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Review: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden: Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers by Karen Newcomb



Review: The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden: Grow Tons of Organic Vegetables in Tiny Spaces and Containers
Karen Newcomb
Ten Speed Press
2015



Attention, container and small space gardeners or those that are thinking of giving it try.  This book contains loads of good information for us.  The nice part of this book is that it isn’t all facts and charts.  The author has made it fun to read too.  Yes, I do recommend this book.  It does not contain all there is to know, but I think it’ll give a good start for your gardening efforts. This is a completely revised version of previous editions according to the cover information and I’ve not seen the older versions so I can’t tell you what has changed.

Newcomb starts from the ground up with helpful ideas and suggestions for your planning phase.  Size, location, and soil preparation instructions get the garden off to a good start.  Discussions of various fertilizers and the symptoms of a deficiency are particularly useful.  This is organic gardening so the discussion talk about bone meal, other animal products, ash, and humus.  Newcomb also devotes a chapter to pest control that uses natural predators or naturally occurring insecticides that are considerably less toxic than some other products available.  Want to recycle yard and kitchen waste? Yes, how to compost that is there too.  How to water, when to water, how to tell if you’re over or under doing it comprises another chapter.  Now you’re ready to grow your garden.

Heirloom vegetables, herbs, and companion planting guides round out this book.  She provides lists of varieties of nearly anything you may want to grow from A-Z.  And it’s not just a list.  She includes where to find them, which season is best for that plant, spacing and support if it needs it, typical problems and the fix, harvesting, storage and finally a few growing tips.  Did you know radishes came in standard and winter varieties? Or that tomatoes come in colors other than red, yellow, or purple?  There’s a white one, too.  Can’t wait to try some of those.

No yard or desire for the larger plans?  A few containers with midget vegetables might be another option.  Midget vegetables?  Yes, and she provides a lists and providers for them too.  

 I received this book from the publisher in exchange for a review.



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