If you are starting new at gardening and are keen to trying growing your own fruits and vegetables, then I can thoroughly recommend these books as staples for whatever your questions are, from where and how to grow them, soils, fertilisers, different varieties, pest and disease control, and even preparation and storage. If you are a more experienced gardener, they are still a valuable resource for trying out new varieties, something you haven’t grown before, or a new pest that has arrived in your garden.
The Yates Garden Guide was first published in 1895 and is updated regularly. I had the 1987 version and the 2008 edition is about 3 times the size. There is an even newer edition available now as well as a separate Yates Vegetable Garden book, Garden Planner and Garden Problem Solver. If you are just starting out and you are wanting to grow lots of different things in your garden rather than just vegetables, I would definitely recommend getting the more comprehensive Garden Guide which has sections on garden design, garden preparation and maintenance, seeds and seedlings, lawns, fruit, vegetables, herbs, flowers, trees and shrubs.
Tui also produce a NZ Vegetable Garden Book and a NZ Fruit Garden book. I have the Fruit Garden one and find it really useful for finding out all sorts of different information on the different varieties of a particular fruit tree that are available, where to plant them, how to look after them, pruning, harvest and storage and even preserving and cooking. It has pages specific to each type of fruit and more generic sections on protecting your garden from pests and diseases, planting, support and pruning etc.
NZ Gardener magazine has just released a new gardening guide “fresh from the Garden – the ultimate guide to growing your own organic fruits & veges”. It is a fresh take on presenting the information and with an emphasis on organic and DIY compost, fertilisers, pest and disease control, watering and more. It is designed as a beginner’s guide to most things you’d want or need to know but there’s tips in it for everyone, beginner or expert.
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