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Rating: 
Summary: It's a good start but you'll need to go further
Review: This is not the first book I ever picked up on gardening, but it was the first that sparked my interest in using heirloom species. The author does a good job of explaining the background story on heirlooms vs. hybrids, pros and cons, etc. The pictures were charming, showing each species in it's place in an old-fashioned homestyle garden as opposed to the more usual catalog-style photos and illustrations I'd come to expect from books of this type. There were generally two-page spreads on each vegetable, flower, herb, etc. that had a poetic introduction and gave step-by-step instructions in general planting. The author seemed to have picked one example of each garden favorite and expanded in detail on it. For example, the only heirloom apple covered is the Pink Pearl, the only sunflower was Inca, the only pumpkin was Lumina. Beyond that there was no real discussion on a wider scope of different species within that category. That's okay, but I wish there was a little more information on what alternative heirlooms might do well in different zones of the USA. Also, the subjects of pests and disease are treated as though the reader is already expected have enough knowledge to do without it, except to encourage the use of organic methods wherever possible. So, don't expect this to be a teaching manual for the newcomer to general gardening techniques. But, it is a nice sampling of heirlooms you may never have heard of otherwise. Thanks to this book, I have now tasted the best tomato I have ever had in my life (Brandywine).
Rating:
Summary: It's a good start but you'll need to go further
Review: This is not the first book I ever picked up on gardening, but it was the first that sparked my interest in using heirloom species. The author does a good job of explaining the background story on heirlooms vs. hybrids, pros and cons, etc. The pictures were charming, showing each species in it's place in an old-fashioned homestyle garden as opposed to the more usual catalog-style photos and illustrations I'd come to expect from books of this type. There were generally two-page spreads on each vegetable, flower, herb, etc. that had a poetic introduction and gave step-by-step instructions in general planting. The author seemed to have picked one example of each garden favorite and expanded in detail on it. For example, the only heirloom apple covered is the Pink Pearl, the only sunflower was Inca, the only pumpkin was Lumina. Beyond that there was no real discussion on a wider scope of different species within that category. That's okay, but I wish there was a little more information on what alternative heirlooms might do well in different zones of the USA. Also, the subjects of pests and disease are treated as though the reader is already expected have enough knowledge to do without it, except to encourage the use of organic methods wherever possible. So, don't expect this to be a teaching manual for the newcomer to general gardening techniques. But, it is a nice sampling of heirlooms you may never have heard of otherwise. Thanks to this book, I have now tasted the best tomato I have ever had in my life (Brandywine).
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