Recommended Regional Garden Guides

[Retrograde]

Last edited Tue May 29, 2018, 05:57 PM - Edit history (1)

.NeoGreen's recent post of a British Guide to vegetable growing got me to thinking about similar guides for parts of North America that don't have a British-type climate (i.e., most of it).

On the West Coast we have the venerable Sunset Western Garden Book, which takes into account the wide variety of microclimates we have in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as other parts of the West (I'm at the edge of the summer marine layer belt - it usually burns off by noon, but we had no sun at all Thursday and Friday. Go a couple of miles to the south and it's sunny all day). What do other areas have for their gardening bibles?

[csziggy]

1. The best one for my area was authored by someone who lived down the road

"Down to Earth Gardening in the Deep South" which is unfortunately out of print again. It was originally published about forty years ago then reprinted about ten years ago. I can't find any listings for it anywhere!

It was specialized for North Florida, particularly the north part of Leon County, Florida.

[bettyellen]

2. Ive always found Rodale's books really informative. Great publisher.

[NutmegYankee]

3. I don't know of any for Southeastern Connecticut.

It probably wouldn't help anyhow, as our weather can be maddeningly bi-polar. For instance, it was 88 F Saturday, and Sunday started in the mid 50s and dropped to 50 F at night. Today is 66, tomorrow will be 86. I use varieties from seed houses in the region like Johnny's Seeds that do better in slow to warm soils. Sun wise, the early spring can get cloudy for days, but once Summer starts it gets much better. And since our latitude is just below Rome, Italy we don't suffer the heat scorch of the Southeast.

[hibbing]

4. I look to my local aboretum

Not really in the realm of what you are asking about though. That being said, they produce an outstanding newsletter for members. They hold plant sales with both professionals and volunteer master gardeners to answer questions. It is mostly about native plants and not vegetables.

Peace