looking for a book

[SJane]

I'm moving into my first real house this weekend and I'm really excited about starting my own organic garden this spring. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a good step by step book on starting a garden. I have very little experience, other than growing herbs in the kitchen window in apartments. I'm in Michigan, if anyone knows a book specific to the midwest. Any help would be great!!
thanks

[panda]

Square Foot Gardening and Lasagna Gardening are both great books, imho. They're both a little non-traditional, but they're great for beginners, they cover the basics and have detailed info on many different garden plants, veggies, herbs, flowers, etc.

Both of these books have corresponding websites, so check them out first before you check out or buy the books, and you'll have a pretty good idea of whether or not you like their ideas.

I also have the New Victory Garden. I like that it is arranged by month, so I can sort of look ahead and see what I should be getting ready for next.

Those three are my favorites. Congratulations on your new house! In Michigan no less! I was born there, and love it still. I know I saw a website recently that was about gardening in the midwest. If I can find it again I'll post it. Best of luck to you. I'm still renting but this year will be my second try in my little garden.

[Elismama]

I love the Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening- it is great for beginners and experienced gardeners alike, vegetable gardens and flower gardens, a real A-Z of organic growing.

good luck,
jeanie

[autumn]

i LOVE geoff hamilton's "the organic garden". i borrowed a copy from our local library and ended up buying my own copy. it has everything you would ever want to know about soil, mulching, composting, building your own composter and other garden items (raised beds, potato beds, coldframes, pole bean frames, etc), starting plants from seed, havesting and keeping seeds, starting bulbs, transplanting, pruning, and on and on...all presented in a no nonsense, back to basics way. its a WONDERFUL book...and it was only $20. well worth it. i have other gardening books and no doubt will get more eventually, but this one is my bible.

[OceanMomma]

I got geoff hamilton's book too, but it's english & we're in New Zealand so it's a bit back to front. I was also massively put off by him showing you how to make mole traps to kill the moles. Not that we have them here, but I am english originally & used to love the little critters. My bible which I use all the time is by a local lady ( who runs the seed saving trust up north ). It talks about planting with the moon & is based on our seasons. It may be worth checking out if you have a nearby seed saving trust since they could have a similar publication suitable to your bioregion.

There's also some books by a guy called John Jeavons which are really awesome. They're about growing all your families vege supply from your own garden & concentrate very heavily on feeding the soil using things like green manure crops & so on. I'm pretty sure he's an Ozzie tho' so it would again be the wrong way around for you.

[autumn]

oceanmamma - i never even noticed any information about killing moles! how awful! i've never sat down and read the book cover to cover...just used it as a reference book for questions i've had while planning the garden. whenever i've wanted to know something and looked it up in the index, it answered my questions to a tee. guess i've never had need to look up killing off anything! yuck. :

[chocomoto]

I bought The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener ( A Guide to Growing Your Garden Organically) by Burpee. This book is excellent and covers all the topics that a beginner needs to consider like soil quality and compostion, layout, what to grow for your area, succession planting, etc, etc.
This will be my first year gardening and this book has helped me immensely.

[Chanley]

bump