Comments on: On the myth of “we don’t need no stinkin’ ‘how to garden’ books”

By: Dani in NC

Dani in NC — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:56:29 +0000

I think that how-to books are generally valuable; I taught myself how to knit from books. My only reservation is that I never seem to find gardening books that apply to growing vegetables in my area of the country. I know that most books offer general information, but when I read that the author lives in California or Idaho I always wonder whether the advice in the book will really help me in NC.

By: Seasonal Wisdom

Seasonal Wisdom — Sun, 31 May 2009 14:40:19 +0000

Such an interesting post! Personally, I can’t imagine gardening without all my favorite gardening books. And my library is so diverse, from how-to’s to historical references. I’m forever grateful to all the wonderful authors out there… Teresa

By: Kim (Japan)

Kim (Japan) — Sat, 30 May 2009 03:40:33 +0000

I loved your entry for May 27 on gardening how-to books! I’m a new gardener, starting from scratch. My husband and I moved to a new-to-us house that was filled with trees and plants we weren’t familiar with – so we had almost everything ripped out. Now we’re left with clay and weeds. I rely on gardening books and magazines to do my research because I don’t know many gardeners here in Japan yet (and I don’t want to bug them during peak growing season). I prefer books with pictures because I don’t always understand the terms used. Thanks for your blog – I rely on the internet too!

By: susie

susie — Wed, 27 May 2009 23:24:21 +0000

I think all gardeners need books….if not for the great info, for inspiration. I myself, a gardener from the cradle….must have about a ‘million’ gardening books! Just another addiction, my 1st addiction being plants!

By: Colleen Vanderlinden

Colleen Vanderlinden — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:55:42 +0000

@Kirsten–Thanks for the kind words about my blog! I definitely agree with you that there’s a whole separate school of gardeners who just want to learn by doing. And I absolutely respect anyone who takes that route–it can be a real challenge at times to do it that way, but I think you tend to learn fast when you learn by doing. I guess my argument is if we’re saying that, yes, books are important, then I think it’s silly to say that a “how-to” book is a waste of time, especially for someone new to gardening.

Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

By: Colleen Vanderlinden

Colleen Vanderlinden — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:52:16 +0000

@Dave—I could not agree with you more

Thanks for stopping by!

By: Colleen Vanderlinden

Colleen Vanderlinden — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:51:13 +0000

@Sande–A really good book about pests and diseases would be great! I agree with you that many of the “how-to” type books can be repetitious, but that doesn’t bother me all that much. What is the stat—we need to hear/read something X number of times before we can commit it to memory

Thanks for stopping by!

By: Kirsten

Kirsten — Wed, 27 May 2009 15:27:46 +0000

I have only recently stumbled across your blog and, first of all, want to congratulate you on your book. What a fantastic accomplishment!!!

Now, a confession, I don’t grow veggies. I just moved into a house of my very own last year and am still trying to solve the mysteries of annuals/perennials/bushes/etc and how to keep them happy. I don’t think I could handle adding to the mess right now, but your blog is certainly starting to make me reconsider. Anyway, books are definitely NOT a waste of time for me. I have already collected several gardening (flower) books and have used them regularly. I love having a reference to go to. That said, I do know a number of people that would rather learn by doing than reading. My grandfather has grown his vegetable garden many years over based purely on experience alone. I think it’s all personal preference.

By: Dave

Dave — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:53:03 +0000

I recently went for my Master Gardener’s certification and in most of the classes I found that I knew as much or more of what was presented because of the books I read. Books are invaluable resources!

By: Sande

Sande — Wed, 27 May 2009 12:46:10 +0000

Books are NEVER a waste of time. Some are a bit repetitious, but if you can look through them a little before you buy (thank you to stores who encourage that by putting chairs and couches in their stores) you can stick to the more helpful ones or the ones that fill a gap in your personal library. I just started into gardening this year after a very long hiatus and have bought 5 gardening books. Most are very good and very helpful. I could still use a good one on plant diseases and pests.