Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com

Average Customer Rating:

A Little Too Technical For Me

Customer Rating:

It is interesting reading if you want to know EVERYTHING about intensive gardening. I view gardening as stress relief, not to eat to live, so I don't like to use my brain this much when working in the garden. I give it 3 stars because I do feel if one really needs this information, it could be useful. An engineer minded person would probably love this book and get a lot of useful info out the main book, How to Grow More Vegetables. I am technical minded, but after working 60 hours a week, I don't want to strain my brain over a garden.

Finally some actual DATA!

Customer Rating:

I am thankful to find this book, because it is so rare to find any gardening book that actually tells you how many seeds you need for so much ground, or how to predict yield. The reviews that complain about this valuable information give me an idea why that might be. People are too stupid to either value or use that information. Well, if you are intelligent enough to be looking for that information, then you'll be happy to have this book.

at best an introduction

Customer Rating:

I was very dissapointed in the length of this book. Compared to other organic gardening books, this should be listed as a brochure, or maybe as a synopsis of "How to Grow More Vegetables..." A buyer's money could be better spent. Personally, I would not buy it again. Figuring that it would cost me half of the cost of the book to return it to Amazon, I'll probably just give it away as a gift to a new gardener. This is not to say that there is no useful information in the book, but more information can be found in other, -longer- books

In-depth answers for NOW questions

Customer Rating:

This is not a book to read in winter when you're dreaming of your perfect garden. This is a book that correctly lists the five plants that have been proven to help deter the Striped Bean Beetle when it's eating your garden down to the nubs. And the intercropping to keep the bean beetle away next year. And soil treatments to keep it from coming back. And what kinds of flowers will attract the beetle's predators. And did you know that veggies will generally produce just fine with up to 30% of their leaf surface eaten, or even produce more when it's attacked just like this? I didn't, until I read this book. Great information, essential information, complicated information. If you're a dreamer who likes a couple of nice sprays of hybrid cherry tomatoes to munch on each September and want a nice book with pretty color pictures, this isn't the book for you. If you've got dirt under your fingernails and a problem with your French Intensive beds, you will eventually need exactly this book.

Beginners Beware

Customer Rating:

At best, this is a book an experienced gardener might pick up at the library to glean a few useful ideas about biointensive gardening (I found nothing that isn't presented better elsewhere). At worst, unsuspecting beginners will think this book is the authoritative source it claims to be, try to implement it's convoluted techniques, and fail miserably. All gardening books convey a certain sensibility about gardening that sets the perspective for the endeavor. Sustainable Vegetable is weird mix of new age idealism and rocket science. Trust me, gardening is not as complicated as this book makes it sound! The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith is THE definitive title on the subject.Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew is good for small gardens. Four Season Harvest by Elliott Coleman is excellent for winter gardening. Tanya Denckla's Gardener's A-Z Guides are excellent.