Allotments 4 All

Quote from: cowellen on March 23, 2006, 16:22:22
well i havent read any gardening books  :-[

but i just ordered one (if that counts)
http://play.com/play247.asp?pa=srmr&page=title&r=BOOK&title=668038

"Allotment Gardening" is a practical guide to growing your own fruit and vegetables organically. Aimed at those who have not had an allotment before, or are new to growing their own, it is packed with advice - from choosing and planning your allotment through to harvesting and storing your produce.

i will let u know what its like  ???



(sorry i wanted to join in)

I bought this about six weeks ago. It seems to be fantastic, helpful calendar, rotations, advice on being organic. You shouldnt be disappointed! HOwever, this is our first year on the allotment so I'm hoping the 'good advice' is productive! Good luck Cowellen :)

My favourite book is Organic Kitchen and Garden  by Ysanne Spevack, Michael Lavelle and Christine Lavelle.

It just seems to have all the info you need to start out. I have loads of other gardening books, but this is the one I keep close at hand as all the info is in one place.

They sell it on Amazon for £16.49 but I managed to get it for £5 in one of those discount book stores. Bargain!

Growing your own Veg. -Which This has become a tried and tested, quite organic too.

'The Fruit Garden Displayed' Harry Baker RHS. I'm gettin into growing fruit, you don't have to plant it each year and dig its beds over, and kiddies eat it.

'An Axe, a Spade and 10 acres" -George Courtauld, mainly because I'm reading it right now, but also because he writes well . Not that I'm ever likely to have 10 acres.

Joy Larkham "Grow Your Own Vegetables"
Dr D G Hessayon "The New Vegetable & Herb Expert" (though, this isn't new - 1997!)
And for sheer historical delight and practical information - Arthur J Simons - "The Vegetable Growers Handbook, volume II" which was my grandfathers (printed 1945) and now my mothers (and I have purloined it...) It was great to find potato varieties I have bought; my Grandfather had marked as his choice varieties!  I have just ordered volume I from ebay, so will see what this is like when it arrives (contains different veg and info apparently) it was 50p+£1.65 postage!!!

mat

Oh mat, how lovely to have a fustie in your collection, especially when marked by your ancestor! ;D Am really looking forward to browsing these on rainy days ;D ;D ;D

Quote from: supersprout on March 28, 2006, 19:56:38
Oh mat, how lovely to have a fustie in your collection, especially when marked by your ancestor! ;D Am really looking forward to browsing these on rainy days ;D ;D ;D

Yes, I am grateful that I have been allowed to "temporarily" borrow it.  It is a fantastic book, for example it has 15 pages on onions and how to grow them!!!  I never knew my grandfather (the only grandparent I didn't know) - I wish I had had the opportunity.

mat

I'm just reading Bob Flowerdew's 'No-Work Garden' which is full of sensible ideas.

??? ???
Oh dear I'v got hundreds including the experts and self sufficiency and one called the weekend gardener from Montagu Don mostley bought from
car boot  and rummage sales and I love them all  I don't often look in them
I just love having them!! ::)

Not a most loved, but an interesting read; The Sunday Telegraph, Urban Gardener, by Elspeth Thompson. Got it from the library last week and really enjoyed it . Most usefull, any books by John Seymore and Monty Don.  And most loved, Practical Gardening and Food Production in Pictures. It belonged to my Dad, and has some wonderfull drawings and old photos of 1940;s men in fairilse pullovers, smoking pipes.!!

Anyone read "Spade, Skirret and PArsley"?

Good choice Robert -I nearly put Bob down -especially that book. I was lucky enough to pick up a copy from QED for a fiver.

I like Readers Digest "Food From your Garden" - about 25 years old but can still be found in secondhand/charity shops, maybe on ebay.  It has recipes as well as how to grow fruit/veg/herbs, and even includes stuff on keeping bees and chickens.

Bob Flowerdew's Organic Bible. After a hard day spent picking out the interminable spaghetti tapestry that is couch grass rhizome, good old Bob reminds me what it's really all about and assuages all desire to nuke the lot with chemicals.

Quote from: grawrc on March 29, 2006, 20:35:24
Anyone read "Spade, Skirret and PArsley"?

Got it from the library, but not read it yet...

I'v just been reminded of the urban gardener must sort it out   I'm going to weed out the rubbish cos I can't see the wood for the tree's here :-\

My top 3 books that I use are

Joy Larkcom "Grow Your Own Vegetables"
Geoff Hamilton "The Ornamental Kitchen Garden"
W.E. Shewell-Cooper "The ABC of Vegetable Gardening"

Joy Larkcom and Geoff Hamilton need no introduction but the Shewell-Cooper book is a real oldie, first written in 1937, and I've got the Fourth Impression 1961.  Apparently he was a pioneer of organic gardening and used to be a big name in the 40's and 50's, and wrote gardening instruction books similar to Dr Hessayon's "Expert" gardening books now.   It's an absolute gold mine of information and only cost me 50p from the local second hand/ house clearance shop! 

This particular book has inspired me to get some old vegetables such as Hamburg Parsley, Asparagus Pea, Skirret and Couve Tronchuda (Portugal Cabbage) which I also saw in the "Victorian Kitchen Garden".  I received the seeds last week so it should be interesting!

???

Please will someone tell me what you do with skirret?

Ta

Hi, I've read "Spade, skirrit and parsley". Unfortunately I can't remember what you do with skirrit. I didn't think much of the book and found it very light weight. If you are new to gardening history you might enjoy it but the title is more interesting than the book.

According to Wikipaedia, Skirrets may be boiled, stewed, or roasted. The woody core is inedible, and should be removed before cooking because it is difficult to remove after.  I've read it used to be part of the staple diet until it was replaced by the potato when it was introduced in Elizabethan times.

It was introduced from China about 1548. There seems to be a lack of real info about it out there though.