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Beginning to garden is thrilling, but can also be extremely overwhelming. People have been tending plants since the Garden, so there is a lot of information available! I try not to take an adversarial approach to nature and gardening, instead opting to understand the God-given systems that operate in my garden and work to enforce them, rather than fight them. But this is just one approach; there are so many ways you can garden, and the suggestions below are based on my style of growing. I have included books that I love on a variety of gardening topics, as well as sources for materials and tools that I know to be reliable.

I am primarily a vegetable gardener, though I also grow a lot of flowers. I pursue an organic style of gardening, but not one based on capital-O certified organic gardening. My primary focus is in creating healthy soil and ecosystems where plants, animals, and insects can thrive—thus helping the people thrive, too. I don’t use pesticides or insecticides (though I will use copper spray for fungal infections on trees, or Neem to keep grasshoppers off my saplings), and treat problems as indications that there is an imbalance that needs to be addressed. (Except for squash bugs and hornworms. I squish those without hesitation.)

I am also a super experimental gardener—I like unusual plants, trying unconventional solutions, and seeing what happens. Some or all of this may interest you, or not. Either way, my advice is to keep an open mind. Every gardener has wildly different experiences, even from people in the yard next door. Try some things and find your style! And remember: there’s always next season.

—Maria

Booklist

Many of these books are available via local libraries, so check there before buying a copy!

 

General Gardening

• The New Organic Grower by Eliot Coleman
• Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. Smith
• No Dig Gardening, Course 1 by Charles Dowding
• The Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook by Huw Richards
• The Sustainable Vegetable Garden by John Jeavons

 

 

Soil Health & Compost

• The Living Soil Handbook by Jesse Frost
• Grow Your Soil! by Diane Miessler
• The Intelligent Gardener by Steve Solomon
• The Regenerative Grower’s Book of Garden Amendments by Nigel Palmer

Deep Dives

• Soil Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis
• Compost Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis
• Plant Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis
• Microbe Science for Gardeners by Robert Pavlis
• Teaming with Nutrients by Jeff Lowenfels
• Teaming with Fungi by Jeff Lowenfels
• Teaming with Bacteria by Jeff Lowenfels
• Botany in a Day: The Patterns of Plant Identification by Thomas J. Elpel

 

 

 

Techniques

• Great Garden Companions by Sally Jean Cunningham
• The Kitchen Garden by Sylvia Thompson
• Edible Landscaping by Rosalind Creasy
• Grow More Food by Colin McCrate and Brad Halm
• Epic Tomatoes by Craig LeHoullier
• Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler

 

 

 

Permaculture & Non-Traditional

• The Resilient Gardener by Carol Deppe
• Gardening When It Counts by Steve Solomon
• Will Bonsall’s Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Living
• Practical Permaculture by Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein
• Milkwood: Real Skills for Down-to-Earth Living by Kristen Bradley

 

 

 

Canning & Preserving

• Foolproof Preserving from America's Test Kitchen
• The Joy of Pickling by Linda Ziedrich 
• Saving the Season by Kevin West
• Stocking Up by Carol Hupping
• The Ball Big Book of Canning
• Batch by Joel MacCharles and Dana Harrison 
• Root Cellaring by Dion Rosser
• Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning by The Gardeners and Farmers of Centre Terre Vivante 
• Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
• The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz
• The Cultured Club by Dearblha Reynolds
• The Noma Guide to Fermentation by René Redzepi and David Zilber 

 

 

 

Seed Starting, Saving & Breeding

• Seed to Seed by Suzanne Ashworth
• The Seed Garden by Lee Buttala
• Beginning Seed Saving for the Home Gardener by James Ulager
• The Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel
• Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties by Carol Deppe

 

 

 

Medicinals & Perennials

•  The Medicinal Herb Grower: A Guide for Cultivating Plants That Heal by Richo Cech
• The Healing Garden by Juliet Blankespoor
• Rosemary Gladstar’s Medicinal Herbs
• Grow Your Own Botanicals by Cinead McTernan 
• The Backyard Orchardist by Stella Otto

 

 

 

Mushrooms

• The Essential Guide to Cultivating Mushrooms by Stephen Russell
• Home Mushroom Cultivation Course (online)

 

 

 

Garden Writing

• Onward and Upward in the Garden by Katharine S. White
• My Summer in a Garden by Charles Dudley Warner
• The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture by Wendell Berry
• Founding Gardeners by Andrea Wulf
• The Brother Gardeners by Andrea Wulf
• Cobbett's Country Book by William Cobbett
• The Country Garden by Josephine Nuese

Media

Podcasts

• The No-Till Market Gardener’s Podcast Network
• No-Till Flowers
• Priming for Production (on cover cropping)
• The Joe Gardener Show
• A Way to Garden
• Regenerative Agriculture Podcast (John Kempf)

 

Accounts to Follow

• Charles Dowding
• Huw Richards
• Epic Gardening
• Jean Martin Fortier/Market Gardener Institute
• No Till Growers
• Joe Gardener
• Milkwood
• Good Life Permaculture
• Wild Abundance
• No Till Flowers
• Dirty Punk Gardening
• Pip Magazine
• Planted in the Garden
• A Way to Garden
• Cultured Guru
• Your favorite seed companies

 

Note: In all online media, beware of gardening accounts that are primarily trying to sell you products or subscriptions. Classes are and can be incredibly valuable, but keep an eye on what is being sold in whatever content you are engaging with. If possible, I always try to check out any free resources or sample classes to see if the investment may be worthwhile. Most of what you really need to know can be picked up from books or experience, so try it yourself and seek a class if you need to level up your knowledge.

Websites

• Garden Myths
• PIP Magazine (Australia)
• Permies
• Dave’s Garden
• Missouri Botanical Garden
• Mesonet/NOAA
• Your local agricultural extension 

Sources

Seeds, Plants, Tubers, Roots (U.S.)

• Local nurseries, especially if they raise their own stock.
• Local plant sales! Check with your local cooperative extension or chapter of Master Gardeners, schools, 4H, feed store, or even local farms (they often sell starter plants if they raise their own). If you have a farmers market, this is also a great place to look. Plant sales usually happen around spring planting-out time in your area.
• Renee’s Garden (seeds, tubers)
• Botanical Interests
• Pinetree Garden Seeds (seeds, plants, tubers, mushrooms)
• Territorial Seed (seeds, plants, tubers)
• Siskiyou Seed (seeds, tubers)
• Wild Garden Seed
• Peace Seedlings
• Nichols Garden Nursery
• Kitazawa Seed
• Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
• Farmacie Isolde
• True Love Seeds
• Uprising Seeds
• High Desert Seed
• Seed Savers Exchange
• Baker Creek Seeds
• Experimental Farm Network
• Oklahoma Seed Co.
• Buffalo Seed Co.
• High Mowing Seeds
• Native Seeds/SEARCH
• Peaceful Valley/Grow Organic
• Select Seeds
• Swallowtail Garden Seeds
• SeedLinked (co-operative multi-vendor seed shop that funds public plant breeding research)
• FedCo Seeds (seeds, plants, tubers)
• Wood Prairie Farm (potatoes)
• Carter Farms (potatoes)
• Mad River Garlic Growers (seed garlic)
• Filaree Garlic Farm (seed garlic)
• Dixondale Farms (onions)
• J.L. Hudson, Seedsman (for the truly adventurous)
• Burpee (seeds, plants, tubers)
• Bluestone Perennials (plants)
• Prairie Moon Nursery (native plants)
• Etsy (It is possible to find quality cuttings, seeds, and plants on Etsy. However! Please read reviews carefully and do your research on the plants before you order—don’t count on the seller to tell you everything you need to know, or if what you’re ordering will work in your area. Also, if the last five reviews say the seeds didn’t germinate or the cuttings were bad, heed the warning!)

 

Trees & Perennial Foods (U.S.)

• FedCo Trees
• Peaceful Valley/Grow Organic
• Stark Bros.
• Baker Creek Seeds
• Local nurseries, especially if they grow their own stock in your area—these will be the best, hardiest plants for your garden.
• Oikos Tree Crops (seeds only)
• Experimental Farm Network

 

Amendments (U.S.)

• Peaceful Valley/Grow Organic
• Amazon
• ACE Hardware
• Walmart
• Local nurseries
• Lowe’s/Home Depot

Soil (U.S.)

• Fox Farm (nationwide)
• GP Living Soils (Oklahoma)
• Your local soil or compost maker—there are quite a few of these places, but you may have to ask around to find them! Check with growers at your local farmers market, or with a local nursery if you have one that grows their plants on site.

Mushroom Spawn & Supplies (U.S.)

• Field & Forest Mushrooms
• Mushroom Mountain
• North Spore

Tools & Supplies

• Bootstrap Farmer (seed starting supplies)
• Wilcox All-Pro (trowels 4 lyfe) 
• Fiskars (snips and spades) 
• Gardener’s Supply Co. (all the things, wonderful customer service)
• Duluth Trading (smocks, overalls, durable outerwear)

 

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