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!

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

A Handbook for Horticultural Students, 31 Aug 2008
I used this book for my RHS General Certificate Level 2, and found it to be invaluable. It is accurate, follows the syllabus, well written and all 24 members of my class had a copy. Just like any in depth course it is as well to have other books on specialised topics but I would not have been without this one. I bought mine off Amazon. It is the recommended book for this and the diploma course at almost all colleges, what more can I say.

An Aid to Revision, 02 Jan 2008
I used this to revise for my RHS General Cert course in 2000.
Excellent for that purpose, as it gives concise summaries, relates to the syllabus (check which edition you buy! Not always obvious on the Amazon book site) and self-test sections reveal how much you really know!
Personally I did not use it as an intro to horticulture as I wanted to learn the subject, not simply cram myself through an exam (and I doubt it will do that for you anyway). I have over 2 metres of bookshelf on the detail, many via Amazon, plus about 200 hours of personal note-taking and handouts including a vast bibliography, from course tutor, C M Walkden. Also access to Writtle College Library was invaluable.
I still refer to the Handbook for guidance.

A handbook to mislead horticultural students, 10 Oct 2007
A promising sounding title to anyone who wishes to study horticulture, but the book is flawed, inaccurate and misleading. There must be better books out there. Don't be fooled by the helpful sounding title.






An Excellent Introductory Text, 15 May 2006
I used this book when studying for the RHS General Certificate and found it to be excellent for that purpose.
The book is A4 in size and has the feel of a lecturers own personal notes. The text is large with useful diagrams and summaries. This text is a general introduction and as such is not detailed enough for students on the more advanced RHS courses.

A good basic introduction for horticulture students, 11 Nov 2000
I have recently completed a BSc (HONS) in Horticulture and found this book to be a useful (basic)introduction to the subject. The book covers many of the important topics covered in more scientific detail in the degree. However, the book would be most useful to diploma students, or, for people considering doing a course on the subject and keen to find out more.

According to Don and Petie Kladstrup in Wine & War: the Battle for France's Greatest Treasure, it was a well-known fact that Adolf Hitler did not like wine. Still, their leader's teetotalism notwithstanding, the Germans showed no distaste for French wine when they invaded France in 1940. Indeed, one of the first acts of the occupying army was to seize great stores of wine, sending tens of thousands of barrels to the Third Reich and ordering the conversion of thousands of hectares of vineyards into war production. Some French vintners, the Kladstrups write in this enjoyable study, went along with orders. Many others, however, including the heads of distinguished houses like Moe¨t et Chandon, engaged in daring and dangerous acts of resistance wherever they could. Some lied about their yields; others built false walls to hide precious vintages; and still others concocted elaborate ruses, such as sprinkling carpet dust into inferior grades of new wine to give it a musty, distinguished flavour. Not every German was fooled, and some partisans of the grape died for their troubles. But some Germans, at considerable risk to themselves, also looked the other way. The Kladstrups fill their pages with memories of the wine war from both sides of the struggle, stories sometimes sombre, sometimes amusing, that commemorate those "whose love of the grape and devotion to a way of life helped them survive and triumph over one of the darkest and most difficult chapters in French history". --Gregory McNamee

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

A Handbook for Horticultural Students, 31 Aug 2008
I used this book for my RHS General Certificate Level 2, and found it to be invaluable. It is accurate, follows the syllabus, well written and all 24 members of my class had a copy. Just like any in depth course it is as well to have other books on specialised topics but I would not have been without this one. I bought mine off Amazon. It is the recommended book for this and the diploma course at almost all colleges, what more can I say.

An Aid to Revision, 02 Jan 2008
I used this to revise for my RHS General Cert course in 2000.
Excellent for that purpose, as it gives concise summaries, relates to the syllabus (check which edition you buy! Not always obvious on the Amazon book site) and self-test sections reveal how much you really know!
Personally I did not use it as an intro to horticulture as I wanted to learn the subject, not simply cram myself through an exam (and I doubt it will do that for you anyway). I have over 2 metres of bookshelf on the detail, many via Amazon, plus about 200 hours of personal note-taking and handouts including a vast bibliography, from course tutor, C M Walkden. Also access to Writtle College Library was invaluable.
I still refer to the Handbook for guidance.

A handbook to mislead horticultural students, 10 Oct 2007
A promising sounding title to anyone who wishes to study horticulture, but the book is flawed, inaccurate and misleading. There must be better books out there. Don't be fooled by the helpful sounding title.






An Excellent Introductory Text, 15 May 2006
I used this book when studying for the RHS General Certificate and found it to be excellent for that purpose.
The book is A4 in size and has the feel of a lecturers own personal notes. The text is large with useful diagrams and summaries. This text is a general introduction and as such is not detailed enough for students on the more advanced RHS courses.

A good basic introduction for horticulture students, 11 Nov 2000
I have recently completed a BSc (HONS) in Horticulture and found this book to be a useful (basic)introduction to the subject. The book covers many of the important topics covered in more scientific detail in the degree. However, the book would be most useful to diploma students, or, for people considering doing a course on the subject and keen to find out more.

Revealing review of a small part of French resistance, 05 Jul 2008
Fascinating read about the desperate position the French vineyard owners found themselves in during the Second World War. With Nazis determined to pillage the vineyards, the owners resorted to every trick possible to protect their assets. With experience of defeating phylloxera in the 19th century and the preceding world war, the vineyard owners had developed a knack of finding ways to survive. The book describes an eclectic collection of motives and actions that helped the wine industry survive occupation.

A slight downside is the purely factual account of events. This creates a book that is somewhat disjointed in places, with little attempt to create a story that holds the piece together. Fascinating historical journalism, but more rhetoric may have added to the book.

Vive Les Vins Francais, 08 May 2005
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was factual and informative and despite being set in depressing times, an underlying humour and deviance is never far from the surface. The book is perfect for amateur wine buffs (like me) and amateur historians (like me) who are interested in daily life during World War Two. The ingenuity of the French was amazing but, after all, they were protecting their greatest asset. By the end of this book Vichy france does not come out too well but at least france lived to fight another day with her vineyards pretty much intact. Vive La France.

Judged the book by the cover and loved it, 02 Oct 2002
I really enjoyed this book - great day-in-the-life and historical perspectives of the French and France during wartime. Particularly amusing to read about French forces determining which soldiers should attack through excellent vineyards (themselves) and which would attack through lesser ones (everyone else)...
Highly enjoyable.

A highly enjoyable account the French wine industry in WW2, 05 Sep 2001
This is an amusing, but poignant account of how the French wine industry coped with the Nazi occupation (the telegrams from the French station master to his German superior had me laughing out loud!). Despite the humour it stills manages to convey the fear and hardships which were imposed on the people of France. It reads almost like a novel but each chapter is based upon interviews with the people involved. If you want an 'academic' study this is not for you, but for people who enjoy their history in a more 'relaxed' style I highly recommend this.

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

A Handbook for Horticultural Students, 31 Aug 2008
I used this book for my RHS General Certificate Level 2, and found it to be invaluable. It is accurate, follows the syllabus, well written and all 24 members of my class had a copy. Just like any in depth course it is as well to have other books on specialised topics but I would not have been without this one. I bought mine off Amazon. It is the recommended book for this and the diploma course at almost all colleges, what more can I say.

An Aid to Revision, 02 Jan 2008
I used this to revise for my RHS General Cert course in 2000.
Excellent for that purpose, as it gives concise summaries, relates to the syllabus (check which edition you buy! Not always obvious on the Amazon book site) and self-test sections reveal how much you really know!
Personally I did not use it as an intro to horticulture as I wanted to learn the subject, not simply cram myself through an exam (and I doubt it will do that for you anyway). I have over 2 metres of bookshelf on the detail, many via Amazon, plus about 200 hours of personal note-taking and handouts including a vast bibliography, from course tutor, C M Walkden. Also access to Writtle College Library was invaluable.
I still refer to the Handbook for guidance.

A handbook to mislead horticultural students, 10 Oct 2007
A promising sounding title to anyone who wishes to study horticulture, but the book is flawed, inaccurate and misleading. There must be better books out there. Don't be fooled by the helpful sounding title.






An Excellent Introductory Text, 15 May 2006
I used this book when studying for the RHS General Certificate and found it to be excellent for that purpose.
The book is A4 in size and has the feel of a lecturers own personal notes. The text is large with useful diagrams and summaries. This text is a general introduction and as such is not detailed enough for students on the more advanced RHS courses.

A good basic introduction for horticulture students, 11 Nov 2000
I have recently completed a BSc (HONS) in Horticulture and found this book to be a useful (basic)introduction to the subject. The book covers many of the important topics covered in more scientific detail in the degree. However, the book would be most useful to diploma students, or, for people considering doing a course on the subject and keen to find out more.

Revealing review of a small part of French resistance, 05 Jul 2008
Fascinating read about the desperate position the French vineyard owners found themselves in during the Second World War. With Nazis determined to pillage the vineyards, the owners resorted to every trick possible to protect their assets. With experience of defeating phylloxera in the 19th century and the preceding world war, the vineyard owners had developed a knack of finding ways to survive. The book describes an eclectic collection of motives and actions that helped the wine industry survive occupation.

A slight downside is the purely factual account of events. This creates a book that is somewhat disjointed in places, with little attempt to create a story that holds the piece together. Fascinating historical journalism, but more rhetoric may have added to the book.

Vive Les Vins Francais, 08 May 2005
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was factual and informative and despite being set in depressing times, an underlying humour and deviance is never far from the surface. The book is perfect for amateur wine buffs (like me) and amateur historians (like me) who are interested in daily life during World War Two. The ingenuity of the French was amazing but, after all, they were protecting their greatest asset. By the end of this book Vichy france does not come out too well but at least france lived to fight another day with her vineyards pretty much intact. Vive La France.

Judged the book by the cover and loved it, 02 Oct 2002
I really enjoyed this book - great day-in-the-life and historical perspectives of the French and France during wartime. Particularly amusing to read about French forces determining which soldiers should attack through excellent vineyards (themselves) and which would attack through lesser ones (everyone else)...
Highly enjoyable.

A highly enjoyable account the French wine industry in WW2, 05 Sep 2001
This is an amusing, but poignant account of how the French wine industry coped with the Nazi occupation (the telegrams from the French station master to his German superior had me laughing out loud!). Despite the humour it stills manages to convey the fear and hardships which were imposed on the people of France. It reads almost like a novel but each chapter is based upon interviews with the people involved. If you want an 'academic' study this is not for you, but for people who enjoy their history in a more 'relaxed' style I highly recommend this.

THE outstanding guide for UK apples, 28 Jan 2005
I have not found a better book for those interested in apples in the UK. There is an excellent potted history, plus details of many apples varieties local and foreign. A brief guide to growing apples at the back tells you most of what you know to start a small orchard.

The descriptions of the apple varieties are what makes this book outstanding. They include details of history, appearance, flavour, shape and so on - enough not only to help identify and apple, but also to help you choose one to grow. For instance, the entry on Ashmead's Kernel gives a brief decription of its development by a Gloucester physician, describes its taste as "strong, sweet-sharp intese flavour reminiscent of fruit or acid drops", talks a bit about what it's grown for, comprehensive details of appearance, picking and storage dates. There is also a drawing to help in identification.

The one downfall of the book is the shortage of apple pictures. There are only 32 plates, all of which show apples of great interest in this country - but a poor showing nonetheless. Obviously it would require a mammoth effort to provide pictures of over 2000 apples, but a more comprehensive photo directory would have been useful. Failing that, they might have mentioned that pictures of many apples are available on the Brogdale webiste (referenced in the back - but failing to mention the availability of descriptions and photos on the website).

Although 2000+ seems a lot, there are a lot of UK apples missing. I would also have preferred that they concentrate on full coverage of the UK (for instance, they are missing several of our local cider apples), and omit some of the foreign apples.

However, this is still a great book for what it does do, and well worth having if you have even a few trees.

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

A Handbook for Horticultural Students, 31 Aug 2008
I used this book for my RHS General Certificate Level 2, and found it to be invaluable. It is accurate, follows the syllabus, well written and all 24 members of my class had a copy. Just like any in depth course it is as well to have other books on specialised topics but I would not have been without this one. I bought mine off Amazon. It is the recommended book for this and the diploma course at almost all colleges, what more can I say.

An Aid to Revision, 02 Jan 2008
I used this to revise for my RHS General Cert course in 2000.
Excellent for that purpose, as it gives concise summaries, relates to the syllabus (check which edition you buy! Not always obvious on the Amazon book site) and self-test sections reveal how much you really know!
Personally I did not use it as an intro to horticulture as I wanted to learn the subject, not simply cram myself through an exam (and I doubt it will do that for you anyway). I have over 2 metres of bookshelf on the detail, many via Amazon, plus about 200 hours of personal note-taking and handouts including a vast bibliography, from course tutor, C M Walkden. Also access to Writtle College Library was invaluable.
I still refer to the Handbook for guidance.

A handbook to mislead horticultural students, 10 Oct 2007
A promising sounding title to anyone who wishes to study horticulture, but the book is flawed, inaccurate and misleading. There must be better books out there. Don't be fooled by the helpful sounding title.






An Excellent Introductory Text, 15 May 2006
I used this book when studying for the RHS General Certificate and found it to be excellent for that purpose.
The book is A4 in size and has the feel of a lecturers own personal notes. The text is large with useful diagrams and summaries. This text is a general introduction and as such is not detailed enough for students on the more advanced RHS courses.

A good basic introduction for horticulture students, 11 Nov 2000
I have recently completed a BSc (HONS) in Horticulture and found this book to be a useful (basic)introduction to the subject. The book covers many of the important topics covered in more scientific detail in the degree. However, the book would be most useful to diploma students, or, for people considering doing a course on the subject and keen to find out more.

Revealing review of a small part of French resistance, 05 Jul 2008
Fascinating read about the desperate position the French vineyard owners found themselves in during the Second World War. With Nazis determined to pillage the vineyards, the owners resorted to every trick possible to protect their assets. With experience of defeating phylloxera in the 19th century and the preceding world war, the vineyard owners had developed a knack of finding ways to survive. The book describes an eclectic collection of motives and actions that helped the wine industry survive occupation.

A slight downside is the purely factual account of events. This creates a book that is somewhat disjointed in places, with little attempt to create a story that holds the piece together. Fascinating historical journalism, but more rhetoric may have added to the book.

Vive Les Vins Francais, 08 May 2005
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was factual and informative and despite being set in depressing times, an underlying humour and deviance is never far from the surface. The book is perfect for amateur wine buffs (like me) and amateur historians (like me) who are interested in daily life during World War Two. The ingenuity of the French was amazing but, after all, they were protecting their greatest asset. By the end of this book Vichy france does not come out too well but at least france lived to fight another day with her vineyards pretty much intact. Vive La France.

Judged the book by the cover and loved it, 02 Oct 2002
I really enjoyed this book - great day-in-the-life and historical perspectives of the French and France during wartime. Particularly amusing to read about French forces determining which soldiers should attack through excellent vineyards (themselves) and which would attack through lesser ones (everyone else)...
Highly enjoyable.

A highly enjoyable account the French wine industry in WW2, 05 Sep 2001
This is an amusing, but poignant account of how the French wine industry coped with the Nazi occupation (the telegrams from the French station master to his German superior had me laughing out loud!). Despite the humour it stills manages to convey the fear and hardships which were imposed on the people of France. It reads almost like a novel but each chapter is based upon interviews with the people involved. If you want an 'academic' study this is not for you, but for people who enjoy their history in a more 'relaxed' style I highly recommend this.

THE outstanding guide for UK apples, 28 Jan 2005
I have not found a better book for those interested in apples in the UK. There is an excellent potted history, plus details of many apples varieties local and foreign. A brief guide to growing apples at the back tells you most of what you know to start a small orchard.

The descriptions of the apple varieties are what makes this book outstanding. They include details of history, appearance, flavour, shape and so on - enough not only to help identify and apple, but also to help you choose one to grow. For instance, the entry on Ashmead's Kernel gives a brief decription of its development by a Gloucester physician, describes its taste as "strong, sweet-sharp intese flavour reminiscent of fruit or acid drops", talks a bit about what it's grown for, comprehensive details of appearance, picking and storage dates. There is also a drawing to help in identification.

The one downfall of the book is the shortage of apple pictures. There are only 32 plates, all of which show apples of great interest in this country - but a poor showing nonetheless. Obviously it would require a mammoth effort to provide pictures of over 2000 apples, but a more comprehensive photo directory would have been useful. Failing that, they might have mentioned that pictures of many apples are available on the Brogdale webiste (referenced in the back - but failing to mention the availability of descriptions and photos on the website).

Although 2000+ seems a lot, there are a lot of UK apples missing. I would also have preferred that they concentrate on full coverage of the UK (for instance, they are missing several of our local cider apples), and omit some of the foreign apples.

However, this is still a great book for what it does do, and well worth having if you have even a few trees.

Easy to read - a good introduction, 07 Nov 2007
This book reminds me of the kind of gardening book my Grannie would have used.

It's laid out in an easy-to-follow style and Diana Galligan's writing is chatty and inviting. She gives plenty of straightforward advice on everything from how to look after a vegetable plot to what to plant when and how to store it (very useful).

There are no photographs, but the centre fold-out pages have plenty of colour sketches of vegetables common vegetables, which are olde worlde and quite endearing.

I'd have loved a little more detailed information - for example what exactly is meant by "early autumn" vs "late autumn", but I'm sure I'd work it out.

Being quite a small book makes it easy to dip into to learn a bit at a time. I find larger books can be a bit overwhelming.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in creating a vegetable garden or running a small allotment - but you'll probably need more information, once you're past the basics.

If you're really looking to become a smallholder, as per the book title, you'd probably be better off checking out John Seymour's classic book: "New Complete Self-Sufficiency".

That aside, I did enjoy this book and am happy I bought it.

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!



Good improvements in this 4th edition of a popular text, 13 Oct 2005
This new edition of a core text for students of horticulture is welcomed. The addition of colour plates is helpful and the layout has generally improved. I think the book does a difficult job well as the subject is huge and it must be very difficult to decide what to leave out and how much depth to go to. I'm hoping it will help me with the RHS Advanced Cerificate exam.

Good companion guide to RHS General Certificate studies, 21 Dec 2003
I'm pretty happy with this book. Having decided to do Horticulture studies by correspondence in Switzerland, this book came up when searching for some pre-study material. It is also first book off the list of recommended reading from my school, which I'm pleased to see. It provides further in-depth reading to the course material provided, although my one whinge is that it could expand its chapter on pests and diseases as there are so many covered in the course. Happily websites like the RHS help out here. However, this book is fine foundation reading.

brillant, 23 Jan 2002
if you are intrested in any part of horticulture for a hobby or study, this is a must have every thing is explained in full in terms that any one would understand.And this is a up dated one.

brillant, 27 Nov 2001
I have read the 2nd edition but this one is much better they keep adding more information. if you are into gardening of any type this is the book to have. Very easy to read.

Highly recommended for students and professionals, 14 Nov 2000
This book provides a valuable introduction to horticulture. The information covered is wide ranging, explained clearly and is accompanied on many occasions by useful pictures and diagrams. This text was useful to me on the HNC/HND (Horticulture) course and also occasionally during my horticultural degree. The book would also be of interest to many horticuural professionals. There are not currently enough text books available specifically for horticultural students so this book is a valuable one.

Fantastic easy to understand read, 09 Jun 2008
I bought this book as I'm a novice to greenhouse gardening. This book is a must for others like me. It is written in an easy to understand manner and is structured so that you can pick out the sections you want or need without having to wade through endless pages of the stuff you don't want - not that there are any pages in the book that are surplus to requirements! The illustrations and photographs are very helpful too. The author doesn't use jargon or techno speak beyond the understanding of beginners and manages to instill the belief that greenhouse gardening is quite achievable for anyone who wants to have a go. Full of tips on what you need and don't need to buy also. An excellent book overall.

A Handbook for Horticultural Students, 31 Aug 2008
I used this book for my RHS General Certificate Level 2, and found it to be invaluable. It is accurate, follows the syllabus, well written and all 24 members of my class had a copy. Just like any in depth course it is as well to have other books on specialised topics but I would not have been without this one. I bought mine off Amazon. It is the recommended book for this and the diploma course at almost all colleges, what more can I say.

An Aid to Revision, 02 Jan 2008
I used this to revise for my RHS General Cert course in 2000.
Excellent for that purpose, as it gives concise summaries, relates to the syllabus (check which edition you buy! Not always obvious on the Amazon book site) and self-test sections reveal how much you really know!
Personally I did not use it as an intro to horticulture as I wanted to learn the subject, not simply cram myself through an exam (and I doubt it will do that for you anyway). I have over 2 metres of bookshelf on the detail, many via Amazon, plus about 200 hours of personal note-taking and handouts including a vast bibliography, from course tutor, C M Walkden. Also access to Writtle College Library was invaluable.
I still refer to the Handbook for guidance.

A handbook to mislead horticultural students, 10 Oct 2007
A promising sounding title to anyone who wishes to study horticulture, but the book is flawed, inaccurate and misleading. There must be better books out there. Don't be fooled by the helpful sounding title.






An Excellent Introductory Text, 15 May 2006
I used this book when studying for the RHS General Certificate and found it to be excellent for that purpose.
The book is A4 in size and has the feel of a lecturers own personal notes. The text is large with useful diagrams and summaries. This text is a general introduction and as such is not detailed enough for students on the more advanced RHS courses.

A good basic introduction for horticulture students, 11 Nov 2000
I have recently completed a BSc (HONS) in Horticulture and found this book to be a useful (basic)introduction to the subject. The book covers many of the important topics covered in more scientific detail in the degree. However, the book would be most useful to diploma students, or, for people considering doing a course on the subject and keen to find out more.

Revealing review of a small part of French resistance, 05 Jul 2008
Fascinating read about the desperate position the French vineyard owners found themselves in during the Second World War. With Nazis determined to pillage the vineyards, the owners resorted to every trick possible to protect their assets. With experience of defeating phylloxera in the 19th century and the preceding world war, the vineyard owners had developed a knack of finding ways to survive. The book describes an eclectic collection of motives and actions that helped the wine industry survive occupation.

A slight downside is the purely factual account of events. This creates a book that is somewhat disjointed in places, with little attempt to create a story that holds the piece together. Fascinating historical journalism, but more rhetoric may have added to the book.

Vive Les Vins Francais, 08 May 2005
I enjoyed this book immensely. It was factual and informative and despite being set in depressing times, an underlying humour and deviance is never far from the surface. The book is perfect for amateur wine buffs (like me) and amateur historians (like me) who are interested in daily life during World War Two. The ingenuity of the French was amazing but, after all, they were protecting their greatest asset. By the end of this book Vichy france does not come out too well but at least france lived to fight another day with her vineyards pretty much intact. Vive La France.

Judged the book by the cover and loved it, 02 Oct 2002
I really enjoyed this book - great day-in-the-life and historical perspectives of the French and France during wartime. Particularly amusing to read about French forces determining which soldiers should attack through excellent vineyards (themselves) and which would attack through lesser ones (everyone else)...
Highly enjoyable.

A highly enjoyable account the French wine industry in WW2, 05 Sep 2001
This is an amusing, but poignant account of how the French wine industry coped with the Nazi occupation (the telegrams from the French station master to his German superior had me laughing out loud!). Despite the humour it stills manages to convey the fear and hardships which were imposed on the people of France. It reads almost like a novel but each chapter is based upon interviews with the people involved. If you want an 'academic' study this is not for you, but for people who enjoy their history in a more 'relaxed' style I highly recommend this.

THE outstanding guide for UK apples, 28 Jan 2005
I have not found a better book for those interested in apples in the UK. There is an excellent potted history, plus details of many apples varieties local and foreign. A brief guide to growing apples at the back tells you most of what you know to start a small orchard.

The descriptions of the apple varieties are what makes this book outstanding. They include details of history, appearance, flavour, shape and so on - enough not only to help identify and apple, but also to help you choose one to grow. For instance, the entry on Ashmead's Kernel gives a brief decription of its development by a Gloucester physician, describes its taste as "strong, sweet-sharp intese flavour reminiscent of fruit or acid drops", talks a bit about what it's grown for, comprehensive details of appearance, picking and storage dates. There is also a drawing to help in identification.

The one downfall of the book is the shortage of apple pictures. There are only 32 plates, all of which show apples of great interest in this country - but a poor showing nonetheless. Obviously it would require a mammoth effort to provide pictures of over 2000 apples, but a more comprehensive photo directory would have been useful. Failing that, they might have mentioned that pictures of many apples are available on the Brogdale webiste (referenced in the back - but failing to mention the availability of descriptions and photos on the website).

Although 2000+ seems a lot, there are a lot of UK apples missing. I would also have preferred that they concentrate on full coverage of the UK (for instance, they are missing several of our local cider apples), and omit some of the foreign apples.

However, this is still a great book for what it does do, and well worth having if you have even a few trees.

Easy to read - a good introduction, 07 Nov 2007
This book reminds me of the kind of gardening book my Grannie would have used.

It's laid out in an easy-to-follow style and Diana Galligan's writing is chatty and inviting. She gives plenty of straightforward advice on everything from how to look after a vegetable plot to what to plant when and how to store it (very useful).

There are no photographs, but the centre fold-out pages have plenty of colour sketches of vegetables common vegetables, which are olde worlde and quite endearing.

I'd have loved a little more detailed information - for example what exactly is meant by "early autumn" vs "late autumn", but I'm sure I'd work it out.

Being quite a small book makes it easy to dip into to learn a bit at a time. I find larger books can be a bit overwhelming.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in creating a vegetable garden or running a small allotment - but you'll probably need more information, once you're past the basics.

If you're really looking to become a smallholder, as per the book title, you'd probably be better off checking out John Seymour's classic book: "New Complete Self-Sufficiency".

That aside, I did enjoy this book and am happy I bought it.


Science and the garden review, 06 Nov 2003
I bought this book to help with the RHS advanced certificate and found it quite useful. I have to admit that it is fairly heavy going and I found myself falling asleep when I tried to read it at night. It is better as a reference book to assist in certain subjects rather than a good read. I would recommend it for horticultural students but not for the basic gardener, unless they were very keen on the scientific side of gardening.

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 Expe