Four Must-Have Beginner Gardening Books

By Kimberly Thompson Panay

It’s never too early to start planning your garden. Try these beginner gardening books to avoid my mistakes.

I grew up on a 150-acre sheep farm in rural Virginia. We had a fabulous garden right out our back door. We ate from it all season long and well into the winter. Our pantry and freezer chest were chock-full of homegrown food. I still have vivid memories of picking fruit and vegetables throughout the summer, sweet corn, green beans, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, snap peas (my personal favorite as a child), potatoes, lettuce, squash (not my favorite as a child), pumpkins, strawberries, and even blueberries from the bushes my grandfather planted along the garden’s edge.

I don’t know about you, but when we went into COVID-19 lockdown I decided to start a backyard garden with my kiddos. I suppose it was partly nostalgia and the desire to keep my children outside busy and learning—and partly the new reality of limited trips to the bare-shelved grocery store that provided the motivation I needed to give backyard gardening a try.

Having grown up on a farm, I figured how hard could it be? I donned my mask and gloves, armed myself with a bottle of hand sanitizer, and made a trip to our local garden center for seeds and soil. Feeling optimistic, we started all kinds of seeds.

In the end, we managed to keep a small patch of snap peas alive long enough to harvest and learned a ton along the way, including what “leggy” beans are, that plants have to be hardened in New England (who knew?), that squirrels are out to get you (they love strawberries!), and that your garden zone really does matter.

Which got me to thinking, if only I had spent a few hours flipping through beginner gardening books, perhaps more of our plants would have seen the light of day. So, without further ado, here’s a short must-have list of beginner gardening books to get your garden growing.

GrowVeg

by Benedict Vanheems

For anyone who has ever wanted to tend a little piece of ground but wasn’t sure where to begin, GrowVeg offers simple recipes for gardening projects that are both attainable and beautiful. Benedict Vanheems, editor of the popular website GrowVeg.com, guides aspiring green thumbs to success from the start, no matter what size gardening space you have. Get recommendations for veggie varieties for your first edible garden, plant a miniature orchard, and grow an edible archway, or keep your efforts contained by cultivating a rustic crate of herbs on a sunny balcony, a crop of carrots in a basket, or nutritious and delicious sprouts in a jar on the kitchen counter. The beginner-friendly instructions and step-by-step photography detail more than 30 approachable, small-scale gardening projects that will inspire and empower you to get growing!

$19.95

$25.95 CAD

Format

Also available from:

Starter Vegetable Gardens, 2nd Edition

by Barbara Pleasant

Best-selling gardening author Barbara Pleasant makes organic vegetable gardening easy, fun, and rewarding with detailed planting and care designs for 24 beginner-friendly gardens to fit any site, whether it's a tiny side yard, a border, a trellis alongside the house, or a front yard.

From exactly what plants (and how many) to buy, where and when to plant them, and how to care for each vegetable throughout the season, Pleasant encourages readers to start small, grow the food they love, and expand their plant selection as their skills develop. Specially tailored plans offer choices to fit a wide range of sites and food preferences, from the Front-Yard Food Supply to the Marinara Medley, Sweet Corn & Company, and High-Value Verticals.There's a plan and plant selection to fit every gardener's passion. Detailed plot plans show progressive stages for how each garden can be expanded gradually over the course of three years, ensuring that beginning gardeners will experience success and satisfaction without being overwhelmed by an over-ambitious plan at the start.

$19.99

$24.99 CAD

Format

Also available from:

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition

by Edward C. Smith

In this authoritative guide, Ed Smith shares how to grow a thriving and bountiful vegetable garden through his high-yield method that emphasizes wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil.

Succeed with fussy plants, try new and unusual varieties, and learn how to innovatively extend your growing season. With thorough profiles of hundreds of popular varieties, The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible provides expert information and an inspiring roadmap for gardeners of all skill levels to enjoy abundant homegrown vegetables.

$24.95

$30.99 CAD

Format

Also available from:

Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener's Handbook

by Jennifer Kujawski

by Ron Kujawski

Whether you’re a seasoned gardener determined to increase crop yields or starting your very first vegetable garden, this guide will help you manage your schedule and prioritize what’s important.

Detailed weekly to-do lists break gardening down into simple and manageable tasks so that you always know what needs to be done and when to do it, from starting seeds and planting strawberries to checking for tomato hornworms and harvesting carrots. Enjoy a bountiful harvest with this organized and stress-free approach to gardening.

$19.99

$24.99 CAD

Format

Spiral bound

Also available from:

Food definitely tastes better when you grow it yourself. Would these faces lie? We’d love to see your garden grow. Share your photos with us online @storeypub.

Oh, and if you are curious, my parents sold our farm after my little brother, older sister, and I left to start our own families. A lovely couple purchased it, and they carry on our family farm tradition (and then some!).