vital knowledge in the world of gardening. The book contains a skills section that tackles questions like “what is the best way to dig?” and “how should I plant a seed?”
In addition, this gardening book for beginners covers matters like soil, compost, seeds, weeds, and pest control. It is written in an understandable language to ensure it doesn’t confuse novice gardeners.
Further, this book has defined over a hundred basic gardening terms, giving you confidence as you head to your garden. Also, this book contains plant guides, projects, sample garden layouts, and more—it has it all!
Going by the reviews of this gardening book, many readers appreciate how it has helped them in their gardening endeavors, anticipating and answering questions thoroughly.
Before You Go
In the above list, I have discussed the best gardening books that have been very helpful to me and which my fellow gardeners speak highly of. So, pick and run with the one that best suits your gardening needs. Successful gardening!
