The Vegetable Gardening Book: Your complete guide to growing an edible organic garden from seed to harvest

by Joe Lamp'l

The award-winning television and podcast host Joe Lamp’l is here with insider tips and next-level insight for creating a lush, fruitful, and resilient vegetable garden.

*Winner of the GardenComm 2023 Laurel Media Awards Silver Award in the Book Publisher/Producer General Readership Category*

Just when you think you have a secure grip on what it takes to grow a vegetable garden, a pro like Joe comes along to surprise you with a wheelbarrow full of new-to-you information to knock your gardening socks right off. In The Vegetable Gardening Book , Joe distills insight from years interviewing highly experienced growers for public television’s Growing a Greener World and The joe gardener® Show Podcast along with his own extensive, hands-on knowledge of the craft to present practical and useful info on everything from starting seeds and selecting varieties to building the perfect tomato cage, encouraging pollinators, and creating biodiversity-rich soil in a 100% organic food garden. This book is essential reading for anyone interested in growing the best edible garden their backyard (or balcony!) has ever seen.

Inside you’ll
 
Among the most trusted, recognizable, and sought-after voices in  the gardening world , Joe Lamp’l is here to help you “Grow like a pro – no experience required!™”

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Reference, Nature

256 pages, Paperback

Published September 6, 2022

About the author

Joe Lampl is not only a gardening expert, but also a passionate educator and media personality dedicated to sharing his knowledge of horticulture by providing resources to gardeners of all levels.

For three years Joe hosted Fresh from the Garden on the DIY Network and is currently host of GardenSMART on PBS. His fresh, inspirational, and nurturing personality, along with his ability to present complicated subjects in an easy-to-understand manner, makes him a sought-after speaker around the country.

As a Master Gardener and Certified Landscape Professional, Joes work is highly acclaimed. As the founder of The joe gardener Company, an organization committed to helping people of all skill levels learn, create, and grow beautiful gardens and landscapes, he introduces gardening to beginners and helps seasoned veterans perfect their skills.

His weekly syndicated column, The Gardener Within, is distributed to approximately 400 newspapers nationwide. Through television, radio, personal appearances, seminars, books, articles, and the organizations Web site www.joegardener.com, gardeners are given straightforward instructions and the latest ideas for improving their outdoor lifestyle.
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Reviews

[Don Harton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked Joe’s book a lot. I picked it up at the library thinking I would ‘look’ at it - peruse some photos and read a few paragraphs here and there.

The format and the writing is so accessible I found myself reading whole chapters. And decided to do just that. So I read the intro and learned about how Joe found himself something of a self-taught expert, I read each chapter and I even read the specific detailed instructions for growing forty vegetables. I was a little troubled by the number of pests and diseases faced by so many plants.

Hoping to grow some vegetables here soon, after retiring. I may have to buy my own copy of this book! It’s the kind of thing you would reference regularly, and with dirt on your hands.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Vegetable Gardening Book is an encyclopedic no-nonsense guide for getting an edible harvest from the garden written by Joe Lamp'l. Released 6th Sept 2022 by Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 256 pages and is available in paperback and ebook formats.

This is a well written, accessible, guide to fruit and vegetable gardening. It's beautifully and clearly photographed throughout. The specific crop guides are useful and not exaggerated or overly complex. The text is clear and specific with good info on troubleshooting and pest control. The author covers seed starting pretty well and gives practical usable advice for getting seeds started, hardening off, transplanting, caring for the plants in the garden, through to harvesting.

Five stars. One of the best gardening books I've reviewed in 2022, maybe the best, definitely top 5. This would be a great pick for public or school library acquisition, gardening group libraries, activity groups, and home use.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for beginner vegetable gardeners and would make a lovely present. It is not however encyclopedic as some reviewers mentioned. Many relatively common vegetables are not included. For experienced and well read gardeners, this book will have little to no information of value. I was however pleased with Joe's inclusion of germination temperatures and hints on difficult germination on plants like spinach. But overall it is just another book among many providing basic information for new gardeners. Example Niki Jabbour's book "The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener" has a very similar format though its focus is slightly different. It seems that the publishers promote this format as the most likely to get sufficient sales. Sadly, there are few if any books that provide more depth for experienced gardeners. Add this to your gift list for new vegetable gardeners in your life but don't give it to anyone with experience!

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Foundation!

I’ve watched Joe Lamp’l on Growing a Greener World for years. Lately, with the high cost of food I’ve decided to return to putting in a small vegetable patch in hopes of saving some money. But, it gets overwhelming thinking about how to get started. Then I found this book. It is so insightful and detailed that it answers the many questions I have as a returning gardener. There are plenty of color photos (and I mean plenty) and step-by-step instructions in this book that the novice or experienced gardener will definitely find it’s a great foundation. Joe Lamp’l covers everything from soil and plant basics to feeding and seeding, watering, bugs and even extending the season. I really appreciate the care and expertise that has gone into this book. My thanks to #JoeLamp’l, #QuatroPublishingGroup, and #NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan Bewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I have to say that The Vegetable Gardening Book: Your Complete Guide to Growing an Edible Organic Garden from Seed to Harvest has to be one of my top five gardening books for beginners. It has everything a beginner gardener needs to know, from picking their spots to the things you wouldn’t even think about, such as picking the right mulch.

I also love that the author has a variety of pictures that get into the nitty gritty of gardening, such as how to protect your garden from bad weather properly. It goes into general care and tips to make sure you succeed, as well as how to make the most popular vegetable thrive.

If you could only pick up one gardening book this year, I have to say that The Vegetable Gardening Book: Your Complete Guide to Growing an Edible Organic Garden from Seed to Harvest should be it! This really is the perfect beginner’s guide for gardening!

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe Lamp'l is the dean of teaching about vegetable gardening! His hands on, plain spoken, understated approach makes you feel like you are in a garden with your grandparent as he teaches you the basics and the secrets of gardening! I love his television shows, but they go by so quickly that I just can't absorb all the information he presents. That's where this book comes in....one can take their time and digest what he is teaching. And he teaches so much information! Not snooty things like Latin pronunciations, or flowery language on how pretty something is, but down to earth practical information. And he comes across as someone you could easily be friends with and enjoy a beer with after an afternoon of gardening! This is a great book, for beginning gardeners, or for people like me who have been at it for over half a century!

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is going to be a staple on my bookshelf.

I am a newbie gardener and was so excited to get my hands on this book. I was worried that it would be a little overwhelming as most of the books I have gotten from the library have been. I am so happy to be wrong, this book is outstanding, from the way the chapters are broken down, to the detailed information about each crop. The tips and information that you are need are easy to find if you are looking for something special, and not overwhelming if you are a newbie like myself.

I was given an ARC of this book for my honest review, and I will definitely be buying a copy to own on my shelves.

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent garden book for beginners or experienced gardeners. It's packed with gorgeous color photos, tips, information and more. There are detailed growing guides for a wide variety of fruits and veggies, plus information on all you need to know to garden successfully. Lamp'l is experienced and likeable. Highly recommended.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.

[patt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Vegetable Gardening Book from Joe Lamp’l will become your best friend in the garden. The photos are gorgeous and the information extremely useful. Once you’ve read it through it will become one of your best reference guides to return to again and again. Besides overall guidance on where and how to plant, it also contains specifics on many traditional vegetables we grow. You’ll definitely want to add this to your gardening book collection whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Comprehensive gardening book. Great photos. Excellent layout. Very informative. So well done. I would 100% buy this for someone in the beginning stage of their gardening journey, and would love to have this on my shelf to refer to over the years.

Thanks to #NetGalley and the publisher for early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

[JoAnn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very informative and easy to understand guide to vegetable gardening. It’s well organized and gives simple, basic information. I enjoyed the author’s writing style and layout of the book. I’m sure I’ll be referring to the book many times this coming gardening season.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for beginners but really for everyone who enjoys veg gardening. The addition of an alphabetical guide to 40 common vegetables with growing information is a good reference for growing information, pests and diseases.

[Susan J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

No dig was better

[Greg Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great information

Great read with a ton of usable information. Good for gardeners of all levels. Also check out Joe's online blog.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirational, useful and realistic - tons of great information and photographs, and the tidbits about Lamp'l's life in gardening were interesting as well.

[jayne ꕤ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5

feeling very enthused to start a garden, thank you mr. lamp’l.

Update: Loved this books so much I bought a hard copy.