Three Books to get your Garden Growing (Giveaway Draw)

Recently, Timber Press sent me a big box of their new spring titles and I would like to share copies of the first three of these books with my gardening friends in a giveaway draw.

Starting Seeds by Barbara Ellis:

128 Pages

Illustrations throughout

Storey Publishing

For the novice gardener, seeds can be mysterious and even a bit intimidating. How do you turn a stack of seed packets into a thriving garden?

In this handy pocket-sized book, expert gardener and author Barbara Ellis offers practical advice for sowing vegetable and flower seeds both indoor and out. Seed starting topics include all the basics, plus subjects like pre-germinating seeds and stratification: cool-moist stratification, warm-moist stratification and complex dormancy.

With concise text and simple illustrations throughout, the author offers advice on such things as seed starting mixes, containers and indoor lights. The book continues on to address the care of young seedlings, as well as how and when to transplant seedlings out into the garden. Finally there are handy tips for collecting and storing seeds for next year. 

If you are new to gardening and want to save a little money this spring by start your vegetables and flowers from seed, this is the perfect guide to get you started.

Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener by Joseph Tychonievich

216 Pages

Images: 7 line drawings

Timber Press

Even though I have been gardening for years, I must confess I was a little intimidated by the title of this next book. Plant breeding? Could I really be ready to take that on? It sounds really interesting, but possibly a little tricky and maybe even a bit too technical.

Well, let me reassure you. The book is a great introduction to the subject of plant breeding and won't overwhelm you with a lot of scientific jargon.

In this book, you will learn some basic information about genetics; how to pick the best parent plants; how to cross-pollinate; the best techniques to use for popular vegetables and flowers; and how to harvest and store seeds.

Towards the end of the book the author tackles specific flowers like columbines, daffodils and coleus. Wouldn't be fun, for instance, to create your own unique daffodil? The book also addresses vegetables like tomatoes, lettuce and squash. Might there be a unique Three Dogs in a Garden tomato in my future? Maybe, just maybe!

The Speedy Vegetable Garden by Mark Diacono and Lia Leendertz

208 Pages

250 Color Photos

Timber Press

Traditionally, we view the vegetable gardener's lot as a long suffering matter of sowing seeds, tending young plants, pulling weeds, fighting diseases and fending off bugs and other creatures. If all goes according to plan, eventually there are vegetables to harvest.

The Speedy Vegetable Garden highlights quickly harvested crops like sprouted seeds and micro greens that can be planted and eaten within weeks, days and even hours.

Chapters include: soaks and sprouts, micro greens, edible flowers, cut-and-come-again salad greens and quick harvest vegetables, like cherry tomatoes and early potatoes. Growing tips are nicely paired with beautiful photography and recipes.

What I like best about this book is that it suggests that even gardeners who are pressed for space or time can enjoy their own homegrown food.

To enter the book draw, please leave a comment below. I will make three separate draws, one for each book, so please be so kind as to state which of the books you are interested in winning. I also ask entrants to make sure there is some kind of link available to their email address. I need to have a way to get hold of you should you be a winner! 

The draw will remain open for one week.

I am going to link this review/giveaway to Holley's monthly garden book reviews. To find other great gardening books, please click the link: Roses and Other Gardening Joys