Best Gardening Books: My Top 6 Picks

Whether you’re a hobbyist gardener or a career farmer, nothing beats having a tried and tested set of blueprints to help you along the journey. From fruits to flower beds, how to prune climbing roses, and how to prepare the ultimate garden, there’s a book for every gardener.

While some just people seem to have a natural green thumb, there’s really nothing better that using someone else’s experience and research to make things just a little more bigger, greener and juicier.

So, if you’re looking for the best gardening books to inspire the gardener in you, take a gander at my pick of the most popular gardening books while you relax in your canvas and enjoy the delectable fruits of your hard work.

Best Gardening Books: My Top Picks

RHS Gardening Through The Year

rhs gardening through the yearWritten by Gardener’s presenter Geoff Hamilton’s right-hand man – Ian Spence, RHS Gardening Through The Year promises readers a unique experience. As head gardener at Barnsdale, Ian was responsible for preparing weekly projects and even today, he continues demonstrating plenty of gardening skill for BBC Gardener’s World Magazine.

RHS Gardening Through The Year touches on specific monthly tasks for each and every part of your garden. This includes expert plant advice, numerous tips on organisation as well as over 1000 photos to better illustrate what Ian is talking about.

As opposed to other gardening books, this is the ultimate garden reference that not only tells readers what to do but also shows them as well. The book can be found on Amazon, dk.com, and plenty of online stores.


The Polytunnel Book: Fruit and Vegetables All Year Round

the polytunnel bookWritten by gardening couple Joyce and Ben Russel, The Polytunnel Book is one of the most comprehensive and practical guides to Polytunnel gardening.

Thanks to Joyce Russel’s countless years of experience, readers are hand guided through each and every month of the year. Whether you are an amateur, newbie gardener or a more experienced plant grower, this book offers a variety of topics.

In addition to content about site preparation and charts that show you how to get the best from your crops, you also get advice on how to identify and get rid of pests and how to make you very own compost. Readers also get 300 colour pictures that illustrate techniques and practical tips to aid the process.

In short, this book informs gardeners on what to do and when to do it so as to grow the best crops, fruits, and vegetables all year round. For the enthusiastic Polytunnel gardener, you can buy this book on Amazon, eBay and lots of other online stores.


Allotment Month by Month

allotmenm month by monthThis 350-page book was written by Alan Buckingham, a freelance writer with over 20 years experience in illustrated publishing, writing and editing. Alan has also worked on numerous other information books, websites and interactive CD-ROMs. However, he has most recently been leaning more and more on photography and gardening.

His tow passions work great together in his book, Allotment Month by Month. This photo-packed guide shows gardeners how to make their own fruits and veggies all year round on your allotment.

Alan insists that when it comes to tasty, delicious and nutritious products that have not been shipped from the other side of the globe, you simply cannot beat home grown produce grown with your very own hands in your allotment.

Get your copy today at Amazon, eBay, waterstones.com and other sites today and pick up time-saving techniques and tips on everything from pruning to dealing with pests.


The Complete Gardener

the complete gardenerThe Complete Gardener is another brainchild of the former lead presenter at BBC’s Gardener’s World and gardening correspondent for The Observer, Monty Don. As one of UK’s leading gardeners and writers, Don is fully committed to environmental awareness and organic gardening.

Alongside his many other books, The Complete Gardener is packed with all the practical advice and tips you need to create a successful garden. Whether you are just starting out your journey, or you consider yourself a green-fingered guru, Monty Don breathes life into each and every aspect of organic gardening.

Thanks to Monty’s straight forward advice, time-tested gardening techniques and extraordinary attractive photos that he took himself over the period of a year, The Complete Gardener is truly a complete guide for all. The book can be purchased at waterstones.com, Amazon, eBay and other sites.


No-Nonsense Container Gardening

christine walkden's gardening bookWell known for her no nonsense approach to gardening, Christine Walkden has had a long, illustrious gardening career at Gardener’s World, BBC Radio for Gardeners Questions, The One Show, and Christine’s Garden. It is her no-nonsense approach that has garnered Christine a small cult status.

The No Nonsense Container Gardening book shows readers how to use containers and pots as a base for all gardening. This technique is not only super versatile and convenient, but it also makes for some very eye catching designs.

Walkden also illustrates how to grow an array of plants, flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees in all types of different containers to ensure not only a great harvest but excellent results as well. This unique book can be found on Amazon, Waterstones, eBay and numerous other sites.


Down to Earth: Gardening Wisdom

Down to Earth: Gardening WisdomMy last pick is incidentally also #1 Amazon bestseller in the gardening category. Written by the popular TV gardener, Monty Don, it is full of interesting insights into what Monty considers to be important tasks in his own garden, on month-by-month basis.

As the presenter on the BBC’s Gardeners’ World, Monty has a huge amount of gardening experience, which clearly shows in this beautiful book full of wonderful pictures. Monty can offer his readers practical and sometimes unorthodox advice, which you won’t find in many other gardening books.

I heard some people call this book their “gardening bible”, to which they keep referring for information on what to do each month. I’m not surprised as this is a great book, which I would recommend to all UK gardeners and Monty Don fans.

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