The Vegetable Gardener's Bible: Discover Ed's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions

Ed's system is based on W-O-R-D: Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, Deep soil. With deep, raised beds, vegetable roots have more room to grow and expand. In traditional narrow-row beds, over half the soil is compacted into walkways while a garden with wide, deep, raised beds, plants get to use most of the soil. In Ed's plan, growing space gets about three-quarters of the garden plot and only about a quarter is used for the walkway. Ed teaches you how to create raised beds both in a larger garden or in separate planked beds. One of the most important--and most often overlooked--aspects of successful vegetable gardening is crop rotation. Leaving a crop in the same place for years can deplete nutrients in that area and makes the crop more likely to be attacked by insects. Rotate at least every two years and your vegetables will be healthier and bug-free. There's also a good section on insect and blight control.

Before choosing what to grow, go through the last third of the book, where Ed takes a look at the individual growing, harvesting, and best varieties of a large number of both common and more exotic vegetables and herbs. Whether you are a putterer or a serious gardener, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is an excellent resource to have handy. --Dana Van Nest

Spotlight Reviews
The Vegetable Gardeners Bible (2008-12-30)
Customer Review : 5
Excellent! We have several gardening books and this is the best one so far!

Best Garden Book Ever (2008-12-27)
Customer Review : 5
This is a very knowledgeable book. Having gardened for many years, I learned a lot from this book. So much that I even bought one for my neighbor and he loves it too.

Belles Books (2008-12-15)
Customer Review : 1
I ordered this book on November 6, 2008 and it has still not been delivered. It would be nice to give a review, however, it is difficult to do when it has not been received.

Your Best Vegetable Garden Now (2008-12-02)
Customer Review : 5
What's the formula for a productive vegetable garden?
* Plant the crops you want to eat or can give away. No more.
* Start with easy-to-grow crops and let experience take you to more difficult varieties.
* Use compost to build the soil from Day 1: compost is the key to a healthy, productive garden.
* Plant the right crops in the right season: warm season vegetables in warm weather and cool-season vegetables in cool weather.
* Plant in wide beds--but no wider than your arm can reach to the center.
* Mulch to keep weeds down and save soil water.
* Visit the garden every day or two; that way no pest or disease or warm weather will ever get the best of your garden.
* Harvest your crops just as they ripen. Taste to make sure!
* When in doubt: always add more compost.

These vegetable garden maxims have been around for generations and generations. They're the same rules your great-great-grandmother followed in her kitchen garden. And they are the same maxims found in THE VEGETABLE GARDENER'S BIBLE by Edward C. Smith. Is there room on the shelf for another good book about vegetable gardening? You bet! No doubt, Ed Smith learned at the feet of his grandmamma because this book is brimming with sage time-tested wisdom for the beginning vegetable gardener. Not too wordy, right to the point, this book will get you to the promised garden in easy steps and with how-to pictures close at hand. And for the advanced-beginner, intermediate, and expert vegetable garden get detailed growing information for more than 80 vegetables and herbs in The Kitchen Garden Grower's Guide: A practical vegetable and herb garden encyclopedia.


A lot of info in one book (2008-11-18)
Customer Review : 5
I will begin my first garden next spring and I wanted to know everything right away. I'm thrilled with this book because it includes sections on soil, companion planting, garden design and more. Very good for me since it's the only gardening book I own.