Top 5 Useful Gardening Books to Prepare for Spring.

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The best way to survive the spring season is by planning ahead and preparing for it. Books like “Gardening: Start Grow Finish” and “Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening: The Natural Approach” can offer insight into what you should be doing and when. You can also read about how to start a garden or learn about common herbs, fruits, vegetables, and flowers that are seasonal in the spring. Here are 5 useful gardening books to prepare for spring. 

The Self Sufficient Garden by Klaus Laitinberger.

Organic gardener Klaus Laitinberger, who hails from Germany, is likely to know more about growing vegetables in Ireland than a local. All the information you need to know about building and maintaining a year-round garden for a family of four is contained in this, his fourth book. The bad news is that he estimates that you’ll need about 400 square meters of land and a polytunnel to get started. If you don’t have that kind of space, don’t worry; the information presented here can be applied to a 6’x4′ raised bed and still yield excellent results, and it’s chemical-free and environmentally friendly. Vegetable gardeners of today need only a lush spot a little zeal. and a copy of The Self Sufficient Garden to hand.

Grow Your Own Mushrooms by Folko Kullmann is published by Green Books

Folko Kullmann explains how to cultivate tasty mushrooms both indoors and outdoors as a hobby. The author provides a 12-month strategy to ensure a steady supply and walks you through the process of growing delicious mushrooms in your garden or on your balcony in simple, easy-to-follow steps. It’s not uncommon for mushrooms to grow on logs, straw bales, or ready-mixed growing media because they thrive in situations that many other plants avoid. Learn how to cultivate shiitake, oyster, and wine cap mushrooms, as well as their medicinal and nutritional properties, in this guide.

How to Forage for Mushrooms without Dying: An Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Identifying 29 Wild, Edible Mushrooms by Frank Hyman (Storey Publishing)

If raising a crop of mushrooms sounds a little too ambitious then It might be better if you went out and hunted for them. Frank Hyman’s guide on identifying safe and dangerous mushrooms is timely as the foraging craze takes off. To answer the question, “Can I eat it?” rookie foragers should turn to this guide. It offers expert advice in simple terms, making it easier to recall in the field when identifying fungus. In addition, what are some easy ways to tell if a mushroom is a tasty morel or a poisonous false morel? It’s “if it’s hollow, you can swallow” Hyman says.

Growing Under Cover: Techniques for a More Productive, Weather-Resistant, Pest-Free Vegetable Garden by Niki Jabbour (Storey Publishing)

Vegetable gardeners have long suffered from unpredictable weather and pest infestations. But this detailed guide demonstrates how to use minor solutions like cloches, row covers and shade cloth as well as larger protective structures like greenhouses and polytunnels to create controlled growing zones for vegetables. Protective covers can help you plant sooner, minimise pests, and yield a tastier, year-round harvest if used correctly.

Garden Allies: The Insects, Birds, and Other Animals That Keep Your Garden Beautiful and Thriving by Frédérique Lavoipierre (Timber Press)

Creepy crawlies were viewed as a threat to human well-being at some point in human evolution, and they were even eliminated. Plant growers were among the first to recognise that insects are disproportionately on our side, though, and the tide is now turning. We rely on them for pollination of our flowers and vegetables, as well as for controlling pests. It is in Garden Allies, by Frédérique Lavoipierre, that we learn about these intriguing species and how they contribute to the garden’s ecosystem. These beneficial creatures can be nurtured and welcomed into your garden using the knowledge provided.

This list first appeared in the Irish News at https://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/gardening/2021/12/11/news/casual-gardener-gardening-books-to-bring-christmas-cheer-2529894/