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  • From: "Beth Spaugh" <lists AT rhomestead.com>
  • To: "'Market Farming'" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Book review
  • Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2007 09:35:58 -0500

As we are in planning mode now I thought I'd let folks know about a book I
think is one of the best: The Book of Garden Secrets by Dorothy Hinshaw
Patent & Diane E. Bilderback, ISBN 1-55209-104. It is not a new book -
copyright 1991, 1997. But it is one I read every winter and pull out in
between. The value of this book is in its explanations. The chapters are:
The secret life of seeds
Understanding plant structure
The care and feeding of your garden soil
Nurturing plants throughout the season
lettuce and spinach: abundant garden greens
The versatile cabbage family
Onions and their allies
Radishes, beets, Swiss chard, and carrots: Colorful root crops and
greens
Potatoes: Those Tasty tubers
Beans and Peas: The generous legumes
Corn: The oddball crop
Tomatoes: America's Garden favorite
Peppers: From sweet bells to Red-hot pods
Cucumbers, Melons, and Squash: Rambling Cucurbits

As an example, the subtitles in the Radishes etc chapter are:
nutrtional profiles
importance of proper soil and good roots
why storage organs are a luxury for plants
The best growing conditions for these crops
What root crops bolt
Radishes
Radish varieties
Secrets of radish success
Harvesting and storing radishes
Radish frontiers
Beets and Swiis Chard
Beet and swiss chard varieties
growing and harvest
beet frontiers
Carrots
Carrot varieties
tips on growing carrots
harvesting and storing carrots
carrot frontiers
The onion chapter covers:
How onions get their flavor
Bulb Onions
What makes onions form bulbs
bulb onion varieties
How an onions grows
planting the onion crop
planting onions for overwintering
onion roots and the soil
harvesting bulb onions
Growing onions for seeds
Problems with onions
Onion frontiers
Other types of onions
The Egyptian onion
the potato onion
the every-ready onion
shallots
garlic
elephant garlic
leeks
japanese bunching onions
chives
garlic chives

I was planning to start radishes in the early hoophouse hoping to be able to
include them in the spring greens CSA starting early April. In the radish
section I gleaned the following: If growing below 60 radishes grow slowly
and become hot. Best to wait to plant until soil and air temps average 45.
Use row covers as soon as I plant. Deeply planted seeds yield larger
radishes. Cherry Belle does best at 12 house day length but it holds well.
Cherry Belle grows a larger radish when grown in longer spring day lengths
than in the shorter days of fall and early winter. Radishes are affected by
scab like potatoes. Keep soil moist the first two weeks to avoid scab.

The authors garden in Montana, so their advice/experience is really helpful
for northern gardeners, though they also give tips for avoiding hot weather
and growing in winter in areas where that is appropriate.

This gives you a little hint of content, but it is harder to describe. They
include a lot of research and a lot of "why" do this or "why" this happens.
It is also a very "easy read".

This is not a book I see mentioned or sold many places. It was recommended
to me by another gardener, and that seems to be how word gets around about
it. I got it on sale at Pinetree Seeds a several years ago. Anyway, I HIGHLY
recommend it for market gardeners. It is not an expensive book.


Beth Spaugh
Rehoboth Homestead
Peru NY
http://rhomestead.com






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