Back to the New Basics: A Practical Guide and Reference Manual to the Ways, the Whys, and the New Sciences of Better, Easier Gardening

Gardening — the most popular hobby in America and growing much more so in just the last few years — deserves more and better explanations of how to do it. Especially considering the many fairly recent changes in how it’s done.“Back to the – NEW – Basics” looks at gardening from the perspective of a biologist-horticulturist in a way that closely ties new sciences to familiar step-by-step practices.It is intended for gardeners at all levels, including and especially beginners. More specifically, this book is aimed at any gardener who asks the deeper questions about gardening — whether beginner, mid-level, or advanced. It addresses such questions as why gardeners should not till the soil, why gardeners should make compost and use it as a mulch, why gardeners should prune growing trees in Summer, as well as so many of the other “whys” of gardening.Overall, “Back to the New Basics” is organized to be a handy reference book, to be returned to regularly for just that right bit of specific information. But this book should also be “read” from the first chapter to the last to appreciate just how all the various pieces of gardening fit together in so many synergistic ways.In its 22 chapters, you’ll find extensive and inspiring background onSoil and its living components plus humus,What’s actually not “soil,”Composting,Mulching,Essential tools,Planting how-to,Watering,Pest and weed management,Growing from seeds and cuttings,Pruning principles and techniques,How to garden “more like mother nature,”Why gardening makes you happy,And more.Full disclosure — As the title indicates, this book is “basic” in the sense that it covers those subjects most necessary for success in gardening. Hard decisions had to be made about what best exemplifies the basic or essential subjects of gardening and in the end, some gardening topics which are popular today and considered basic by many gardeners were left out, including container gardening (aside from spelling out the differences between such gardening and gardening in the earth), landscape design, house plants, raised bed gardening, the finer details of vegetable gardening, lawn care, and “fertilizing” (the word itself and its commonly used context). These disciplines of gardening have their own “rules” and so many other books address those rules very well.Because of the national (United States) scope of this book, there are very few examples of specific plants to explain or illustrate certain practices or problems. Otherwise, this would become another kind of book. A list of examples would have to be extensive to be of any real value for gardeners throughout the country.Most conspicuously absent from this book are photos and illustrations. Although sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words (and a few b/w illustrations are used to help where needed), the author has chosen actual words to better detail the steps involved in the DIY portions. And maybe, mostly, to cram in more info overall while keeping the price down.“Back to the NEW Basics” is the outcome of 60-years-plus of gardening in the “dirt” (see page 294 for a definition of that word) along with a diversified curriculum vitae and an exhaustive amount of research. It offers a no-nonsense, earth-friendly, comprehensive, rounded approach to home gardening. Read more