The First-time Gardener: Growing Vegetables: All the know-how and encouragement you need to grow - and fall in love with! - your brand new food garden
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-02 11:52:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jessica Sowards
- ISBN：0760368724
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
You’re excited to plant your first vegetable garden—but where to start？ In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables， you'll find the answers you're looking for。
Homesteader Jessica Sowards， the warm and energetic host of YouTube’s Roots and Refuge Farm， is the perfect teacher for new gardeners， offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success。
Before you sink your hands into the soil， she’ll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head:
Where do I put my new garden？
How do I prepare the soil？
What vegetables should I plant？
Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants？
What about watering， feeding， and taking care of my garden？
What do I do if bugs show up？
There are no stupid questions here。 Everyone has to start somewhere， after all。 Not only will you learn how to prepare， plant， and tend your first vegetable garden， you’ll also learn:
How to design an eco-friendly layout
How to grow with the seasons
How to maximize your harvest， even if you only grow in a small space
Jessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one， and she’s prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favorite hobby。
A single growing season is all it takes to fall in love with growing your own healthy， organic， nutrient-dense food。 With Jessica as your guide， you’ll soon discover all the satisfactions， challenges， and great joys of growing your own food garden。
This book is part of The First-Time Gardener's Guides series from Cool Springs Press， which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers。 Each book in The First-Time Gardener's Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear， fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way， including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout。
Homesteader Jessica Sowards， the warm and energetic host of YouTube’s Roots and Refuge Farm， is the perfect teacher for new gardeners， offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success。
Before you sink your hands into the soil， she’ll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head:
Where do I put my new garden？
How do I prepare the soil？
What vegetables should I plant？
Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants？
What about watering， feeding， and taking care of my garden？
What do I do if bugs show up？
There are no stupid questions here。 Everyone has to start somewhere， after all。 Not only will you learn how to prepare， plant， and tend your first vegetable garden， you’ll also learn:
How to design an eco-friendly layout
How to grow with the seasons
How to maximize your harvest， even if you only grow in a small space
Jessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one， and she’s prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favorite hobby。
A single growing season is all it takes to fall in love with growing your own healthy， organic， nutrient-dense food。 With Jessica as your guide， you’ll soon discover all the satisfactions， challenges， and great joys of growing your own food garden。
This book is part of The First-Time Gardener's Guides series from Cool Springs Press， which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers。 Each book in The First-Time Gardener's Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear， fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way， including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout。
Reviews
Kayla
，
A really great overview for a new gardener and some great tips and tricks for those of us with a little experience under our belt。 I love Jess and her family and feel so grateful to learn from her and her YouTube channel。
Desiree Depinet
，
I already followed Jessica on her vlog。 I was hesitant to buy the book because。。。。do I really need another gardening book？ The answer is yes， yes I did。 Jessica stuck to who she was in her videos in this book and it will be the first thing I buy for any of my friends and family when they decide they want to jump into gardening。
Nicole
，
Fantastic information for new and seasoned gardeners。 Jess has such a heart for teaching and it shows so clearly in this book。 The pictures are beautiful。
Zoe Taylor
，
I absolutely loved the book so much good information through out。 Her YouTube channel is also packed full of information， fun and inspiring her hard work is amazing
Rebecca McLeod
，
Wherever you are in your gardening journey this book is a must read。 The beautiful pictures and inspirational writing is so lovely。 She has done a wonderful job of giving an accessible overview of gardening as well as providing tips that even a seasoned gardener can use。
Brenna
，
I have some specialized gardening books for my area， but I didn't have anything specific for gardening in general。 This book was perfect for my needs。 I was able to sit down and read through it in an evening。 The photos were lovely and beneficial to the information being given。 This book covered all the topics I still had questions about: pest control， seed starting/hardening off specifics， and harvesting。 It is a wealth of knowledge even though the book is under 200 pages。 If you want an excell I have some specialized gardening books for my area， but I didn't have anything specific for gardening in general。 This book was perfect for my needs。 I was able to sit down and read through it in an evening。 The photos were lovely and beneficial to the information being given。 This book covered all the topics I still had questions about: pest control， seed starting/hardening off specifics， and harvesting。 It is a wealth of knowledge even though the book is under 200 pages。 If you want an excellent beginning gardening book， this has all the information you need to get started！ 。。。more
Krystal Hansen
，
I loved everything about this book。 The way Jessica explains things is understandable and easy。 She gives you permission to make mistakes and to learn from them。 I will be referencing this book for years to come。
Jasmine
，
Jess has been the biggest source of inspiration as well as the most well spoken and practical teacher。 Her passion ignites my own for homegrown food。 She sparks wonder and amazement in the garden。 Love all her content and I will support her forever
Renee
，
Her book is beautiful。 It is filled with love and wonderful advice。 I'll be referencing The First-Time Gardener frequently as I grow and plan my first garden in my new home。 I recommend this book to any level of gardener， especially those who wish to grow organically。 Her book is beautiful。 It is filled with love and wonderful advice。 I'll be referencing The First-Time Gardener frequently as I grow and plan my first garden in my new home。 I recommend this book to any level of gardener， especially those who wish to grow organically。 。。。more
Meghan
，
This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Group - Cool Springs Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。Jessica Sowers did an amazing job breaking down the importance and steps to growing your own vegetable garden。 I also learned quite a bit like how the ecosystem and atmosphere affect the growth and flavor of the vegetables and how that is crucial when growing veggies。 This book is perfect for the novice gardeners and I love This book was received as an ARC from Quarto Group - Cool Springs Press in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own。Jessica Sowers did an amazing job breaking down the importance and steps to growing your own vegetable garden。 I also learned quite a bit like how the ecosystem and atmosphere affect the growth and flavor of the vegetables and how that is crucial when growing veggies。 This book is perfect for the novice gardeners and I loved right away how her language use was so welcoming and she said it herself that there were no stupid questions or wrong answers which made me not only want to read more but learn more about growing so I can potentially get my own garden started。 Our community is full of gardeners and veggie lovers that I know this book will do very well in our collection。We will consider adding this title to our TX Non-Fiction collection at our library。 That is why we give this book 5 stars。 。。。more
Doreen Prentiss Gabriellini
，
The First-time Gardener: Growing Vegetables: All the know-how and encouragement you need to grow and fall in love with yo ur brand new food garden by homesteader Jessica Sowards。 The name might sound familiar as she host the popular You Tube’s Root and Refuge Farm。This book us chock-a-block full of information。 While it is informationally dense it does so in and accessible and upbeat way。 There is a ton of general garden information。 As with all “first-time” things there is a learning curve。 Sow The First-time Gardener: Growing Vegetables: All the know-how and encouragement you need to grow and fall in love with yo ur brand new food garden by homesteader Jessica Sowards。 The name might sound familiar as she host the popular You Tube’s Root and Refuge Farm。This book us chock-a-block full of information。 While it is informationally dense it does so in and accessible and upbeat way。 There is a ton of general garden information。 As with all “first-time” things there is a learning curve。 Sowards makes it seem within the readers reach to achieve a first time veggie garden。 FYI: there is a companion volume with the same layout from the same publisher which specifically focuses on flowers。The book has a easy layout。 There is an introduction to botany and some very good advise about planning and keep notes followed by a step by step sequence of chapters on where， how， what and when to start your garden。 There is also information on soil building， seeds and plant material， implementation， seasons， garden management， harvesting and planning for next year。 The author is very upbeat and encouraging。 The photography will have you wishing your garden would be as gorgeous。 Nearly every page has full color photographs and illustrations。 I would like to thank Ms。 Sowards， Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion 。。。more
Ning
，
This is such an informative and helpful book for first time gardeners。 I love Jessica and her enthusiasm for the garden。 Her garden tours are what dreams are made of and make me jealous of her space。 I found her channel last year when we bought a house and I was looking for information on putting a small garden in our backyard。 Little did I know the rabbit hole I would fall into after binging on her garden tours。 Anyway， back to the book。 It's a really lovely book with great information for begi This is such an informative and helpful book for first time gardeners。 I love Jessica and her enthusiasm for the garden。 Her garden tours are what dreams are made of and make me jealous of her space。 I found her channel last year when we bought a house and I was looking for information on putting a small garden in our backyard。 Little did I know the rabbit hole I would fall into after binging on her garden tours。 Anyway， back to the book。 It's a really lovely book with great information for beginners。 The section I found most useful included the section on pest control， as well as the planting time guidelines。 But what I love most is that her positive attitude to encourage you to try comes through in this book。 I can almost hear her voice reciting the wisdom and encouragements as I read the book。 I will keep dreaming of the day I will have an amazing space for a large garden that I can grow full of food and flowers， but until then I will flip through this book and keep watching her youtube channel。 The only negative information is that if you are looking for super in depth information on any one topic， this book won't be for you。 Instead， it covers a wide range of topics from soil preparation， to seed starting， to transplanting and harvesting for a lot of variety of vegetables and seeds。 It's a great book for a beginner gardener just starting out。 。。。more
Megan Boggs
，
An absolutely gorgeous introduction to the world of gardening。 It is very easy to become lost in gardening section of your local nursery， home improvement store， and bookshop。 One contradictory method insisted upon after another will make your head spin and cause many a gardener to give up before they even begin。 While Jessica Sowards touches on everything from weeding， watering， and harvesting nothing is overwhelming。 There is no inaccessible gardening jargon keeping newbies like myself out of An absolutely gorgeous introduction to the world of gardening。 It is very easy to become lost in gardening section of your local nursery， home improvement store， and bookshop。 One contradictory method insisted upon after another will make your head spin and cause many a gardener to give up before they even begin。 While Jessica Sowards touches on everything from weeding， watering， and harvesting nothing is overwhelming。 There is no inaccessible gardening jargon keeping newbies like myself out of the garden。 I truly felt as if I was sitting down for a chat with an old friend while reading this book。 It is peppered （see what I did there？） with encouragement throughout to inspire you to keep going even through the drought， pests， and sunburn。 If you are looking to get your hands dirty or know someone who is this is the perfect gift for yourself or them。 I know I will be referencing this book for years to come。 。。。more
Jenny Behlings
，
It's beautifully written with encouraging bits， nuggets of wisdom， and spot-on information so that anyone will feel comfortable and confident in starting their own path into becoming A GARDENER。 The perfect gift！ It's beautifully written with encouraging bits， nuggets of wisdom， and spot-on information so that anyone will feel comfortable and confident in starting their own path into becoming A GARDENER。 The perfect gift！ 。。。more
Jess
，
Absolutely phenomenal book！ Filled with facts and advice but written in a way that feels like you’re sitting in Jess’ garden with a cup of tea just talking to her。 Highly recommend for any gardener but definitely the beginner！
Sarah
，
This is a good book for someone just beginning to garden！ The information is laid out in an easy to understand， sequential manner。 It is a great gift idea for family members or friends who are just getting started。 ***I do want to stress however that it really is a basic beginner level book and that more research may be needed in certain areas as you grow as a gardener。 If you are already a gardener I don't think that you'd necessarily learn anything new， but the book is still beautiful and enco This is a good book for someone just beginning to garden！ The information is laid out in an easy to understand， sequential manner。 It is a great gift idea for family members or friends who are just getting started。 ***I do want to stress however that it really is a basic beginner level book and that more research may be needed in certain areas as you grow as a gardener。 If you are already a gardener I don't think that you'd necessarily learn anything new， but the book is still beautiful and encouraging。 I will enjoy having it in my collection to lend out to friends。 。。。more
Dorine
，
First， let me preface this review with the fact that I didn't read every word in this book。 I enjoy the author's vlogs a lot， so I bought this book for a friend who is new to vegetable gardening。 That said， I gently browsed through it as thoroughly as I could without bending it up before giving it away。I wanted to be sure I was passing on the right book to my friend to encourage and inspire her。 This book definitely does that for newbies。It's the perfect book for a budding gardener。 Including ju First， let me preface this review with the fact that I didn't read every word in this book。 I enjoy the author's vlogs a lot， so I bought this book for a friend who is new to vegetable gardening。 That said， I gently browsed through it as thoroughly as I could without bending it up before giving it away。I wanted to be sure I was passing on the right book to my friend to encourage and inspire her。 This book definitely does that for newbies。It's the perfect book for a budding gardener。 Including just the right amount of information to get you started， this book also doesn't overwhelm with too much detail。 It gives you incentive to try， without getting you bogged down in the details。My only criticism is that the fonts used could have been better。 Some scripted quotes are hard to read。 Then， there are other areas where a lot of white space was left when the font could have been larger to make it easier to read。 Just a few tweaks with the layout and this book would be perfect。The words and spirit of this book are beautiful。 Jessica Sowards eloquently breathes beauty and encouragement into why we garden， daring us to take a chance and to be different。 For that reason alone， seasoned gardeners will enjoy reading this and take away a tidbit or two。For more gardening inspiration and book reviews， visit my blog， TheZestQuest。com。 。。。more
Kaylee Kresge
，
I love this book， learned so much about gardening in the first couple chapters。 Best book for every gardener。
Melissa Newell
，
Wow wow wow。 Even for experienced gardeners this book will forever be helpful。 The pictures and tips and knowledge all wrapped up in this beautifully bound book is superior to other garden books。 I am so happy I preordered and got it right on time！！！
Melody
，
I pre-ordered this book last July and have been eagerly awaiting it's release。 It is phenomenal！ Not only is it well written in an easy to follow manner， but it is full of gorgeous photos。 I highly recommend this book to any level of gardener。 I can't wait until the next one about homesteading comes out。 I pre-ordered this book last July and have been eagerly awaiting it's release。 It is phenomenal！ Not only is it well written in an easy to follow manner， but it is full of gorgeous photos。 I highly recommend this book to any level of gardener。 I can't wait until the next one about homesteading comes out。 。。。more
Alicia Bayer
，
This is a gorgeous， helpful， encouraging book not just for first time gardeners。 It's packed with beautiful photos of the author's own gardens and lots of info。 There were a few areas where I wished there was more info， like Sowards recommends straw and hay （less so） as mulch but she also says she is an organic gardener and I have never been able to find any straw or hale that wasn't treated with Roundup and/or other really problematic herbicides and chemicals （see https://www。the-compost-garden This is a gorgeous， helpful， encouraging book not just for first time gardeners。 It's packed with beautiful photos of the author's own gardens and lots of info。 There were a few areas where I wished there was more info， like Sowards recommends straw and hay （less so） as mulch but she also says she is an organic gardener and I have never been able to find any straw or hale that wasn't treated with Roundup and/or other really problematic herbicides and chemicals （see https://www。the-compost-gardener。com/。。。 and https://simplysmartgardening。com/best。。。）。 There were a few other places where I wish she had included more information （like other ways of creating beds like lasagna gardens and no-till gardening and a little less focus on killing bugs even with organic methods） but those are small things and this is still one of my favorite new gardening books that I've read in a while （and I read a lot of them）。 Sowards' cheerful attitude， beautiful photos and clear knowledge all create a book that's a real delight。I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review。 。。。more
Annie
，
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The First-time Gardener is a beginner+ guide to vegetable gardening by Jessica Sowards。 Due out 2nd March 2021 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint， it's 176 pages （print edition） and will be available in paperback and ebook formats。This is an information dense but also upbeat and accessible guide for readers planning and creating their first vegetable gardens。 There's a lot of general garden siting/building/planning information， so thi Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader。 The First-time Gardener is a beginner+ guide to vegetable gardening by Jessica Sowards。 Due out 2nd March 2021 from Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint， it's 176 pages （print edition） and will be available in paperback and ebook formats。This is an information dense but also upbeat and accessible guide for readers planning and creating their first vegetable gardens。 There's a lot of general garden siting/building/planning information， so this is also a valuable resource for readers looking for info on growing flowers， herbs， and other non-veggie crops。 There's also a sister volume with the same layout from the same publisher releasing roughly the same time which is flower specific in focus。 The book has a logical layout: a short （easily understandable， not too technical） intro on botany and some good advice about the willingness to learn and keeping notes is followed by step-by-step chapters on siting and planning， soil building， seeds and plant material， implementation， seasons， garden management， harvesting and planning for next year。 The author is very upbeat and encouraging and I found myself smiling and nodding along at places reading the text。The photography is simply gorgeous。 Nearly every page has full color photographs and illustrations。 This was a useful resource。 It would make a superlative choice for public or school library acquisition， community garden groups， home library， and for homesteaders and home gardeners。 Five stars。 Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes。 。。。more
Ashley
，
Jessica Sowards’ book for growing vegetables is a lovely primer for those who dream of starting their own backyard garden。 This easy-to-navigate gardening guide features full color pictures alongside Jessica’s encouraging garden wisdom and her tips for growing a full harvest。 She covers topics including soil health， pest management， heirloom varieties， and harvesting。 Anyone who is a fan of Jessica’s YouTube channel will enjoy this book。 Even though I’m no longer a beginner gardener， I found thi Jessica Sowards’ book for growing vegetables is a lovely primer for those who dream of starting their own backyard garden。 This easy-to-navigate gardening guide features full color pictures alongside Jessica’s encouraging garden wisdom and her tips for growing a full harvest。 She covers topics including soil health， pest management， heirloom varieties， and harvesting。 Anyone who is a fan of Jessica’s YouTube channel will enjoy this book。 Even though I’m no longer a beginner gardener， I found this book to be informative and helpful。 #TheFirsttimeGardenerGrowingVegetables #NetGalley 。。。more
Lauren
，
I loved this book， it is very informative。 I've only had a garden for the last two years and most of the information I've used had been from Jess and her Youtube channel， Roots and Refuge。 This book is just an expansion of all of her knowledge from YouTube and I will be buying this when it's released。 The pictures in this book are gorgeous and make me very excited for my garden this summer。 This book would be great for gardeners new and old because of all the great information。 I loved this book， it is very informative。 I've only had a garden for the last two years and most of the information I've used had been from Jess and her Youtube channel， Roots and Refuge。 This book is just an expansion of all of her knowledge from YouTube and I will be buying this when it's released。 The pictures in this book are gorgeous and make me very excited for my garden this summer。 This book would be great for gardeners new and old because of all the great information。 。。。more
Janet
，
Date reviewed/posted: December 29， 2020Publication date: February 2， 2021When life for the entire universe and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book Date reviewed/posted: December 29， 2020Publication date: February 2， 2021When life for the entire universe and planet has turned on its end， you are continuing to #maskup to be in #COVID19 #socialisolation as the #secondwave is upon us， AND the worst sciatica attack in your life means you MIGHT sleep 3 hours a night， superspeed readers like me can read 300+ pages/hour， so yes， I have read the book … and many more today。I requested and received a temporary digital Advance Reader Copy of this book from #NetGalley， the publisher and the author in exchange for an honest review。 From the publisher， as I do not repeat the contents or story of books in reviews， I let them do it as they do it better than I do 😸。You’re excited to plant your first vegetable garden—but where to start？ In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables， you'll find the answers you're looking for。Homesteader Jessica Sowards， the warm and energetic host of YouTube’s Roots and Refuge Farm， is the perfect teacher for new gardeners， offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success。Before you sink your hands into the soil， she’ll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head:Where do I put my new garden？How do I prepare the soil？What vegetables should I plant？Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants？What about watering， feeding， and taking care of my garden？What do I do if bugs show up？ There are no stupid questions here。 Everyone has to start somewhere， after all。 Not only will you learn how to prepare， plant， and tend your first vegetable garden， you’ll also learn: How to design an eco-friendly layoutHow to grow with the seasonsHow to maximize your harvest， even if you only grow in a small space Jessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one， and she’s prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favourite hobby。A single growing season is all it takes to fall in love with growing your own healthy， organic， nutrient-dense food。 With Jessica as your guide， you’ll soon discover all the satisfactions， challenges， and great joys of growing your own food garden。This book is part of The First-Time Gardener's Guides series from Cool Springs Press， which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers。 Each book in The First-Time Gardener's Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear， fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way， including step-by-step instructions and full-colour illustrations throughout。This is a great book in a great series: it is well written as everything makes sense to me as a non-gardener， per se。 There are lots of helpful hints and ideas for gardens whether you are on a balcony as I am， your backyard or an allotment。 Delve into the series and come out with the literal fruits。。。。ummm veg。。。of your labours。As always， I try to find a reason to not rate with stars as I simply adore emojis （outside of their incessant use by "🙏-ed Social Influencer Millennials/#BachelorNation survivors/Tik-Tok and YouTube Millionaires/snowflakes / literally-like-overusers etc。 " on Instagram and Twitter。。。 Get a real job， people！） so let's give it 🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄 。。。more
Misty
，