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Our Favourite Gardening Books

Twelve of our favourites, for beginners and the more experienced gardener, with expert advice, step-by-step instructions, and lots of inspiration.

Calgary Public Library

12 items

  • What's That Weed?

    Know Your Weeds and Learn to Live With Them

    Barter, Guy,
    Barter covers forty commonly found weeds as well as some lesser-known varieties, lifting the lid on how weeds grow and how they affect your garden so you can make informed decisions about the plants you want and manage those you don't.
    Book, 2024New York : DK, 2024, ©2024. — 632. 5 BAR
  • Pruning Simplified

    a Visual Guide to 50 Trees and Shrubs

    Bradley, Steve, 1949-
    Are you intimidated by pruning or tired of paying a professional? You can prune most shrubs and trees yourself and Bradley shows you how. Learn the best tools for the job, the ideal time to prune, and follow the step-by-step instructions for pruning…
    Book, 2019Portland, Oregon : Timber Press, 2019, ©2019. — 635. 91542 BRA
  • Compost Science for Gardeners

    Simple Methods for Nutrient Rich Soil

    Pavlis, Robert,
    Ahhh, perfect soil. This comprehensive guide is the key to building healthier soil and growing better plants. Learn about the role of composting, what you can incorporate and what you should avoid, the full range of composting methods and their…
    Book, 2023Gabriola Island, British Columbia : New Society Publishers, 2023, ©2023. — 631. 875 PAV
  • Prairie Up

    An Introduction to Natural Garden Design

    Vogt, Benjamin,
    For those serious about ditching tidy landscaping for a wilder approach, this is a solid introduction to gardening with nature. Vogt suggests picking native plants, advises on creating a custom seed mix, and lays out what to expect on a year-by-year…
    Book, 2023[Urbana] : 3 Fields Books, an imprint of the University of Illinois Press, 2023. — 712. 0977 VOG
  • Vegetables, Chickens & Bees

    An Honest Guide to Growing Your Own Food Anywhere

    Arthur, Carson,
    In this informative, entertaining guide, Arthur shows you how to grow your own vegetables in virtually any type of space. He includes everything beginners needs to know about seeds, soil, water, weeding, and how to care for your plants as they grow.…
    Book, 2019[Toronto] : Appetite by Random House, 2019, ©2019. — 635. 04 ART
  • Blueberries, saskatoons, strawberries, apricots, cherries, currants, pears, plums, kiwi... Melrose and Normandeau will answer all of your questions in this accessible volume of their series for prairie gardeners. Highly recommended.
    Book, 2023[Victoria, British Columbia] : TouchWood Editions, 2023, ©2023. — 634. 09712 MEL
  • All New Square Foot Gardening

    More Projects, New Solutions, Grow Vegetables Anywhere

    Bartholomew, Mel,
    Learn the three simple steps to square foot gardening: build a box, fill it with dirt, and add a grid. No digging, no tilling, no fertilizing, and no guesswork (and less watering, waste, and weeding!) The step-by-step instructions are great for…
    Book, 2018Beverly, Massachusetts : Cool Springs Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing, 2018, ©2018. — 635 MEL 2018
  • No Dig

    Nurture Your Soil to Grow Better Vegetables With Less Effort

    Dowding, Charles,
    Dowding is on a mission to get you to leave soil undisturbed - the less you dig, the more you'll boost soil productivity by preserving soil structure and nurturing the fungal mycelium essential to the health of all your plants. Featuring…
    Book, 2022London, United Kingdom : Dorling Kindersley, 2022, ©2022. — 631. 4 DOW
  • Get Guerrilla Gardening

    a Handbook for Planting in Public Places

    Miles, Ellen,
    Rooted in social justice and climate action, guerrilla gardening is a growing movement bringing people together to create beauty, grow food, or make a political statement. No prior knowledge of gardening or activism is needed, this handbook contains…
    Book, 2023New York : DK Publishing, 2023, ©2023. — 635 MIL
  • Raised Bed Gardening

    a Complete Beginner's Guide : Grow Everything From Herbs to Tomatoes in Your Own Custom Raised Beds

    Nolan, Tara, 1977-
    Raised beds can be done almost anywhere and, with Nolan as your guide, you'll be growing and harvesting your own produce in no time. She tells you how to build quick and simple beds, how to fill them with the right soil mix, and provides a list of…
    Book, 2023Beverly, Massachusetts : New Shoe Press, 2023, ©2023. — 635. 967 NOL
  • The Canadian prairies are an ideal place to grow a large variety of vegetables and Peters covers everything from the basics (light, soil, exposure and frost tolerance) to recommended varieties, seasonal care, extending the growing season, and…
    Book, 2020[Vancouver, British Columbia] : Lone Pine Publishing, 2020, ©2020. — 635. 09712 PET 2020
  • Saving Seeds

    a Home Gardener's Guide to Preserving Plant Biodiversity

    Jason, Dan,
    This compact but informative guide addresses both the how to and why of saving seeds, which Jason asserts is both a practical act of preservation and a powerful act of protest. He offers a clear introduction to the essentials of seed saving, from…
    Book, 2020Madeira Park, British Columbia : Harbour Publishing, 2020, ©2020. — 631. 521 JAS