Best Garden Hacks: 7 Gardening Books For Newbies

Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening

If you're inspired to start an organic garden, choosing the Rodale's Basic Organic Gardening by Deborah L. Martin could be beneficial. This guidebook speaks directly to the enthusiasm, goals, and, of course, the need for solid information of a newbie gardener. It also comes from one of the most trusted sources for organic gardening practices.

Rodale’s covers all the essential knowledge in order to thrive into the wonderful world of organic gardening. This book includes a skills section that answers simple questions such as “How do I plant a seed?” and “What’s the best way to dig?” and the book also comprises topics like soil, compost, seeds, pest control, and weeds, using a direct and straightforward language for novices.

Furthermore, the Rodale's includes more than 100 basic gardening terms that are defined throughout the text, ensuring you feel confident when you start utilizing your garden. This gardening book has it all- DIY projects, plant guides, sample garden layouts, and many more.

Since the book covers basic information only, advanced gardeners might not find this book useful at all.

The Flower Gardener's Bible

This comprehensive book includes expert advice on everything about flowers. Beautiful illustrations and photographs accompany useful tips on how to improve soil, prevent pests, and make all your flowers bloom with bright colors. Whether you’re a novice gardener or a seasoned florist, The Flower Gardener’s Bible is an excellent resource to help keep the garden of your dreams healthy and beautiful for many years to come.

The Flower Gardener's Bible: A Complete Guide to Colorful Blooms All Season Long is the best garden hack book for flourishing gardens that bloom all season long. The book addresses everything from how to pick the best growing site to tips on prolonging the life of your plants.

This book is helpful for both beginners and advanced gardeners and contains lots of good information and resources to help you identify various types of flowers. On top of that, you’ll get to learn how to grow 261 different plants. This guide details essential information such as the type, potential diseases, beneficial insects, and propagation.

This book is an important resource for most gardeners; however, make sure you buy a physical copy since the Kindle version is poorly formatted.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, 2nd Edition

Would you like to learn how to make fresh salads using produce from your homegrown garden? Edward Smith’s The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible provides the complete guide on this topic. You’ll learn how to grow almost all kinds of vegetables under the sun, from simple ones like tomatoes and carrots to the more advanced produce.

This book is based on Ed Smith’s W-O-R-D gardening system, which stands for wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil. These four gardening strategies will help increase your harvest when used accurately. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible includes thorough profiles of popular vegetables, giving you all the insights you need to grow them at home successfully.

One thing we like about this book is the valuable information that not only benefits beginners but the experienced ones as well. This book contains everything you could need to know about vegetables, and even more, professional gardeners say they still use The Vegetable Gardener's Bible for reference. Overall, this book is a must-have if you're planning on putting up an impressive vegetable garden.

The physical version of the book might be a bit expensive compared to the other books on this list. If you must, purchase the downloadable version instead.

The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual

If you're into the idea of keeping houseplants but struggle to care for them, you'll find invaluable advice in this complete guide from expert gardener Barbara Pleasant. Even seasoned houseplant enthusiasts will benefit from the expansive content of this book about indoor gardening.

Not all gardening takes place outdoors. Many people enjoy growing houseplants, but if you’re struggling to keep an indoor plant alive, you can refer to The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual to figure out the best ways on how to grow more than 150 flourishing houseplants. This book also includes profiles, growing needs, and troubleshooting tips for 160 blooming and plant varieties.

The book is divided up into three sections: two directories with in-depth plant profiles, and a third that takes about the proper care of indoor greenery. You’ll find answers to all your urgent questions, including important topics like acclimatization, watering, fertilizing, and more.

The Complete Houseplant Survival Manual is the best reference for common houseplants. However, it might not contain all information pertaining to many varieties and types.

All New Square Foot Gardening II: The Revolutionary Way to Grow More in Less Space

Not everyone has a spacious yard to grow an array of different foliage. However, that doesn’t mean you have to give up on your gardening dreams. The popular gardening guide, All New Square Foot Gardening II, will guide you on how to create an amazing garden even with just a limited space.

The gardening methods in this book have been used since the 1980s, and they’re still very much relevant today. The updated guide explains the best garden hacks on how to create a small garden using vertical gardening techniques. What’s unique about the techniques in this book is that there are no complicated tools required. You just need the basics, which makes it an ideal resource for beginners.

Most gardeners say that this book by Mel Bartholomew has methods that really do work and are best for novice gardeners. The book is also easy to understand and that it has a lot of beneficial information. It reminds us that you don’t need a large farm to enjoy gardening. With specific gardening techniques, you can optimize your small space and grow as many plants as you want.

One downside mentioned by several gardeners is that the suggested soil mixture in this book can be pretty expensive, depending on where you shop. So try to opt for a cheaper alternative if you can.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children

Reconnecting with children through gardening is the core of Sharon Lovejoy's Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots book. This guide presents 12 spirited, easy-to-make ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated by the author's own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe, and growing instructions spelled out in step-by-step fun activities.

Getting your kids involved in gardening peels them away from the TV. If you're looking for fun ways to boost your children's interest in gardening, you should consider Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots: Gardening Together with Children. This kid-friendly gardening book will help you teach your kids the basics of plants while presenting innovative ideas for fun outdoor projects.

This book includes a lot of fun ideas you can do with your kids. For instance, a “Pizza Patch,” where you create a wheel-shaped garden and each “slice” is utilized to grow different pizza ingredients, such as tomatoes or basil. Another one is a “Moon Garden” for night-blooming flowers. The book also covers care instructions, as well as a list of kid-friendly plants that are simple to care for.

Although this book talks about basic gardening techniques, a few gardeners, however, noted that you’d need at least some basic gardening knowledge to maximize the use of this book.

Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space

If you have limited space or simply don’t want to commit to a huge plot of land, you should read Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. This gardening guide delves into vertical growing approaches using string supports, trellises, pergolas, and more, helping you to save space while still cultivating healthy plants.

Vertical gardening might sound overwhelming, but this guide makes it easy for beginners to follow. Vertical Gardening focuses on varieties of climbing plants, which are less prone to insects, diseases, and animal pests, making them more convenient to keep. The various growing approaches use a mix of DIY and commercial supports and incorporate plenty of tips on how you can lessen work, increase yields, and make reaping easier.

Overall, this book is a hit among gardeners, since it has great ideas that are very much doable. Vertical Gardening provides unique alternatives to traditional planting methods, and most are incredibly satisfied with the results they’ve seen.

This popular book also does come with some disadvantages. Some readers mentioned that the instructions are a bit hard to understand. Illustrations and pictures would have been a better alternative instead of poorly written instructions.