The Garden Primer: The Completely Revised Gardener’s Bible, by Barbara Damrosch (Workman Publishing, 2008)
ISBN: 978-0894803161
Price: $18.95 (U.S.)
Ordinarily, having to ‘fess up to the fact that I’ve faithfully used — since its original publication — a book that just enjoyed a 20th anniversary reprinting would make me feel old. But admitting that I’ve been dog-earing and mud-smearing Barbara Damrosch’s Garden Primer since 1998 makes me feel visionary.
Back in those days, a solid, sustainability-minded how-to guide for gardening was hard to come by. Back then, my book collection consisted of Ortho’s Guide to Herbicide (because it had full color photos and great info on plant cultivation) and DuPont’s Pest Control (for the great bug photos – this was before Internet, you have to remember). I just skipped over the paragraphs that advocated Diazinon applications (seriously!). I cobbled together what information there was and did the best I could.
Then came the day when I stumbled onto Barbara Damrosch (and her husband, Eliot Coleman). Both of their invaluable books were uncovered used, in a dusty pile in a Portland indy book cellar. All at once, my gardening paradigm lifted off the ground, and likewise, my garden. This was what I had been trying to do all along, only without the formal help. The Garden Primer became my blueprint, my reference, my diagnostic tool and my savior. The 2nd Edition, published just this February (2008), is still all this and then some.
As in that original version, the 2nd Edition provides gardeners at all levels of expertise with all the information that matters. It’s the sort of book that can prop you up while you get started or can point out subtle details that you might be overlooking amidst all your thriving foliage. This book first sets you up to “think like a plant”, then lays the foundation for a garden plan, gives you instructions for maximizing your space, elucidates readers on the various tools for the job, and gives plant by plant descriptions and growing tips.
What has changed in 20 years?
»Read full review here
I’m so glad to see a review of this book. I, too, have a tattered copy of her original book and I have been wondering if I want to buy the new one or not. It sounds like there is plenty of new material, and it will be nice to have a fresh copy to break into the garden. Thanks for the informative review.
I’m still using her old book, and actually there is also a discussion in there about the need for lawns. I guess she was ahead of her time because now my neighbors don’t have them, but that may not be intentional.
Hey Greg, true enough, she does discuss whether we need lawns or not in the first edition. The space she devotes to alternatives, both in that section and also in various parts of the book (wildflowers, ground covers, etc) is expanded in this volume though. I agree with you, in all the significant ways this book is quite like the previous, but it has definitely been updated to reflect the environmental and social challenges that face this particular moment in time.
B
I’m just getting into gardening and I’m looking for a couple of good books that will get me moving in the right direction. I just ordered this one from Amazon, so thanks for the head’s up. Can you, or readers who garden, recommend any others? I’m more interested in growing vegetables and herbs and definitely want to do it organically. I fear my soil needs work and I’m also very interested of course in heirlooms.
Dear Achy (does this refer to the injuries of gardening?),
Workman Publishing also has a great book on composting, which would help with the soil situation. It’s called The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, and it goes through the various (and there are oh-so-many) methods for turning waste into rich soil.
Another book that I still refer to is an older one, called The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control. It has great pictures of all the things that could go wrong with any of your veggies, plus a good pest identification guide. They rely a lot on “natural” pesticides like pyrethrin though, and I think there are better ways.
Oh, I had just pulled her book out a few days ago and then read your review.Nice. I’m definitely interested in alternative lawns also. Did you see the piece in the ny times a few weeks ago about moss lawns?
Hey Sarah,
I missed the piece on moss lawns, but now I’ll look it up. (It would be pefect for me since right now I’ve got a shady-spot weed garden for a front lawn…)
the lady on the cover of that book?
i hate that lady
because i am so very envious and i will
NEVER EVER be her
on oh so many levels
but hey
love your blog…