<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: Great Tomato Book!
Review: Having had the past growing season to try out the techniques in this book, I highly recommend it. While I live in an area where I may never have crops like Charles Wilbur, with the techniques he demonstrates in his book, I more than doubled my tomato crop this past season! That right there made this book worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Great Tomato Book!
Review: Having had the past growing season to try out the techniques in this book, I highly recommend it. While I live in an area where I may never have crops like Charles Wilbur, with the techniques he demonstrates in his book, I more than doubled my tomato crop this past season! That right there made this book worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Grow More Tomatoes Than You Ever Thought Possible
Review: I read this book cover-to-cover several times before preparing my 2001 garden. This system works. While I didn't get 30 foot tall plants like Mr. Wilber, I probably quadrupled my previous best results -- and that was only my first try. Everybody who saw my plants commented that they had never seen such healthy, productive specimens. (Wait until they see my plants next year!)Even if you don't follow his instructions to the letter, you will likely get much better results than you ever had previously. While the compost and mulching are super-important, I think THE most important advice to follow is to build large, strong cages per the instructions. Your plants will be so big that they will literally crush any "normal" tomato cage you can buy at a nursery. Organic gardening is the ONLY method that makes sense, when you really get into it. I'll go head-to-head with anybody who gardens using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. My plants will be bigger, healthier, with bigger yields of better-tasting produce.
Rating:
Summary: Grow More Tomatoes Than You Ever Thought Possible
Review: I read this book cover-to-cover several times before preparing my 2001 garden. This system works. While I didn't get 30 foot tall plants like Mr. Wilber, I probably quadrupled my previous best results -- and that was only my first try. Everybody who saw my plants commented that they had never seen such healthy, productive specimens. (Wait until they see my plants next year!) Even if you don't follow his instructions to the letter, you will likely get much better results than you ever had previously. While the compost and mulching are super-important, I think THE most important advice to follow is to build large, strong cages per the instructions. Your plants will be so big that they will literally crush any "normal" tomato cage you can buy at a nursery. Organic gardening is the ONLY method that makes sense, when you really get into it. I'll go head-to-head with anybody who gardens using synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. My plants will be bigger, healthier, with bigger yields of better-tasting produce.
Rating: 
Summary: Great advice and entertaining
Review: This book deserves serious attention by a generation that is gradually poisoning its own food supply and misusing its agricultural resources. Mr. Wilber teaches a total gardening system that encompasses sound organic principles, including composting with kudzu, watering at the soil-line, using extra-sturdy cage supports, mulching, cover-cropping, observing problems, garden sanitation, etc.. His methods are not earth-shatteringly different from those found in other organic gardening books, but his success in growing record-breaking produce is dependent on the consistent and proven use of all of his collective techniques together. I really enjoyed reading his life's philosophy regarding our stewardship of the earth, i.e. the dominion rather than the domination of the earth ("If you take care of nature, she'll take care of you") and plan to implement his techniques in my own garden this season. One of its main goals is to help you grow the most produce from the fewest number of plants in the smallest amount of space. The fact that his vegetables are often record-breakers is an added bonus. The book is written in a non-technical, easy-going style. The chemical companies will hate this book, but to those of you who care for the earth and enjoy eating your own healthy chemical-free vegetables, I highly recommend this one. I only wish the photos in the book were in color. Thank you, Mr. Wilber, for your generosity in passing your life's work onto future generations!
Rating:
Summary: Great advice and entertaining
Review: Tomatoes are a passion of mine; I remember my grandfather growing some of the best. I thought of him often when I read this book. It has very practical advice---even if you don't want a world record it is very easy to understand, it makes sense, it's organice, and it's fun to read. My only caveats: I would love to have had a chapter on how to adapt to a more urban/suburban setting (though it does devote time to how to do this in a container) where land space may be limited, and more about the how's of setting up to use rainwater or how to de-chorinate tap water if you don't have another or plentiful enough alternative source. I adapted fairly well to my spot I think and believe I will get a good yield this year!
<< 1 >>
| 
