9 Gardening Books Every Gardener Should Own

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Inside: Learn about some of the best gardening books to keep on your bookshelf that are good for both beginners and experienced gardeners.

This post was originally written in 2017. I have since found several more gardening books I love so I have updated the post to include those.

Reading through some of my favorite gardening books is a great way to pass the time on dreary winter days. I always find new ideas to get inspired and improve my own garden plan.

I’ve read many gardening books in my day. I have a shelf on my bookcase overflowing with gardening books. But these are some of the best books that I go back to time and time again when growing my own food.

Many of these books make fabulous reference books. You’ll find books to inspire experienced gardeners but also comprehensive guides that are perfect for beginner gardeners who are just starting out.

One of the best ways to learn about gardening is to read some good books and then put the information you’ve learned into practice in your own garden.

I hope you’ll check out this list of the best gardening books I’ve read. (And yes, I have purchased every single one of these books with my own money. If you look closely at the pictures, you’ll see that many of the books have been well-loved.)

Find a new one to read, curl up on the couch, and make some notes so you can grow your best garden ever.

Affiliate Disclosure: Please note that some of the links in this article may be affiliate links and I may receive a small commission if you purchase something through a link. It will not change your cost. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, see my disclosures page.)

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Mel Bartholomew’s All New Square Foot Gardening is a great book for anyone wanting to start out gardening in small spaces. Mr. Bartholomew shows you how much you can grow in a single 4′ x 4′ foot raised bed.

He has some fabulous information about setting up the raised beds, making sure you have great soil to plant in, and an easy method to put up a trellis for beans or cucumbers.

His information on plant spacing is invaluable. He even has a planting schedule for when to plant certain crops. This is the perfect book for anyone with only a small space to grow a garden.

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I garden in beds, though mine aren’t really raised. I have designated beds marked off with leftover bricks from our house or rocks with 3-foot walkways between.

All 10 of my beds are 4′ x 12′. So I use some of his principles, but not all of them! I do reference his book quite frequently though to tell me how far apart to space my plants.

A third edition of this book was recently released, and it has some good information, but I think the second edition is still the best.

In my opinion, this is the best vegetable gardening book for new gardeners as it contains lots of basic information that new home gardeners need to know. This is always the first book I recommend when anyone asks because it is the best practical guide for growing your own food in small garden beds.

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible

The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith contains lots of valuable gardening information. Mr. Smith discusses topics such as how to know when veggies are ripe and which bugs are beneficial insects vs. which ones are bad and how to (organically) get rid of the bad ones.

He uses what he calls the W-O-R-D system of gardening. Wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil. He has a section on the various crops to grow and the requirements of each in terms of light and nutrients. Smith focuses on getting high yields from each of his vegetable gardens.

His favorite varieties are also listed. Since I have a southern, zone 7, garden, his varieties are not always best suited to my growing climate, but northerners will be very pleased with his suggestions. (Mr. Smith gardens in Vermont.)

Smith covers composting, how to sow seeds, how to transplant seedlings, and even how to install irrigation systems. This is a very comprehensive guide for organic gardeners.

Joy of Gardening by Dick Raymond

Joy of Gardening

The Joy of Gardening by Dick Raymond is an oldie but a goodie! Published in 1983, this book describes how to use wide rows to get the most out of your garden. Mr. Raymond explains in detail, how to grow almost any crop you can think of!

This book contains lots of pictures of pests so you can identify what is munching on your vegetables if needed. I was fortunate to get my mother’s copy and the pages are falling out, but the book is still available for purchase on Amazon

He does till his garden, which I’m not a fan of doing since I’m a lazy gardener, (see my posts on using black plastic here and here) but there is still a lot of valuable information in this book.

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour

Year-Round Vegetable Gardener book

The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener by Niki Jabbour is full of great information about how to grow vegetables all year. She shares several methods for building cold frames and hoop tunnels that allow you to start growing vegetables sooner in the spring and continue to harvest later in the fall.

The book includes gardening plans and “Niki’s Picks” – her favorite varieties to grow in her Nova Scotia Garden. If she can grow food year round in her harsh climate, many of us can grow vegetables throughout a longer growing season.

The pictures alone, are worth the price of the book as they will give you so many ideas of ways to extend your garden harvest.

Niki Jabbour is one of the writers of the blog Savvy Gardening.

The Quarter-Acre Farm by Spring Warren

The Quarter Acre Farm

The QuarterAcre Farm by Spring Warren is an interesting and easy read. I wouldn’t say Ms. Warren imparts a lot of garden knowledge, but she gives you wisdom, not only about gardening but about life.

The book describes how she turned her suburban 1/4 acre lot into a garden to feed herself for a year. She pledged to grow 75% (by weight) of the food she ate in her own backyard. Each chapter of the book tells the story of a particular project she embarked on and includes a recipe at the end.

The chapters range from one about zucchini (Tofu of the West) to her adventure raising a couple of chickens (Circus Hens). If nothing else, this is a lighthearted, humorous read and you will find yourself laughing at the many things she tried.

If you are new to gardening, this book will prove to you that you don’t need a lot of land to grow a good portion of your food. You will also get an idea of what it’s possible to grow in your own backyard if you are willing to try new things and experiment.

How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Favorite Food Year Round

How to Garden Indoors

How to Garden Indoors & Grow Your Favorite Food Year Round by Kim Roman is a book I recently discovered. With grocery prices rising, I wanted to try and grow at least a little bit of food indoors during the winter.

This book covers growing food in vertical gardens, in containers, and hydroponically. The book starts off with a gallery of various indoor gardens to give you some ideas of what you can grow and how to set up your indoor garden.

There are chapters on preparing your indoor gardening area, what plants need, the various indoor growing methods, and what you can grow inside. There are also chapters on watering and pests, critters, and diseases you may encounter.

The information on how to decide what to grow is invaluable. She also discusses which fruits and vegetables need to be pollinated and pollination methods you can use indoors without bees.

While my indoor garden will never look as pretty as the pictures she shares, this is a good book with lots of practical advice for growing something all year.

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Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook

Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook

The Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook by Ron Kujawski and Jennifer Kujawski is a fantastic resource for both new and experienced gardeners. They base their plan on your last average frost date, which varies depending on where you live.

It is more like a workbook than just a book to learn from. They explain what to plant a certain number of weeks before or after your last frost date and give you space to write these dates down so you only have to look them up once.

Like any other good gardening book, they remind beginners to start small. They give a list of seed-starting supplies, tips on choosing varieties that will do well, and even information on pests and diseases you are likely to encounter.

The Kujawski’s share lots of practical tips for growing a garden no matter where you live.

Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast

Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast

Timber Press has put out guides to vegetable gardening in each of the 5 regions of the United States – Pacific Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, Southern California, and Midwest. The link above will take you to all 5 books so you can choose the one that is appropriate for your region.

This book goes into detail about what you can do each month in the garden. It not only shares what to plant, but what to do to prepare your garden, and what you can harvest if you’ve followed their planting schedule.

The series of vegetable gardening books is great for novice gardeners as well as experienced gardeners alike. It explains cover crops and how they help build healthy soil, water management, and care instructions to maintain your crops once you’ve planted them.

This is a great book to show what is possible to grow in your area.

Grow Bag Gardening

Grow Bag Gardening

Grow Bag Gardening by Kevin Espiritu is a great book for those who don’t have a dedicated gardening space. This book shares how you can grow an amazing garden all in grow bags on porches, decks, patios, and balconies.

He shares detailed information on choosing the right size bag for the crop, various soil mixes (8 different recipes), how to maintain your grow bag garden, and the right plants to grow in limited space.

Many of these same principles can be applied to container gardening since a grow bag is basically just a fabric container.

It is truly the complete guide for the beginning gardener who wants to grow a garden in bags. Eric is the blogger behind the popular blog and Instagram channel Epic Gardening.

Your Favorite Gardening Books

Hopefully, at least one of these gardening books will be new to you and can give you some fresh ideas on gardening in your area. I’d love to know what other gardening books I should read. Leave a comment with some of your favorites.

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Meet Julie

I’m a farm girl born and bred in North Carolina. I’ve been growing a vegetable garden for over 20 years (and helping my Mom grow hers even longer). I’ve been raising chickens in my bathtub and backyard for 12+ years. I believe that homegrown food can be made simple. Let’s get started.

A stack of gardening books
5 gardening books you need

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