The Mini Farming Guide to Vegetable Gardening: Self-Sufficiency from Asparagus to Zucchini

Markham is developing a franchise; this and two other books extend and focus the ideas in his earlier Mini-Farming: Self-Sufficiency on ¼ Acre. This book’s focus on veggies aims at a sweet spot: the millions of people who need to know how grandma (or great-grandma) grew all those wonderful tomatoes, and even more great produce, in the backyard in the summer. Gardeners who are familiar with intensive gardening methods won’t find a great deal, but newbies will love the commonsense systematic way Markham, an engineer and hobby farmer, explains what goes into successful cultivation: the chemistry and methods of soil preparation before a seed is put in the ground. His philosophy slides sometimes into oversimplification: an asparagus bed, for example, takes a few years to establish. And his criticism of the politics of contemporary farming is not deep. But readers wanting that should turn to Michael Pollan; readers looking to plant their first raised-bed garden should start here. A bonus is drop-dead simple recipes, again best for people becoming acquainted with growing and cooking their own food. (June)