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 Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
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The Allotment Book
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £7.44
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
A definitive guide to growing your own, 21 Dec 2008
If you're lucky enough to be allocated a plot (or half-plot) at your local allotment, this guide will quickly get you up to speed with getting the most from your plot.
Designing your plot layout to work best for you and to minimise problems via crop rotation is tackled first, followed by a directory of vegetables to grow (both the usual suspects and more unusual crops) , techniques to use and ending with a guide to the seasonal year are all explained in detail, accompanied by lavish photographs and sprinkled with seasonal recipes. The allotment tradition of recycling anything that comes to hand is also catered for with a number of projects to try throughout the book.
With this guide to hand, you'll have a prize winning plot in half the time and be the envy of all the 'old hands'.
A good start..., 29 Oct 2008
A good guide for anyone new to allotment life. Very picture rich, which help`s a great deal. Packed with practical advise.
It's okay..., 26 Apr 2007
If, like me, you need an allotment book which assumes you know v little, but have already made the decision to work an allotment, don't necessarily put this book at the top of your list. i didn't need a chapter telling me why people have allotments. i didn't need recipes. i didn't need to know that someone has been labeled "the queen of herbs" by jamie oliver. i didn't need a page on bees. i need a book that allows me to look up raspberries, rhubarb, potatoes, courgettes, or whatever, and be directed to a page with everything i needed to know about those fruits/vegetables, plus a section that outlines everything i need to plan for each season. the latter section is here, and it is *almost* acceptable, but it assumes too much prior knowledge. if, like me, you didn't pick up a lifetime's worth of gardening tips from your ancient relatives, e.g. you don't know exactly how to "force" a vegetable, how to prune, etc., then this book isn't the one you need. fair play to the guy - it probably does have a large audience and it's good value for money - but it isn't being marketed at its real audience.
Great for new allotmenteers..., 13 Dec 2006
..I got myself a plot on an organic farm ealrier this year. Apart from growing the odd thing whilst I grew up, I was starting from scratch.
This book doesn't go into great detail about every plant, but it isn't an encyclopaedia of allotment plants so it isn't to be expected.
It does give excellent important notes for plants though and contains information about the whole allotment experience.
There are photographs galore to inpsire allotmenteers, the calendar section has been a godsend to newbies like me, and the recipes section is great too (my wife used his carrot cake recipe and it was gorgeous! Thanks Heather!).
He gives advise on companion planting, composting, storring your harvest, and many more essential matters.
I learn't a lot from reading his book, you can really feel his passion for growing fruit and veg, and this rubs off onto the reader.
Time to get your wellies on.., 01 Sep 2006
I have always wanted to grow my own, but I've never had the confidence to go for it.
This book gives you detailed tables of sowing and planting times, seasonal guides,advice on sellecting what to grow and even the odd recipe too. It is written in a clear and concise fashion, with lots of helpfull (and pretty) photographs.
I particularly like the seasonal guides as they have "Sow Now; Plant Now; In Season Now" in one quick reference column at the start of the "chapter".
It answers every question that a virgin allotment holder could ask. I would highly recommend it.
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
A definitive guide to growing your own, 21 Dec 2008
If you're lucky enough to be allocated a plot (or half-plot) at your local allotment, this guide will quickly get you up to speed with getting the most from your plot.
Designing your plot layout to work best for you and to minimise problems via crop rotation is tackled first, followed by a directory of vegetables to grow (both the usual suspects and more unusual crops) , techniques to use and ending with a guide to the seasonal year are all explained in detail, accompanied by lavish photographs and sprinkled with seasonal recipes. The allotment tradition of recycling anything that comes to hand is also catered for with a number of projects to try throughout the book.
With this guide to hand, you'll have a prize winning plot in half the time and be the envy of all the 'old hands'.
A good start..., 29 Oct 2008
A good guide for anyone new to allotment life. Very picture rich, which help`s a great deal. Packed with practical advise.
It's okay..., 26 Apr 2007
If, like me, you need an allotment book which assumes you know v little, but have already made the decision to work an allotment, don't necessarily put this book at the top of your list. i didn't need a chapter telling me why people have allotments. i didn't need recipes. i didn't need to know that someone has been labeled "the queen of herbs" by jamie oliver. i didn't need a page on bees. i need a book that allows me to look up raspberries, rhubarb, potatoes, courgettes, or whatever, and be directed to a page with everything i needed to know about those fruits/vegetables, plus a section that outlines everything i need to plan for each season. the latter section is here, and it is *almost* acceptable, but it assumes too much prior knowledge. if, like me, you didn't pick up a lifetime's worth of gardening tips from your ancient relatives, e.g. you don't know exactly how to "force" a vegetable, how to prune, etc., then this book isn't the one you need. fair play to the guy - it probably does have a large audience and it's good value for money - but it isn't being marketed at its real audience.
Great for new allotmenteers..., 13 Dec 2006
..I got myself a plot on an organic farm ealrier this year. Apart from growing the odd thing whilst I grew up, I was starting from scratch.
This book doesn't go into great detail about every plant, but it isn't an encyclopaedia of allotment plants so it isn't to be expected.
It does give excellent important notes for plants though and contains information about the whole allotment experience.
There are photographs galore to inpsire allotmenteers, the calendar section has been a godsend to newbies like me, and the recipes section is great too (my wife used his carrot cake recipe and it was gorgeous! Thanks Heather!).
He gives advise on companion planting, composting, storring your harvest, and many more essential matters.
I learn't a lot from reading his book, you can really feel his passion for growing fruit and veg, and this rubs off onto the reader.
Time to get your wellies on.., 01 Sep 2006
I have always wanted to grow my own, but I've never had the confidence to go for it.
This book gives you detailed tables of sowing and planting times, seasonal guides,advice on sellecting what to grow and even the odd recipe too. It is written in a clear and concise fashion, with lots of helpfull (and pretty) photographs.
I particularly like the seasonal guides as they have "Sow Now; Plant Now; In Season Now" in one quick reference column at the start of the "chapter".
It answers every question that a virgin allotment holder could ask. I would highly recommend it.
Fantastic!, 24 Oct 2008
This book is a great basic guide on how to prepare a vegetable bed and advice on how to plant various veg. Cant wait to start planting up my new veg plot next year! :)
A Darn good start, 30 Jul 2008
I have a small back garden, and wanted to plant some veg, but had no idea where to start, what would survive, how much space I'd need & what would grow in small spaces.
This book gave me a darn good start! It gave me an idea of space required per vegetable, what would grow, and, this sumnmer, I have courgettes & pumpkins in my flowerbeds, carrots, peas, beans, beetroot and spinach in big pots, potatoes in tyres and a HUGE amount of enthusiasm for next year!
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Vegetable and Herb Expert
Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days
*Best price found from Amazon Marketplace seller
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*Amazon: £2.90
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
A definitive guide to growing your own, 21 Dec 2008
If you're lucky enough to be allocated a plot (or half-plot) at your local allotment, this guide will quickly get you up to speed with getting the most from your plot.
Designing your plot layout to work best for you and to minimise problems via crop rotation is tackled first, followed by a directory of vegetables to grow (both the usual suspects and more unusual crops) , techniques to use and ending with a guide to the seasonal year are all explained in detail, accompanied by lavish photographs and sprinkled with seasonal recipes. The allotment tradition of recycling anything that comes to hand is also catered for with a number of projects to try throughout the book.
With this guide to hand, you'll have a prize winning plot in half the time and be the envy of all the 'old hands'.
A good start..., 29 Oct 2008
A good guide for anyone new to allotment life. Very picture rich, which help`s a great deal. Packed with practical advise.
It's okay..., 26 Apr 2007
If, like me, you need an allotment book which assumes you know v little, but have already made the decision to work an allotment, don't necessarily put this book at the top of your list. i didn't need a chapter telling me why people have allotments. i didn't need recipes. i didn't need to know that someone has been labeled "the queen of herbs" by jamie oliver. i didn't need a page on bees. i need a book that allows me to look up raspberries, rhubarb, potatoes, courgettes, or whatever, and be directed to a page with everything i needed to know about those fruits/vegetables, plus a section that outlines everything i need to plan for each season. the latter section is here, and it is *almost* acceptable, but it assumes too much prior knowledge. if, like me, you didn't pick up a lifetime's worth of gardening tips from your ancient relatives, e.g. you don't know exactly how to "force" a vegetable, how to prune, etc., then this book isn't the one you need. fair play to the guy - it probably does have a large audience and it's good value for money - but it isn't being marketed at its real audience.
Great for new allotmenteers..., 13 Dec 2006
..I got myself a plot on an organic farm ealrier this year. Apart from growing the odd thing whilst I grew up, I was starting from scratch.
This book doesn't go into great detail about every plant, but it isn't an encyclopaedia of allotment plants so it isn't to be expected.
It does give excellent important notes for plants though and contains information about the whole allotment experience.
There are photographs galore to inpsire allotmenteers, the calendar section has been a godsend to newbies like me, and the recipes section is great too (my wife used his carrot cake recipe and it was gorgeous! Thanks Heather!).
He gives advise on companion planting, composting, storring your harvest, and many more essential matters.
I learn't a lot from reading his book, you can really feel his passion for growing fruit and veg, and this rubs off onto the reader.
Time to get your wellies on.., 01 Sep 2006
I have always wanted to grow my own, but I've never had the confidence to go for it.
This book gives you detailed tables of sowing and planting times, seasonal guides,advice on sellecting what to grow and even the odd recipe too. It is written in a clear and concise fashion, with lots of helpfull (and pretty) photographs.
I particularly like the seasonal guides as they have "Sow Now; Plant Now; In Season Now" in one quick reference column at the start of the "chapter".
It answers every question that a virgin allotment holder could ask. I would highly recommend it.
Fantastic!, 24 Oct 2008
This book is a great basic guide on how to prepare a vegetable bed and advice on how to plant various veg. Cant wait to start planting up my new veg plot next year! :)
A Darn good start, 30 Jul 2008
I have a small back garden, and wanted to plant some veg, but had no idea where to start, what would survive, how much space I'd need & what would grow in small spaces.
This book gave me a darn good start! It gave me an idea of space required per vegetable, what would grow, and, this sumnmer, I have courgettes & pumpkins in my flowerbeds, carrots, peas, beans, beetroot and spinach in big pots, potatoes in tyres and a HUGE amount of enthusiasm for next year!
Proper User Guide for a Veg Plot, 31 May 2008
Too many gardening authors take time out to wax lyrical about seasons and the joys of blackbirds and dew on your runner canes. Their books end up as a decent afternoon's read, but difficult to use when you're trying to work out what's going wrong with your kohlrabi.
This book is different. Veg are listed alphabetically with clear sections on selecting varieties, planting, looking after, harvesting and cooking, with a troubleshooting guide covering disease, pests, storage and the like.
No nonsense, everything you need and easy to find.
The bees knees..., 04 May 2008
Having just started with a vagetable patch in the garden, I was looking for, in effect an "idiot's guide" to vegetable growing (believe me, I needed it !) - this book is marvellous - helpful illustrations,easy to follow layout & packed with information on cultivation, preperation, eating, protecting from pests & diseases, the whole lot.
The herb section is by no means as comprehensive as the veg part of the book, but it has inspired me to grow my own selection of herbs (in one of those very attractive "ornamental" wooden wheelbarrows,my wife's aunty got us for Christmas - bless) & hopefully add something a bit different, interesting & above all, tasty to the garden.
I bought this at the same time as a far glossier, bigger (& more expensive !) book I got from the garden centre - this book beats the more expensive competition hands down. A really great investment, made me burst with horticultural enthusiasm & feel like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's cousin.
Vegetable & Herb Expert by D.G.Hessayon review, 23 Apr 2007
I have always found the Expert Garden range of books to be my most valuable gardening books - clear, simple and easy to find what you want.
Sadly they have not updated to metric units so I can no longer buy them as presents for budding gardeners, since the modern generation only know metric and there is nothing more discouraging than to use a book you cannot understand. I hope they will rectify this before long so that I can continue using them.
Great help to a novice grower, 05 Nov 2006
I got this book when I decided to get my allotment, and I found and still do a great help.
Fantastic pictures are illustrated with the information that goes with them.
The book starts at the beginning which helps if you're a complete novice to vegetable growing.
"Getting started" covers digging and preparing your land, what is the best seeds to buy and how to sow them. This section also covers the importance of crop rotation.
Other section covers the growing of vegetables, covers greenhouse growing, border planting and cover pot and windowsill planting.
Looking after vegetables section covers the dreaded weeding. But it also covers feeding, mulching and watering of the plants; also a section is covered on spotting and dealing with pests.
The book has a section about unusual types of vegetables and how to grow them.
There is a good section on vegetable troubles, how to spot and treat before it starts to do damage to other crops.
Tips on how to preserve and ripen your vegetables and of course to eat them.
This is a great book and if you're thinking of growing your own vegetables like I have done this year, this books it a must
Growing into an expert, 31 Oct 2006
Just moved from London with a shady patio to a country acre, with greenhouse and allotment sized veg patch - and not had to buy a vegetable since March. I was worried gardening was one of those things you couldn't do by book-learning, but of the four tomes I picked up, this is the only one I would use. Brilliant, and inspiring confidence straight away - I'm buying the rest of the series!
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Grow Your Own Veg Journal
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money.
Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C!
Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening.
Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me.
Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny.
Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!!
Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again .
A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that!
Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.)
A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered!
All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again.
Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer!
A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot!
A definitive guide to growing your own, 21 Dec 2008
If you're lucky enough to be allocated a plot (or half-plot) at your local allotment, this guide will quickly get you up to speed with getting the most from your plot.
Designing your plot layout to work best for you and to minimise problems via crop rotation is tackled first, followed by a directory of vegetables to grow (both the usual suspects and more unusual crops) , techniques to use and ending with a guide to the seasonal year are all explained in detail, accompanied by lavish photographs and sprinkled with seasonal recipes. The allotment tradition of recycling anything that comes to hand is also catered for with a number of projects to try throughout the book.
With this guide to hand, you'll have a prize winning plot in half the time and be the envy of all the 'old hands'.
A good start..., 29 Oct 2008
A good guide for anyone new to allotment life. Very picture rich, which help`s a great deal. Packed with practical advise.
It's okay..., 26 Apr 2007
If, like me, you need an allotment book which assumes you know v little, but have already made the decision to work an allotment, don't necessarily put this book at the top of your list. i didn't need a chapter telling me why people have allotments. i didn't need recipes. i didn't need to know that someone has been labeled "the queen of herbs" by jamie oliver. i didn't need a page on bees. i need a book that allows me to look up raspberries, rhubarb, potatoes, courgettes, or whatever, and be directed to a page with everything i needed to know about those fruits/vegetables, plus a section that outlines everything i need to plan for each season. the latter section is here, and it is *almost* acceptable, but it assumes too much prior knowledge. if, like me, you didn't pick up a lifetime's worth of gardening tips from your ancient relatives, e.g. you don't know exactly how to "force" a vegetable, how to prune, etc., then this book isn't the one you need. fair play to the guy - it probably does have a large audience and it's good value for money - but it isn't being marketed at its real audience.
Great for new allotmenteers..., 13 Dec 2006
..I got myself a plot on an organic farm ealrier this year. Apart from growing the odd thing whilst I grew up, I was starting from scratch.
This book doesn't go into great detail about every plant, but it isn't an encyclopaedia of allotment plants so it isn't to be expected.
It does give excellent important notes for plants though and contains information about the whole allotment experience.
There are photographs galore to inpsire allotmenteers, the calendar section has been a godsend to newbies like me, and the recipes section is great too (my wife used his carrot cake recipe and it was gorgeous! Thanks Heather!).
He gives advise on companion planting, composting, storring your harvest, and many more essential matters.
I learn't a lot from reading his book, you can really feel his passion for growing fruit and veg, and this rubs off onto the reader.
Time to get your wellies on.., 01 Sep 2006
I have always wanted to grow my own, but I've never had the confidence to go for it.
This book gives you detailed tables of sowing and planting times, seasonal guides,advice on sellecting what to grow and even the odd recipe too. It is written in a clear and concise fashion, with lots of helpfull (and pretty) photographs.
I particularly like the seasonal guides as they have "Sow Now; Plant Now; In Season Now" in one quick reference column at the start of the "chapter".
It answers every question that a virgin allotment holder could ask. I would highly recommend it.
Fantastic!, 24 Oct 2008
This book is a great basic guide on how to prepare a vegetable bed and advice on how to plant various veg. Cant wait to start planting up my new veg plot next year! :)
A Darn good start, 30 Jul 2008
I have a small back garden, and wanted to plant some veg, but had no idea where to start, what would survive, how much space I'd need & what would grow in small spaces.
This book gave me a darn good start! It gave me an idea of space required per vegetable, what would grow, and, this sumnmer, I have courgettes & pumpkins in my flowerbeds, carrots, peas, beans, beetroot and spinach in big pots, potatoes in tyres and a HUGE amount of enthusiasm for next year!
Proper User Guide for a Veg Plot, 31 May 2008
Too many gardening authors take time out to wax lyrical about seasons and the joys of blackbirds and dew on your runner canes. Their books end up as a decent afternoon's read, but difficult to use when you're trying to work out what's going wrong with your kohlrabi.
This book is different. Veg are listed alphabetically with clear sections on selecting varieties, planting, looking after, harvesting and cooking, with a troubleshooting guide covering disease, pests, storage and the like.
No nonsense, everything you need and easy to find.
The bees knees..., 04 May 2008
Having just started with a vagetable patch in the garden, I was looking for, in effect an "idiot's guide" to vegetable growing (believe me, I needed it !) - this book is marvellous - helpful illustrations,easy to follow layout & packed with information on cultivation, preperation, eating, protecting from pests & diseases, the whole lot.
The herb section is by no means as comprehensive as the veg part of the book, but it has inspired me to grow my own selection of herbs (in one of those very attractive "ornamental" wooden wheelbarrows,my wife's aunty got us for Christmas - bless) & hopefully add something a bit different, interesting & above all, tasty to the garden.
I bought this at the same time as a far glossier, bigger (& more expensive !) book I got from the garden centre - this book beats the more expensive competition hands down. A really great investment, made me burst with horticultural enthusiasm & feel like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's cousin.
Vegetable & Herb Expert by D.G.Hessayon review, 23 Apr 2007
I have always found the Expert Garden range of books to be my most valuable gardening books - clear, simple and easy to find what you want.
Sadly they have not updated to metric units so I can no longer buy them as presents for budding gardeners, since the modern generation only know metric and there is nothing more discouraging than to use a book you cannot understand. I hope they will rectify this before long so that I can continue using them.
Great help to a novice grower, 05 Nov 2006
I got this book when I decided to get my allotment, and I found and still do a great help.
Fantastic pictures are illustrated with the information that goes with them.
The book starts at the beginning which helps if you're a complete novice to vegetable growing.
"Getting started" covers digging and preparing your land, what is the best seeds to buy and how to sow them. This section also covers the importance of crop rotation.
Other section covers the growing of vegetables, covers greenhouse growing, border planting and cover pot and windowsill planting.
Looking after vegetables section covers the dreaded weeding. But it also covers feeding, mulching and watering of the plants; also a section is covered on spotting and dealing with pests.
The book has a section about unusual types of vegetables and how to grow them.
There is a good section on vegetable troubles, how to spot and treat before it starts to do damage to other crops.
Tips on how to preserve and ripen your vegetables and of course to eat them.
This is a great book and if you're thinking of growing your own vegetables like I have done this year, this books it a must
Growing into an expert, 31 Oct 2006
Just moved from London with a shady patio to a country acre, with greenhouse and allotment sized veg patch - and not had to buy a vegetable since March. I was worried gardening was one of those things you couldn't do by book-learning, but of the four tomes I picked up, this is the only one I would use. Brilliant, and inspiring confidence straight away - I'm buying the rest of the series!
Too much of a book and not enough journal, 21 Dec 2008
It's a cut down version of Carol Klein's Grow Your Own Veg book interspersed with a few pages to write your own notes about what you're doing in your garden or on your plot. However, if you want to make detailed notes you'll soon fill up the allotted space, particularly at the busy times of the year such as spring and early summer.
That said, it's probably the best version of a book/journal on the market thus far. However, I'm returning to using a diary to record my gardening efforts, with one of my favourite gardening books to hand for reference purposes.
Exactly what I would want for Christmas, 19 Nov 2008
I am a second-year allotment holder only just getting down to really understanding what I have taken on, and I love this little book. Firstly, it's a journal with blank pages for you to record everything you do, with a page per week. I am hoping it will last at least five years as I only write a few sentences per week, and that will enable me to compare across the years how well/badly I did, what jobs I was doing at what time, etc.
However it also gives a clear summary of "jobs for the month", and it has seasonal recipes from Carol's collection, and it's also really full of useful info (e.g. pages on "chitting potatoes" and "blanching vegetables" ) which will be a shortcut reminder of all the careful advice contained in the big Grow Your Own book.
However DO note that this isn't that book - I think perhaps the first reviewer on here got confused and that's why his wife was disappointed. This is a much smaller book that you could take with you to the allotment to note down where you planted your onions etc, to fold seed packets and planting plans into (it has a useful orange elastic to keep all that stuff in there too - and a wipeable cover, for muddy fingers...).
Honestly if I got this for Christmas I would be soooo pleased, and it's nice and cheap too!
Wife Dissapointed, 31 Oct 2008
I ordered this book for my wife.
On impulse I also ordered the Amazon recommended book:
Vegetable Growing Month-By-Month; - John Harrison.
My wife tells me that this book is far more helpful.
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Grow Your Own Vegetables
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Customer Reviews
Only 45 pages of 'Month by Month', 05 Jan 2009
I managed to get round to reading this over Christmas, and it was a massive disappointment. Out of the 12 or so chapters, there is actualy only one Chapter which goes over what to plant or do on a month by month basis. The rest is an overview of equipment, techniques, etc. I would suggest you save your mony and buy a Joy Larkin instead. Much better value for money. Ok as a basic reference, 20 Dec 2008
I found the book very bland and after 10 minutes it was up on the shelf. For a few more quid I would recommend getting something from Alan Titmarsh with nice pictures of fruit and veg that make you want to go out and do some gardening when it is -5°C! Written with a passion for Vegetables., 13 Dec 2008
I can only echo the observations of most other readers. A great value no frills book packed with knowledge. Written by a genuine kithchen gardener. As a horticultural lecturer this is one book I would recommend to those new to vegetable gardening. Just brill, 09 Dec 2008
I hadn't a clue until I got this book, but now I am a lot wiser as to what to do and when to do it. I recommend this book to any fresher like me. Value for money, 24 Nov 2008
This is an excellent purchase, what would you get for under a fiver nowadays? As a novice gardener I found the chapters on planning the gardening year and getting the most from your land absolutely vital.This guide covers the basics in a very comprehensive manner indeed and although a little lacking in the visual side of things the quality of information contained more than compensates.The brief guide to vegetables is excellent and I can safely say this guide will continue to be used as a reference even after my garden is well established.Worth every penny. Fabulous book for the beginner or more experienced grower, 25 Dec 2008
I have been after this book for quite a while (at the right price!) and when it arrived I was not disappointed.
Alan sets out the rationale for growing your own and from there gives advise on design, planning, growing in pots, crop rotation, sowing seeds, watering and then, an extensive A-Z of veg and fruit covering ease of growing, how to grow and harvesting. Everything you need to know.
The thing I particulalry like about this book, is it covers both veg and fruit, whereas others I have looked at have only covered one or the other.
I agree with other reviewers on the absence of companion planting and organic methodologies, but is a large tome, even with these things absent. As an introduction to growing your own your food, it gets a thumbs up from me. Once you've started and have a bit of experience, then look at the other areas. But don't wait, buy this book and get going!! Very thorough , 02 Dec 2008
Because this book is a bit on the large side and has some fantastic photos it seems to double as a coffee table book and an instruction manual . Its an excellent book and Alan Titchmarsh is at his best here .
The first sixty or so pages is concerned with what Alan calls the ground rules and you get advice on everything from planning and design to feeding and composting . The rest of the book contains the directory where you get a run down on all the common fruit veg and herbs found in most gardens . Now this is pretty comprehensive so expect a little information overload . But personally I think its great to have all this info under the one cover . Definitely a book I will continue to refer to again and again . A great book!, 05 Oct 2008
I was given this book as a gift and thoroughly enjoyed it. I concur with other reviewers so won't waffle on about how good it is. Why only 4 stars? There's nothing on the importance of companion planting when using organic methods and without this, my veg patch wouldn't survive. This info can be researched elsewhere, so other than that, I would recommend this book, especially for a beginner. I'm just about to buy another copy for my best friend who is just that! Good but slighly flawed, 05 Aug 2008
No one (apart from the late, great Geoff Hamilton) does gardening books for beginners like Alan Titchmarsh. Plenty of practical, common sense advice delivered in an encouraging but non-patronizing tone to reassure the total novice. Clear text together with a good 'directory' of fruit & veg make this ideal for the newcomer to the veg patch. This book could have been improved by fewer photos of Titchmarsh and more clearly captioned pictures of gardening tasks/pests & diseases/plant cultivars etc. I was also irritated by his statement that organic matter such as manure or compost is insufficient to maintain healthy soil without the addition of a general purpose fertilizer. This is total nonsense & an irresponsible statement from a celebrity gardener who claims to be organic. I was also disappointed by his advice to store rainwater for use 'during hosepipe bans'. Again, I would expect an 'organic' gardener to be encouraging the maximum use of rain & 'grey' water at all times. But apart from these minor quibbles, this book would be an ideal companion for the first time veg grower. (Those with more experience will probably prefer Joy Larkcom's Grow Your Own Veg book instead.) A Fruit and Veg 'Bible', 01 Aug 2008
An absolute pleasure to browse through and a thorough 'how to' guide. Clearly laid out. Doubt it could be bettered! All you need to know about preserving., 31 Oct 2008
Good, informative and really helpful book. Packed full of helpful hints and tips. Very useful and I'll be dipping into it time again. Essential Reading, 30 Jul 2008
An essential guide for everyone who is a gardener who wants to preserve their own produce.
Indispensable guide, 19 Jul 2008
How did I manage without this book? My colleagues at work regularly share our surplus produce from our gardens and allotments. This book has provided much needed inspiration for us. The plum chutney recipe is a real winner! The second edition is much improved with many more recipes.
I shall not be short of ideas this summer! A useful reference book, 10 Jul 2008
This is a very useful reference book and whilst some of the advice might not be practical for some of us, it is nevertheless very interesting.
My copy is very well thumbed!
Even if you do not anticipate a glut of a particular vegetable at the moment, you never know what the next season's weather will bring. Maybe this WILL be a good year for beetroot! A definitive guide to growing your own, 21 Dec 2008
If you're lucky enough to be allocated a plot (or half-plot) at your local allotment, this guide will quickly get you up to speed with getting the most from your plot.
Designing your plot layout to work best for you and to minimise problems via crop rotation is tackled first, followed by a directory of vegetables to grow (both the usual suspects and more unusual crops) , techniques to use and ending with a guide to the seasonal year are all explained in detail, accompanied by lavish photographs and sprinkled with seasonal recipes. The allotment tradition of recycling anything that comes to hand is also catered for with a number of projects to try throughout the book.
With this guide to hand, you'll have a prize winning plot in half the time and be the envy of all the 'old hands'. A good start..., 29 Oct 2008
A good guide for anyone new to allotment life. Very picture rich, which help`s a great deal. Packed with practical advise. It's okay..., 26 Apr 2007
If, like me, you need an allotment book which assumes you know v little, but have already made the decision to work an allotment, don't necessarily put this book at the top of your list. i didn't need a chapter telling me why people have allotments. i didn't need recipes. i didn't need to know that someone has been labeled "the queen of herbs" by jamie oliver. i didn't need a page on bees. i need a book that allows me to look up raspberries, rhubarb, potatoes, courgettes, or whatever, and be directed to a page with everything i needed to know about those fruits/vegetables, plus a section that outlines everything i need to plan for each season. the latter section is here, and it is *almost* acceptable, but it assumes too much prior knowledge. if, like me, you didn't pick up a lifetime's worth of gardening tips from your ancient relatives, e.g. you don't know exactly how to "force" a vegetable, how to prune, etc., then this book isn't the one you need. fair play to the guy - it probably does have a large audience and it's good value for money - but it isn't being marketed at its real audience. Great for new allotmenteers..., 13 Dec 2006
..I got myself a plot on an organic farm ealrier this year. Apart from growing the odd thing whilst I grew up, I was starting from scratch.
This book doesn't go into great detail about every plant, but it isn't an encyclopaedia of allotment plants so it isn't to be expected.
It does give excellent important notes for plants though and contains information about the whole allotment experience.
There are photographs galore to inpsire allotmenteers, the calendar section has been a godsend to newbies like me, and the recipes section is great too (my wife used his carrot cake recipe and it was gorgeous! Thanks Heather!).
He gives advise on companion planting, composting, storring your harvest, and many more essential matters.
I learn't a lot from reading his book, you can really feel his passion for growing fruit and veg, and this rubs off onto the reader. Time to get your wellies on.., 01 Sep 2006
I have always wanted to grow my own, but I've never had the confidence to go for it.
This book gives you detailed tables of sowing and planting times, seasonal guides,advice on sellecting what to grow and even the odd recipe too. It is written in a clear and concise fashion, with lots of helpfull (and pretty) photographs.
I particularly like the seasonal guides as they have "Sow Now; Plant Now; In Season Now" in one quick reference column at the start of the "chapter".
It answers every question that a virgin allotment holder could ask. I would highly recommend it. Fantastic!, 24 Oct 2008
This book is a great basic guide on how to prepare a vegetable bed and advice on how to plant various veg. Cant wait to start planting up my new veg plot next year! :) A Darn good start, 30 Jul 2008
I have a small back garden, and wanted to plant some veg, but had no idea where to start, what would survive, how much space I'd need & what would grow in small spaces.
This book gave me a darn good start! It gave me an idea of space required per vegetable, what would grow, and, this sumnmer, I have courgettes & pumpkins in my flowerbeds, carrots, peas, beans, beetroot and spinach in big pots, potatoes in tyres and a HUGE amount of enthusiasm for next year! Proper User Guide for a Veg Plot, 31 May 2008
Too many gardening authors take time out to wax lyrical about seasons and the joys of blackbirds and dew on your runner canes. Their books end up as a decent afternoon's read, but difficult to use when you're trying to work out what's going wrong with your kohlrabi.
This book is different. Veg are listed alphabetically with clear sections on selecting varieties, planting, looking after, harvesting and cooking, with a troubleshooting guide covering disease, pests, storage and the like.
No nonsense, everything you need and easy to find. The bees knees..., 04 May 2008
Having just started with a vagetable patch in the garden, I was looking for, in effect an "idiot's guide" to vegetable growing (believe me, I needed it !) - this book is marvellous - helpful illustrations,easy to follow layout & packed with information on cultivation, preperation, eating, protecting from pests & diseases, the whole lot.
The herb section is by no means as comprehensive as the veg part of the book, but it has inspired me to grow my own selection of herbs (in one of those very attractive "ornamental" wooden wheelbarrows,my wife's aunty got us for Christmas - bless) & hopefully add something a bit different, interesting & above all, tasty to the garden.
I bought this at the same time as a far glossier, bigger (& more expensive !) book I got from the garden centre - this book beats the more expensive competition hands down. A really great investment, made me burst with horticultural enthusiasm & feel like Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's cousin.
Vegetable & Herb Expert by D.G.Hessayon review, 23 Apr 2007
I have always found the Expert Garden range of books to be my most valuable gardening books - clear, simple and easy to find what you want.
Sadly they have not updated to metric units so I can no longer buy them as presents for budding gardeners, since the modern generation only know metric and there is nothing more discouraging than to use a book you cannot understand. I hope they will rectify this before long so that I can continue using them. Great help to a novice grower, 05 Nov 2006
I got this book when I decided to get my allotment, and I found and still do a great help.
Fantastic pictures are illustrated with the information that goes with them.
The book starts at the beginning which helps if you're a complete novice to vegetable growing.
"Getting started" covers digging and preparing your land, what is the best seeds to buy and how to sow them. This section also covers the importance of crop rotation.
Other section covers the growing of vegetables, covers greenhouse growing, border planting and cover pot and windowsill planting.
Looking after vegetables section covers the dreaded weeding. But it also covers feeding, mulching and watering of the plants; also a section is covered on spotting and dealing with pests.
The book has a section about unusual types of vegetables and how to grow them.
There is a good section on vegetable troubles, how to spot and treat before it starts to do damage to other crops.
Tips on how to preserve and ripen your vegetables and of course to eat them.
This is a great book and if you're thinking of growing your own vegetables like I have done this year, this books it a must
Growing into an expert, 31 Oct 2006
Just moved from London with a shady patio to a country acre, with greenhouse and allotment sized veg patch - and not had to buy a vegetable since March. I was worried gardening was one of those things you couldn't do by book-learning, but of the four tomes I picked up, this is the only one I would use. Brilliant, and inspiring confidence straight away - I'm buying the rest of the series!
Too much of a book and not enough journal, 21 Dec 2008
It's a cut down version of Carol Klein's Grow Your Own Veg book interspersed with a few pages to write your own notes about what you're doing in your garden or on your plot. However, if you want to make detailed notes you'll soon fill up the allotted space, particularly at the busy times of the year such as spring and early summer.
That said, it's probably the best version of a book/journal on the market thus far. However, I'm returning to using a diary to record my gardening efforts, with one of my favourite gardening books to hand for reference purposes. Exactly what I would want for Christmas, 19 Nov 2008
I am a second-year allotment holder only just getting down to really understanding what I have taken on, and I love this little book. Firstly, it's a journal with blank pages for you to record everything you do, with a page per week. I am hoping it will last at least five years as I only write a few sentences per week, and that will enable me to compare across the years how well/badly I did, what jobs I was doing at what time, etc.
However it also gives a clear summary of "jobs for the month", and it has seasonal recipes from Carol's collection, and it's also really full of useful info (e.g. pages on "chitting potatoes" and "blanching vegetables" ) which will be a shortcut reminder of all the careful advice contained in the big Grow Your Own book.
However DO note that this isn't that book - I think perhaps the first reviewer on here got confused and that's why his wife was disappointed. This is a much smaller book that you could take with you to the allotment to note down where you planted your onions etc, to fold seed packets and planting plans into (it has a useful orange elastic to keep all that stuff in there too - and a wipeable cover, for muddy fingers...).
Honestly if I got this for Christmas I would be soooo pleased, and it's nice and cheap too! Wife Dissapointed, 31 Oct 2008
I ordered this book for my wife.
On impulse I also ordered the Amazon recommended book:
Vegetable Growing Month-By-Month; - John Harrison.
My wife tells me that this book is far more helpful. Good start, 29 Jul 2008
Although this book has a lot of 5 star reviews I feel that it is slightly lacking for the modern gardener. This book did not tell me everything I wanted to know such as what to do with crops at the end of the season, and has no photographs, only sketches. Whilst a good book, I feel there are better available! from novice to experienced -worth it, 30 Mar 2008
Bought this book 2 plus yrs ago. Brilliant. I admit was initially sad by lack of colour pictures!! but as time has gone on and have now managed to dig most of my veg. plot (rather than stare at it in hope) and made time to plan, this book has been invaluable. There's loads of info. on the web (some a little confusing and a little conflicting) but Ms Larkcom's info. is steadfast and logical and is my first and sometimes, only, port of call. It's a valuable reference for both new and experienced allotment keepers. I've given away my glossy, pretty, fairly useless allotment books and kept to hand this superbly informative and helpful reference. Cheers Ms Larkcom, it was worth every penny. Beginners guide to reference in one volume., 16 Dec 2007
Ever wondered how to build a compost heap? a polytunnel? how to store leeks? when to sow Russian kale? Joy Larkcom's not so little volume will tell you. If Hugh and Monty have inspired you then Joy will deal with all the practicalities of turning that inspiration into real produce.
She neatly divides her subject into two parts. The first half of her book can be read as beginner's guide or a course on vegetable growing as she covers all the basics one would need to know such as what double digging is, the best way to build compost heaps, what tools you would need and so forth. The second half is a directory of vegetables with detailed sowing, cultivation and harvesting instructions and the occasional hints on using your produce. Throughout the book are a number of very useful tables and charts giving diaries of when to sow, transplant, harvest, etc, suggested garden layouts, green manures and other information which could usually take a long time to gather together.
This is not a coffee table gardening book with masses of pretty pictures. This is wall to wall information all packed into a single place which can make it heavy going and it is not a book to read starting at page one and working forward, it is primarily a reference work. The greatest virtue of her book though is that while it will teach you all you need to know it is usable as a reference work and she goes into enough detail that this is a book which you will still find yourself using when you have years of experience.
If you've been inspired to create your own vegetable garden then buy this book. It isn't pretty but it is astoundingly useful and comprehensive enough that you will still be using it years hence. If you buy one book about growing veg, buy this one, 20 Jun 2007
As a new vegetable gardener last year, I bought quite a few books to help me get started. Fortunately, this was one of them, and I now realise I need only have bought this one. Although low on colour pictures and other 'glossy' features, it is absolutely packed with useful information and I find I refer to it constantly. It covers a wider range of veg than many other books, too, and has several excellent features, including the value for space ratio mentioned in another review, and several excellent planting plans ('feed a family', etc). I just can't recommend it highly enough. Valuable but not complete, 25 Feb 2006
What I love about this book is the size, like a 'normal', paperback, novel type of book which makes it easier to carry than most other gardening books. It's got a lot of information on lots of subjects. The section on 'soil, manure and compost' alone has over 35 pages. The absence of pictures on every page means there's more information. There are charts on things such as green manures, which is very useful. Also a very useful section on growing Comfrey to use as manure and liquid fertilizer and lots of tips on making your own compost heap, cloches, polytunnels, etc. It's very, very good, and comes highly recommended... HOWEVER, I was surprised and disappointed not to have found any information whatsoever on companion planting. Something I'm very interested in, and for a book that advocates growing organically, I just can't understand why this hasn't had a mention. Perhaps companion planting to some gardeners is similar to how homeopathy stands with scientists, but leading gardeners such as Bob Flowerdew have devoted much of their writing to just this and it's becoming more and more popular (although it goes back to ancient times). At one point, Joy Larkcom suggests growing sunflowers, sweet peas and nasturtiums amongst beans, but merely cites the reason as being for 'decorative effect'. These plants are great to grow together, but for other benificial reasons. It wouldn't have taken much space to provide a chart.
There are also no tips on how to deal with pests if you'd rather not kill them, and not a mention within the composting pages on not to use processed foods in the heap, even though there's a 'do and don't' list. Perhaps the author eats so healthily that she has forgotten that many people do eat biscuits, crisps and other non-cooked 'junk', even those who want to grow their own.
I also would loved to have seen some information on how to grow hazel or bamboo on an allotment to provide a free supply of cane supports. There is detailed information on each vegetable, how to grow, how to look after the crop, the type of soil required, etc. Very useful, but if you find it easier to learn visually, to me there is no substitute for the clarity of the Dr. G. Hessayon 'Expert' series. One other point on clarity, the index is not the easiest to read.
That said, this book is very useful and has more information packed in than most other gardening books of this kind. Other than these points, it is hard to fault and impressive and I would recommend it, but don't think it's quite that 'ultimate' book that everyone else claims it to be. I shall use it, but alongside others.
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