Gardening (book) worms

These reliables will provide pleasure for all the seasons, not just Christmas, writes Kitty Scully.

It’s that time of year again when gift shopping frenzy hits town and what better present to bestow on those special people of all ages in your life than a book.

I’m addicted to gardening books and have shelves full of them but somehow there is always room for more. However, like items of clothing, there are a few reliables that I just couldn’t live without or in this sense garden without. When it comes to veggie volumes, here are two books that I would classify as ‘reliables’:

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VEGETABLES FOR THE IRISH GARDEN by Klaus Laitenberger

This is a vegetable growing book set in an Irish context and is sure to be a welcome addition to any enthusiastic gardener’s library.

It is refreshing to find a book written by a grower based in the north west who gives realistic sowing and transplanting dates.

Klaus Laitenberger is an experienced organic gardener, teacher and lecturer and gives sound practical advice on a range of topics from green manures to composting and slug control. The book is unusual in that it begins by detailing vegetables from A-Z starting with Artichokes and ending with Turnips, and then it continues to explore some of the common problems and essential practices of organic gardening. By setting the book in this format the author is sparking the interest of the reader in the huge variety of crops which can and are grown in Ireland.

It also contains a really useful month by month in the vegetable garden guide and sowing tables are clearly laid out, providing lots of practical, user-friendly information.

The text is accompanied by lovely illustrations and colourful photographs and as well as being an excellent reference book, it is also a lovely read and the practical experience of the author is evident throughout. The book is predominantly aimed at newer gardeners but there is an abundance of information in it which will be useful to organic gardeners of all levels.

To purchase this book, visit www.greenvegetableseeds.com where you can locate the stockist nearest to you or to order directly.

This year Klaus has launched a new seed company and is offering the ideal gift set for any budding gardener — ‘Vegetables for the Irish Garden and 10 seed packets selected by Klaus and wrapped in a gift box. Orders can be placed on the website.

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JUST VEGETATING ‘A MEMOIR’ by Joy Larkcom

This book is a pure gem and contains a compilation of timeless articles, musings and insightful information on vegetable growing from around the world over the last 40 years.

For me this book is unique in that it is as engaging and easy to read as a novel yet is jam packed with valuable technical information on growing vegetables.

Written by Joy Larkcom, undoubtedly the Queen of Vegetable, Just Vegetating is both a memoir of Joy’s lifelong obsession with vegetables and the adventures her lifelong obsession led her and her family on.

In 1976, Joy and her husband Don took off around Europe with their two children and a caravan in what she fondly refers to as her Grand Vegetable Tour.

Joy visited and worked with farmers and growers across Europe and recalls her adventures in this book.

She not only gathered and shared their wisdoms but also their seeds. With Europe explored, Joy’s quest took her further afield to China and Japan and we have Joy to thank for our now innate appetite and growing knowledge of oriental greens.

Without doubt, Joy, now a West Cork local, has had more effect on the way we grow and eat salads and vegetables than all the celebrity chefs put together and anyone that has grown cut-and-come-again salads (such as. Rocket and purslane) can also thank Joy for the privilege.

If you or someone close to you has the remotest interest in growing vegetables, I recommend all Joy’s books.

However, her latest publication is a must for everybody with an interest in both growing and eating food and to purchase this book, ask your local bookstore to stock it or go to www.amazon.com.

So if you have a gardening enthusiast in your life — including yourself — a good gardening book will doubtless bring a plethora of pleasures for seasons far outreaching the festive one.