Big Veg: My Tips for Growing Veg to Be Proud Of

Stratford, a Twitter-famous gardener, debuts with an utterly charming take on the gardening life. Born in a farmworker’s cottage in 1948 England, Stratford writes that gardening has been a passion of his since childhood: “This book is my way of sharing that knowledge and experience.” He begins with a section on growing vegetables for show, with 10 chapters each dedicated to a single crop, in which readers will learn, for instance, that wilting carrots can be revived with Epsom salts, and onions for show can get up to 8.5 kg. The most useful information comes in the second section, in which Stratford offers a month-by-month look at gardening tasks. His approach is gentle, and intended more to get readers to start up and have fun than to pursue vegetal perfection. Stratford can ramble at times—an outline of what sorts of hats he likes to wear in January feels extraneous—but for the most part, his tangents are in line with the lighthearted nature of the book. It’s a delightful primer more than a strict guide, sprinkled with funny anecdotes, such as how his brother earned the nickname Rebel: by running away and falling asleep “among the runner beans.” Readers who are thinking about getting started digging will find this a comfort. (Apr.)