Transitions / Chaos Cures / LazyWeb Request for Garden(ing) Book Recommendations

[mlerules]

It's dark earlier and longer these days. Walking around town requires shuffling through and kicking lovely fallen Fall leaves. Election Day's here, at long last. The year's nearly done (as far as I'm concerned). Six and a half weeks - a month and a half -'til Winter Solstice. This seems like hardly any time at all. Wonder how long it'll actually FEEL though. I'm reminded that enjoying Long Distance R-ships ("LDR") involves times of separation, which chunks o' time're healthy and helpful for maintaining separation/independence of self.

Experienced an odd (so I judge it) feeling earlier. Felt as if I "should" be actively seeking out someone else with whom to be involved, simply b'c I identify as poly. What's the heck's up w/that nonsense? I'm open to whatever with whomever, but I'm choosing not to prioritize wandering around w/that in mind as a primary goal w/a high priority for targeting energies/desires.

What's the value in having/seeking a greater diversification of emotional assets? What're the pitfalls?

Circling around to my initial point: it'll be interesting to see how the next 6.5 weeks goes vis-a-vis quickness or slowness. Don't quite know why this feels so important to me. It's feeling a bit like I'm dreading the long dark days. Perhaps this is just how I deal w/the possibilities, even as I very much enjoy the multi-shifting weather. Sometimes I feel as moody as this weather. Its very unsettlingness calms me. Rx: Chaos cures.

Okay, it's time I start learning about gardening. I borrowed the following books from the library today:

The Small Ecological Garden by Sue Stickland
The First-Time Gardener by Jonathan Edwards
Organic Kitchen Garden by Juliet Roberts
Better Homes & Gardens Step-By-Step Yard & Garden Projects

So, what books have you read that you'd recommend to a 1st time veggie gardener? Any and all tips, suggestions, hints appreciated.

Comments

[ignusfaatus.livejournal.com]

portland has the nicest climate for veggie gardening. They are a california like zone I think. A little island of it due to a weirdness of land formation. I think...

[vismaya-viewer.livejournal.com]

From one first time gardener to another, here's some of the reading list I've been working from:

Food Not Lawns
Seed to Seed
Square Foot Gardening
Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture
One Straw Revolution
Worms Eat My Garbage
Permaculture: A Designers Manual
Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability
Mycelium Running: How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World

There's also a lot you can learn from the internet, seed catalogs and even seed packages, paired with good old scientific experimentation. In one of the books I read today, I found out something I was doing by my own logic, against what all the other information said, is actually more time and cost effective. So that was cool. So regardless of what you read, go with your gut of what you think will work, you may be right or you may find another way not to do something.

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Thx SO much for the book list and the advice.

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Ooooh, mebbe I could borrow one or two, 'pending on what you folks're reading?

[kathyrene.livejournal.com]

Anything you can find on how to deal with your local (climate specific) pests so that all your hard work isn't ruined i.e., spiders in potatoes, worms, things like that. Good luck.

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Hmm, thx for the suggestion. Methinks I saw something along these lines at the library. I'll likely stop off and check it out when I return these or sometime later this winter.

[sidhefire.livejournal.com]

Food not Lawns
Gaia's Garden
Introduction to Permaculture
Square Foot Gardening
Carrots love tomatoes

*grins*.. that's probably enough to start with...

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Thx - I was hoping to hear from you 'bout this. :-)

[stacymckenna.livejournal.com]

I liked the 1970s version of "Square Foot Gardening" much better than the newer edition (it felt like it had more data), but the newer planting schedule charts were easier to read.

[mlerules.livejournal.com]

Hmm, mebbe I'll see whether I can lay my hands on the old one as well then - thx.