An essential book! Think of it as a gardening for dummies format. How to ans less theory. Perfect.

This is the first gardening book I ever bought. Lots of planting and spacing charts. Very clearly written and helpful illustrations too. Don't let it scare you, though. Gardening is not this hard to do.

What I loved: excellent plans, layouts, charts, and some intriguing ideas I hadn't come across before (planting by moon phases), *amazing* list of references in the back of the book to refer to for more info

What frustrated me: many times ideas were presented but then not explained in full... So I still don't understand how to implement the idea.

Mr. Jeavons knows what the hell is up.

Originally published in 1974.
I've read this book 3 times already and have it all marked up and highlighted throughout. It's the perfect reference and organic gardening motivation book. Down to earh and simple to read. Love it!

I didn’t really get much out of this book yet. The text-heavy chapters of this book are all over the place, covering history, science, and a lot of trying to convince the reader that organic farming methods are the way to go. I don’t need that convincing, so I didn’t find those sections very useful. I was really looking for practical tips to improve my gardening practices, and I feel like this book hints at them rather than providing clear blueprints. There are tons of charts with information about companion planting, spacing, and more, but they are somewhat hard to decipher. I plan to spend some more time with those to see if I can pull something useful out of this.

I am an evangelist for this book! Anyone, really anyone, can garden.
(When my dad was a quadriplegic, I remember becoming acquainted with a horticultural therapist- hired by the city of all things- can you imagine that happening is the current political climate?)
Anyway.
John's project started soooo looong ago still rocks!

Read this book! Start small, keep it up.
I heard a report (and admittedly have not verified) that the United States is now importing food to have adequate supply for our population. This seems foolish in the current global situation. A quick solution would be for each of us to produce a bit for ourselves and our neighbors while creating lush wholesome soil in our yards.
Take a look, John's methods are fun and satisfying. Call me when you have too many cauliflowers :)

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.


This book, How to Grow More Vegetables, Ninth Edition (and Fruits, Nuts, Berries, Grains, and Other Crops) Than You Ever Thought Possible on Less Land with Less Water Than You Can Imagine by John Jeavons, was so filled with propaganda that it was hard to read. I sadly read about 10% and most of it was about GROW BIOINTENSIVE. I didn't get to the growing or awesomeness that the book description promised, so I cannot say definitively that it was all it claimed to be. But for me it seemed to be more about their product than actual gardening steps.

This is the best gardening book I have ever read, hands down. The author explains everything, including how to: make your own compost bin, plan a garden, rotate crops, companion plant, create a biodynamic environment that can sustain itself, water your garden and conserve your water, and feed your family on just hundreds of square feet of garden space. You don't need acres of land or even one acre to have a backyard farm that can produce enough to sustain you. The secret is planting your garden densely, in raised beds, so that weeds don't have room to grow, the soil stays shady and moist, and the plants are protected from the elements better than they would be in standard rows. Charts and plans are included. I am very excited to implement some of these practices in my summer garden!

I'm torn between giving How to Grow More Vegetables three and four stars. The book has several thought-provoking portions, but...it just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm a bit worried that people won't read it with a critical eye and will try to mimic the Grow Biointensive techniques that are either kooky or inappropriate to the backyard. (There are also some techniques in there that are much less kooky and much more appropriate to the backyard, of course.)

I'd recommend this book to advanced gardeners who are used to reading carefully and ignoring 80% of what gardening writers propose.

Double-digging is now a debatable practice, however the book has a great perspective on what sustainability means in your own backyard... No more importing compost etc. Use everything you have, and produce what you don't. Good idea for a sustainable backyard presentation.

Introduces the biodynamic/French intensive method of gardening, which has some interesting elements but seems pretty solid.

The book covers:
Bed preparation - the double-dig method
Composting
Seed propagation
Companion planting
Insect life - natural pest management