Cover Image: Gardening for Geeks

Gardening for Geeks

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Member Reviews

As the daughter of a master gardener, who, unfortunately has not inherited her green thumb, I found Gardening for Geeks very encouraging! Wilhelmi includes a wealth of information that some people may find overwhelming. However, if you like to gather as much information as possible before jumping into a new project, you will probably find the amount of information to be just enough. The author doesn't give too much information about each topic, but she does give enough to educate the reader and then provides resources for further reading. I am excited about actually starting a small garden after reading this book!

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Gardening for Geeks is a good book with information to create different gardens but not any new or original information. The author has a website and obviously likes to garden but she is based in LA. Lot harder to garden in most areas of the country and there isn't detail about different planting zones or best plants/flowers for different types of soil and weather. The photos are pretty but again, easy to have a lovely garden in California with good weather and yearlong sun.

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This book was very thorough. It laid out methods for garden layout, planning crops, soil amendments, pest management, plant care, storage, and recipes. It had diagrams of ways to layout plants and construct different raised beds. The writing was clear and concise. Very useful book for gardeners.

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I had a successful veg garden in my former home and am back to being a brand-new gardener in a totally different climate and hardiness zone so I really, really needed gardening help since the last thing I tried to grow here met an unfortunate end.

I loved this book! There was so much packed into its 274 pages - it was full of helpful information for growing your own organic food, choosing what to plant, methods of growing, plant troubles, pest control and more, I plan on reading this again when I'm ready to get back into the dirt.


My thanks to Christy Wilhelmi, Fox Chapel Publishing/CompanionHouse Books, and NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

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This is a nicely laid out compendium of information, if employed will lead to a rich harvest.
Employing science to aid pest control and fertization to make an organic garden free of chemicals, I found the simple aids employed to be very intelligent moves. I've gardened for years and this will definitely up my game. There are chemical free options I've considered, but didn't know how to employ.
Beautifully illustrations, with clear intructions make this a clear winner.
I requested and received a NetGalley ARC to peruse gratis anf offer my opinion the same

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As a beginning gardener, I find this book to be a dream. 127 pages of clear instructions on everything you can think of that has to do with gardening. I’m amazed the author was able to pack so much information into 127 pages. The topics covered range everywhere from composting to raised beds to small space gardening. There is even some information on beekeeping! In addition, there is information on various food storage options for your produce, and even a few recipes.

Whatever your level of gardening experience, this book will be helpful to you. I will be ordering a hard copy of this book to assist in my gardening adventure.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary.

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Gardening for geeks is a great go to for beginner gardeners as well as experienced gardeners (as there is always something new to learn).

Covering the planning of a garden, seed starting, bed preparation, absolutely all you need to know to grow and harvest your own food.

I would buy this book for anybody expressing an interest in gardening.

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This is one fantastic book! I have wondered about organic gardening for years but every time I'd pick up a gardening book I'd still feel like I didn't understand all of the steps involved well enough to be successful at it without having an experienced person nearby. Well this book is like that experienced gardening friend! It's packed full of of information, directions, an enormous number of explanatory pictures, heck it even has a friendly flowchart to troubleshoot what's going wrong with your plant! If that wasn't enough, there's lots of individual plant information and even explanations of how to can your harvested plants and recipes you can use to cook them!!! I'm telling you, buy this book if you're like me and always wondered how to garden successfully. I received an advanced copy from the publisher for review purposes but I have provided a completely honest review, I really like the book!

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I like this little gardening book. I have a brown thumb. I buy poor unfortunate plants every year, take them home and kill them. Every year. This is a nice little book that explains gardening not rapturously but succinctly. Tells me what I need to know about soil, building beds, building things like rain barrels and solar dehydrators ( might be worth doing if I ever get to pick something) irrigation, planting, picking, etc. The best part of the book for me is the vegetable profiles. Each common vegetable is profiled with Latin name, soil, spacing, sun req., water rq., common problems, growth, planing depth, etc. It really helps you plan your garden and decide what you really can plant successfully or why you repeatedly fail. There is also a section on seed saving. At the end is a section on canning and cooking your produce if you get produce. Add olive oil and red pepper flakes to your broccoli, garlic, and olive oil to your greens. Yummy. I love the broccoli one. The red pepper flakes really make a difference. Try it. Buy and read the book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read the book for a review.

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My Thoughts
If you are a gardening geek, then maybe this book is not for you. But this book is definitely for me – a geek who is still struggling to garden. And also for all who are beginner gardeners (geek or not).

I loved the layout and structure of the book, as Christy takes the beginner gardener from creating an ecosystem in your garden to picking your harvest. As we take this journey, we learn about soil, irrigation methods, planning and planting our garden, and keeping it free of pests while ensuring the beneficial insects stay to help.

Interesting tips are included in info-boxes throughout the book. I have learned many cool facts in one quick read – dill and marigold are among the many plants that can help control pests (because one attracts beneficial insects while the other repels the pests).

The photos as well as the drawings help with understanding the concepts explained (how to plan a keyhole garden, build a trellis, plant your different vegetables so they all get the best sunlight and soil nutrients based on their needs, and so much more). I know that I will be using the detailed plant profiles provided.

In Summary
Get this book if you are a beginner gardener! And now is the perfect time to get started at least, as we stay home.

<a href="https://www.ladyinreadwrites.com/">Check my blog - LadyInReadWrites - for more reviews</a>

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the original eARC of the book; these are my honest opinions after reading the book.

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I like the cover with the pitchfork better. It looks more polished and alluring.
Thank you for a short but informative introduction.
I liked that the first chapter was focused on the ecosystem. Most gardening books do not do that!
I felt that the chapter lengths, as well as the sections within them, were perfect.
I really like the Problem with my Plant question-flow. It was very clear to follow.
I thought there was a good balance between photos, drawings, charts, and text.
The sections that involved instructions, like the Solar Food Dryers, were clear and an organized an easy-to-understand manner.

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This book is everything I was looking for! I've been struggling to keep my garden alive but there's always something going wrong. Now that I've found this book, I'll follow every single direction! I've always wanted to have my own little organic garden and I think I now will be able to have it! This book explains everything from building garden beds and all about the soil to pest control and time to pick up your fruits and veggies! It also has some recipes at the end! Great book! 5 stars!

I got an advance reader's copy of this book complimentary from NetGallery in exchange of my honest review.

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Such a jam packed book.
Helping organise and keep order, pest control, how to build garden beds, ecosystems including bats, bees and toads and planting placements.
There is information on worm bins, soil and ph levels, irrigation, and what to do with things once they are picked, storage, freezing and drying.
The vegetable and herb profiles are a great resource.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

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I absolutely loved this book. I sat down and read through it in one sitting. Not that I learned everything! This book is packed with information on every possible gardening related topic I could think of.: bees, composting, good bugs vs bad ones, small space gardening, companion planting, trap crops. You name it.
It has a section of what each type of vegetable or herb wants to grow well, design plans, a flow chart for gardening problems. (Turns out I may need hardware cloth underneath my raised beds.)
It even had canning instructions.
With a full list of sources, a useful index, a well spelled out table of contents and beautiful pictures, I would recommend this to anyone who wants to learn about gardening.
A truly well done book.

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With the current resurgence of interest in growing our own foods, the publication of this book is perfect timing. I loved the nerdy side. This isn't just an instruction book telling you what to plant and when. This goes into the science behind what works. Very interesting read!

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Many people I know will not even try growing their own food, they say it's too much work for so little gain. Gardening for Geeks is the perfect reference guide for those people or really anyone starting or beginning to expand their tomato plant in a pot to something more. Organic gardening is easy. It used to be that organic was the only way to garden, before there were so many chemicals and supplements that encouraged gardeners but destroyed the natural side of the craft. Christy Wilhelmi has obviously taken the time and effort to insure the information she shares is easy enough for everyone to follow while still insuring every step of the year improves the soil thus the product we reap from it. I had already been practicing some of these guidelines but have outlined many more for me to incorporate this year. My bounty will be all the proof I need that you do not have to harm to reap.

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What’s in a name? What I mean is “Does a book title skew the perception of a book?” GARDENING FOR GEEKS may go more into the science behind planning a perfect ecosystem for your garden than some books do, but it’s definitely a book for anyone who wants a high functioning garden, particularly in situations where space is limited. While the use of the word “geeks” in the title was probably meant to make the book stand out and attract more attention, I feel it will have the opposite effect and instead keep people who would benefit from it from even looking at it.

Great information included and would definitely buy for geeks and non-geeks in my life who like to garden.

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This is a great choice for a beginning gardener, geek or not. The author has all the science right (I'm a retired horticulture professor), but presents it in a way that's fun and easy to read, accompanied by beautiful illustrations. I particularly liked that the first chapter is about creating the garden ecosystem--it sets the right tone for rest of the book. Permaculture principles are incorporated throughout the book, and the order of topics is quite logical. She also includes interesting tidbits that most gardening how-to books don't include; for example, the reason not to use peat moss, why chicken wire doesn't keep burrowing pests out, and the need to check for salinity in coir. Plant profiles are very complete, germination temperature and time, and days to maturity. I just reviewed another vegetable gardening book that neglected to include this vital information.
I do wish there were a bit more about starting seeds--the book only seems to focus on direct seeding into the garden, but what about those in climates where they have to start some seeds indoors?
Overall, this is a great book for the beginning gardener, and I'd highly recommend it.

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I'm pretty sure this book is going to become indispensable to me. I have a home garden, but I am by no means a pro. This book gives practical advice for growing sustainable crops for your family. I loved the idea of a "swarm box" to bring bees to your garden without the difficulty of beekeeping. There are many ideas for plant placement and building the dimensions of a garden, for getting just the right soil and planning for seasons. And there is also a recipe section!

Plenty of illustrations and color photos make this a delight. This is a book I would buy and come back to season after season.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Fox Chapel Publishing and author Christy Wilhelmi for providing this copy to review.

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Similar to many gardening books I have read, the suggestions for garden design, soil management, plant selection are presented well. However, the "geeky" science did not seem to be present. Nonetheless, a good book for gardeners, beginner or expert.

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