Ok, it’s not quite true that this is Liz’s favourite gardening book. Liz has LOTS of favourite gardening books. But A Vegetable Growers Handbook is definitely in the top three, and at planting time, it’s definitely number one.
This handbook is definitely a working handbook. Some gardening books are for reading in a comfy chair next to a cosy fire -- big, hardback, lots of beautiful photos to inspire you. A Vegetable Growers Handbook is a little bundle of action-based inspiration -- and it does contain pictures! The sweet hand-drawn illustrations show you exactly how to sow, plant, and space out your plants.
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The other thing Liz loves about A Vegetable Growers Handbook is the size of it. It's about the size of your trowel. At 11cm wide and 20cm long, it’s compact, lightweight, and very easy to throw in a bag or a cargo pocket in your work trousers. That means you have the handbook in the field for easy reference exactly when you need it.
For these reasons, A Vegetable Growers Handbook gets all the stars from us.
Klaus has a whole range of practical books on growing. Liz owns all of them! And refers to them every season.
Thre are a lot of benefits of Klaus Laitenberger books for growers.
- Reading and regularly referring to Klaus’ books will enable you to become wholly self-sufficient in growing your own vegetables.
- The books are easy to read.
- Chapters are clearly laid out, with an introduction to the plant, clear instructions on planting, managing, and harvesting, and information about pests and diseases, all in a few pages.
- Using a book does not require electricity, internet, or a monthly subscription! Once you have it, you have it forever (unless, of course, you loan it someone.)
There are two quibbles:
- Except for A Vegetable Growers Handbook , the heavy paper makes the books a bit weightier than a typical book of the same size. But, the benefit of this is that the pages stand up to a lot of wear and tear.
- Content is shared between the books. For example, the vegetable descriptions in The Self-Sufficient Garden and Vegetables for the Irish Garden are the same. If you buy the complete collection, you'll be getting some of the same information.
Whether you’re just starting your first garden or you’re an experienced grower, a Klaus Laitenberger book is one of your most important gardening tools, and A Vegetable Growers Handbook is the perfect book for taking out to the garden bed.
A complete list of Klaus Laitenberger books:
Vegetables for the Irish Garden
Fruit & Vegetables for the Polytunnel and Greenhouse
Vegetables & Herbs for the Greenhouse and Polytunnel
