Are you a gardening enthusiast who is taking their first step in this field? Once you start, it is like a drug you do not want to get over. Though it is highly immersive, landscaping is also challenging to a great extent. Thanks to the best gardening books for beginners, you can become a pro at it in a short while!
That said, you will still need a few techniques and plenty of patience to watch your green babies thrive. So, how do you choose the perfect reference guide for your garden? To solve your confusion, this article brings forward the top 9 books for a blossoming garden.
Table of Contents
9 Best Gardening Books for Beginners
A good gardening book includes not only multiple ways of planting but also the hidden tips and tricks. Furthermore, it will give you easy-to-follow instructions for the entire gardening process. Read these gardening book reviews to find the planting guide you are looking for and watch your garden flourish!
1. Raised Bed Gardening For Beginners: Tips To Build Sustainable and Thriving Garden Anywhere
Raised bed gardening is one of the easiest forms as you can start it in just about any location. If you are going to take your first step into gardening, it is the perfect type to take up. And the Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners book is all you need. It is easy to understand and beginner-friendly.
It is a comprehensive guide explaining each and every step that you need to take—right from planning to results. The book covers everything you require to build an uplifted-bed garden by yourself. From the materials and design to protective measures—it got you covered.
What makes it one of the best gardening books is it comes with garden care tips and tricks nobody would tell you. Additionally, it will warn you about the potential mistakes most individuals make while planting. Thus, it is perfect for experienced and novice gardeners alike.
That is not all. The Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners book includes the types of gardens in this category. Therefore, you can choose the one you like according to its benefits and customize it as you desire. You can also select one depending upon the crops and plants you wish to plant!
Are you still confused about opting for this type of raised garden? Well, this book lets you compare the different types of gardening. You can go through a thorough comparison and choose the one most optimum for your work.
Pros
- An extensive guide explaining each step
- Lets you compare raised beds and other types
- Offers tips, tricks, and ways to avoid mistakes
- It gives an insight into the overall benefits of maintaining a garden
- Easy to understand
Cons
- It only talks about one form of gardening
2. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 2nd Edition: Discover Ed’s High-Yield W-O-R-D System for All North American Gardening Regions
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible by Edward C. is undoubtedly one of the best gardening books out there. It covers a vast range of hardening techniques, including wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil. The author calls it the W-O-R-D system.
If you want to increase yield from organic farming, know that this book features over 70 plants. From growing Artichokes to Watermelons, it has everything gardeners like you need to know. With this book, you can learn the strengths and weaknesses of each crop type, their needs, and growing conditions.
Edward C. Smith, along with his wife, grows hundreds of vegetable and fruit varieties. Thus, he can guide you on how to nurture your plants for the most effective growth. You can learn multiple natural techniques for making nutrient-rich soil via composting and more.
Apart from that, you can also gain knowledge on essential practices of managing weeds and eliminating pests. Additionally, the book also includes tricks for companion planting and attracting insects that are beneficial to the plant. Sounds interesting, doesn’t it?
Even if you wish to expand your knowledge about raised beds, wide rows, and deep soil, it has you covered. Thus, this Vegetable Gardener’s Bible is perfect for beginners as well as the experienced to widen their skill set.
Pros
- It covers four types of planting methods
- Includes tricks for weed and pest control
- Offers professional techniques of growing companion plants
- It lets you strengthen soil through natural gardening techniques
Cons
- It may not be easy to understand by new gardeners
3. Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners: Everything You Need to Know to Start and Sustain a Thriving Garden
One of the best space-saving ways to grow a garden is by constructing raised beds. The book, Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners, sheds light on step-by-step instructions to get a bountiful harvest with raised beds. It is your go-to reference book for creating, caring for, and relishing plants of all types.
Whether you want to grow herbs for making medicines or vegetables for consumption, it is one of the best books. The book takes you from point zero of constructing raised beds to mixing the right soil and maintaining it. You can now build your very first raised bed without any help.
Next, the guide talks about multiple gardening techniques to up your planting skills section. These include crop rotation, seed starting, growing partner plants, and more. Now you can follow the best gardening system and enjoy a year-round harvest.
Apart from that, this Raised Bed Gardening for Beginners also covers 30 plants that are the easiest to grow. Thus, being the first step for your gardening profession as well as a hobby. The book explains the full profiles of these plants along with multiple suggestions for all categories of gardeners.
Even experienced gardeners can refer to this book and learn how to choose the right plants for their gardens. Furthermore, it comes with a plethora of tips to grow and harvest beginner-friendly plants.
Pros
- Includes growing details of 30 beginner-friendly plants
- Step-by-step instructions make understanding easy
- It covers several detailed gardening techniques
- Perfect for gardening in less space
Cons
- Not extensive enough for novice gardeners
4. Beginner’s Illustrated Guide to Gardening: Techniques to Help You Get Started
Be it gardening tools or terms, this Beginners’ Illustrated Guide to Gardening explains it all. Whether you want to grow flower gardens or expand your vegetable gardening, this gardening book got you covered.
The best thing about this book is that it gives easy-to-follow instructions that everyone can understand at once. Moreover, you also get pictures at every step for further clarity. It includes all the essential methods you require for growing shrubs, perennials, flowers, vegetables, and more.
Even if you have a garden full of weeds, this gardening book can help you convert it into a beautiful landscape. It is like a gardener’s bible, offering all the techniques you need to know as a beginner.
This Beginners’ Illustrated Guide to Gardening includes all the gardening tools and fertilizers you would need for a specific plant. Plus, you can gain in-depth information on the amount of sunlight and water required, the right zone, and much more.
What’s more? Being among the best gardening books for beginners, it gives you details to deal with bald spots, bad soil, etc. Overall, it makes gardening seem perfectly easy for first-timers. Thus, this book is also suitable for your teenager who would want to start gardening as a hobby!
Pros
- Easy to follow language
- Covers extensive gardening terms, methods, and tips
- In-depth knowledge about the right growing conditions
- Covers multiple types of plant profiles, including veggies, flowers, shrubs, etc.
Cons
- Not the best book for level-2 beginners
5. Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Vegetables at Home
Whether you want to start vegetable gardening for self-consumption or business, the Vegetable Gardening for Beginners is perfect. It is one book that covers in-depth knowledge about 30 plant profiles. You can pick your favorite ones and get started!
The takes you on a ride of choosing the best gardening type—elevated bed or in-ground, to the entire garden plan. It includes preparing the best, nutrient-rich soil, planting seeds, maintain the plant, and harvesting. Furthermore, you can also learn the best ways of storing different veggies once harvested.
What makes it land among the best gardening books is that it offers a step-by-step guide to planting. You can understand how varying plants work by learning about each of their specific resources and time requirements.
Acting truly like a vegetable gardener’s bible, the Vegetable Gardening for Beginners tells you even about the optimum growing regions. Therefore, you can choose the plants that grow best in your specific area and watch the seedling thrive through seasons.
Another excellent thing about this book is that it offers expert advice on each plant’s problems. So, rest assured that you will have all the pest control and troubleshooting ways for each plant at your disposal. Go ahead and pick this gardening book for a bountiful garden!
Pros
- Includes steps for planning a vegetable garden to executing it
- In-depth information on growing 30 different vegetables
- Provides information on best growing seasons and regions
- Ways to combat pests, imperfect growth, and other problems
Cons
- Works only for hardiness zones 4-6 of the United States
6. Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide to Starting a Healthy Garden
If you want the healthiest of vegetables and fruits, organic gardening is your best chance at it. Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening specifies everything you need to know for this type of planting. The author has written this book especially for a new gardener like you, taking their first step in this field.
Basic gardening is all about learning the needs of the plant and providing for the same. And this book offers all about it—from planning and skill-building to planting and dealing with growth problems. The entire book is written in simple language, making it understandable for all types of gardeners.
You will also get a list of over 100 terms that every gardener must know. Plus, there are multiple sections explaining small planting projects that you can take up to build confidence. Once these are successful, you can get into professional gardening.
Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening is a legit gardener’s bible for basic gardening as it further offers multiple gardening methods. You can also opt for the no-dig ways that are relatively easier. Additionally, you will get your hands on a plethora of easy-care plants to start your organic gardening career.
Whether you want to start flower or vegetable gardens, grow herbs or shrubs, the book gives you several organic techniques. So, go and be the pro gardener you have always wished for!
Pros
- Easy ways to start organic gardening
- Answers all your questions about gardening
- Includes a broad list of gardening terms
- Offers multiple plant caring and troubleshooting tips
Cons
- The book may have several missing pages
7. Gardentopia: Design Basics for Creating Beautiful Outdoor Spaces
If you want to learn the art of landscaping, Gardentopia is for you. It is one of the best flower gardening books for all types of gardeners—experienced and novice. The book offers simple illustrations and around 100 photographs that will make you feel like gardening is the easiest job.
If you want to build an eye-pleasing flower garden or landscape, this is the perfect book. It offers almost 130 flower garden designs and suggestions for new gardeners. You can pick the one that suits your area the most and get to work.
That is not all. The book also gives you expert advice on enhancing an existing lawn using real-world solutions. Therefore, it is straightforward and informative simultaneously. You can choose anything from its five categories of landscaping. These include Garden Design and Artful Accents, Patios, Steps, Walls, and Plants and Planting.
Do you want an insight into one of the best gardening books for beginners? It offers tips like planting vines on railings, succulents, and compact garden on your balcony, etc., for small gardening space.
Other such interesting tricks include planting curved landscaping, eye-catching garden patterns, softening a corner, among others. Apart from this, the gardening expert Jan Johnsen also gives advice on dry streams and other similar ideas!
Pros
- Over 100 ideas for creating breath-taking flower gardens
- Solutions to keep your landscapes attractive year-round
- Easy enough for a novice gardener
Cons
- Every idea may not have step-by-step illustrations
8. Greenhouse Gardening: A Beginner’s Guide on Building a Greenhouse and Growing Vegetables, Herbs and, Fruit All Year-Round
If you want to start your very own greenhouse, this is among the best gardening books for beginners like you. Especially if you live in colder regions with a short growing period, a nursery is the perfect garden plan for you.
It can let you grow and nurture vegetable gardens, flowers, shrubs, and much more, all under one roof. More importantly, you will learn about how to maintain a greenhouse. The book offers several options for floor and wall materials to let you choose the suitable one.
Apart from that, you will also gain knowledge about the different types of available greenhouses. You can opt to purchase a new one, construct on your own or buy a ready-made kit! Overall, this is one of those books that tells you everything you need to know about greenhouses.
It does not end here. With this book, you will also get your hands on methods of heating your greenhouse more efficiently without compromising on ventilation. In this way, you can keep extra moisture at bay and provide the right conditions for your plants to thrive.
The book also provides insight into the various ways of using correct lighting for the optimal growth of plants. Additionally, it lists down the equipment you would require to maintain your greenhouse in the best way possible.
Pros
- Know all the options you have of building a greenhouse
- Provides effective ways to increase heating and regulate ventilation
- Includes methods to keep pests at bay
Cons
- It does not provide steps of building a greenhouse
9. Houseplants for All: How to Fill Any Home with Happy Plants
Do you fall for every cute houseplant and succulent that you come across? They are all too adorable but may not be suitable for your specific house or living style. To solve your problem, the Houseplants for All book brings the perfect plant profile trivia to find your match.
The most amazing thing about houseplants is there is one for everyone. You can pick the type that does best without water or sunlight or the plant that can bear extreme weather conditions. This book lets you select the plant that matches your environment and offers all the details you need for its care.
The vast range of suggestions and tips include the right kind of containers, ways to avoid pests, and more. It covers all the information required by novices as well as experienced gardeners. With this, you can create a small garden right inside your home and keep all your plants happy.
What’s more? It is perfectly-easy for anyone with no knowledge of plants to understand and use. Moreover, the book has photographs that further explain each point with clarity.
If you have encountered multiple situations of houseplants dying, this book is for you. It will let you care for all the green babies effortlessly!
Pros
- It comes with easy to follow language
- A comprehensive guide for selecting houseplants
- It provides multiple care tips for an in-house garden
Cons
- Not the best option for Non-American regions
Final Words
From basic organic gardening to flower gardens and elevated beds, you can get books for all types of gardening. In this article, you get the 9 best gardening books for beginners available in the market.
These are extensive guides offering everything you need to know. The books take you from planning to planting and nurturing to harvesting. Moreover, all these books offer several techniques for gardeners like you to develop their skills.
So, go ahead and select your favorite from this exquisite collection of the best books for your garden!
Note: We will earn a small commission on the products purchased via the affiliate links mentioned in this garden book write-up.
James Fields is the founder of Gardener to Farmer. His passion for gardening goes back to his childhood days when he would visit his grandfather during the holidays and help him with the plants in the backyard. This has now translated to creating a dependable resource for gardening.