Three Weeks for Dreamwidth: Gardening

[ysabetwordsmith]

This year during Three Weeks for Dreamwidth, I'm writing about reading as a way of becoming an expert in a given subject. Read Part 1: Introduction to Becoming an Expert, Part 2: Architecture, Part 3: Dance, Part 4: Music, Part 5: Painting, Part 6: Poetry, Part 7: Sculpture, Part 8: Conflict Resolution, Part 9: Cooking, Part 10: Coping Skills.


Three Weeks for Dreamwidth Part 11: Gardening

Gardening is a large set of skills aimed at growing plants for food, craft materials, or other uses. Most people think of a garden as a small separate patch of cultivated land full of domesticated crops, but it can also mean forest gardening, permaculture, wildlife gardening, and so forth. Aspects include types of plants, regional environments, style such as organic or conventional, themes like butterfly or moon gardens, and many more. Everyone needs to eat, so ideally each person should develop at least some gardening skill. Different cultures have developed crops to suit their own cuisines. Here on Dreamwidth, check out birdfeeding and common_nature (for wildlife gardens), fresh_haul and gardening (for edibles).





Gardening and agriculture date back a long way. The earliest acknowledged examples go back to at least 21,000 BCE. However, the European bias toward annual monocropping in fields means that they missed how much of Earth was a giant forest garden for most of human history. To this day, you sometimes still find horsetails and soapwort along creekside campsites, because somebody planted them there so they could wash the dishes. White people tend to look but not see. It's worth your time to explore the gardening traditions of different cultures, especially the history of your locale.

Gardening can be simple and easy or complex and challenging, depending on what you wish to grow and how. Native species are the ultimate "throw and grow" option; once established, they need little or no care. Cultivated vegetables, fruits, herbs, and other plants tend to need more attention. Some people enjoy formal displays such as topiary or rose gardens that require a great deal of work. Others just enjoy gardening as a fan; there are botanical gardens, arboretums, U-pick orchards, and other fun places to explore. Learning about the skills of gardening and popular plants will make it easier to grow them or appreciate them in a public garden. It can be exciting to look for plants you recognize from your reading. Garden books are readily available at libraries and used bookstores, although for the latest news, consider buying new. Garden centers, home improvement stores, and community centers may offer classes in gardening. Watch libraries for seed swaps too.

Choosing three books about gardening offers a lot of options. You could go with a broad introduction and two details, or beginning-intermediate-advanced books. However, many gardening books give enough of an introduction that you could just as well pick three regions, three types of plants, three gardening methods, and so on. Exploring the history is fun. There are many different themes to try too. Finally, this is another topic where you can find most of the same information on websites if your budget is too tight for books. Here are some possibilities...


General Gardening

The 12 Books That Will Make You A Better Gardener
https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/the-12-books-that-made-me-a-better-gardener/

24 of the Best Gardening Books for Beginners
https://simplysmartgardening.com/best-gardening-books-for-beginners/

Best Gardening Books for Advanced Gardeners
https://bookshop.org/lists/best-gardening-books-for-advanced-gardeners

Books for Gardening Research Guides
https://libguides.wccnet.edu/seedlibrary/books

Books to Get You Started: Horticulture Research Guides
https://libguides.tru.ca/c.php?g=193882&p=1275807

Books about Horticulture
https://www.bibliovault.org/BV.titles.epl?tquery=Horticulture

Books by Our Experts at Native Plant Trust
https://www.nativeplanttrust.org/for-your-garden/books-by-our-experts/

A Collection of Books on Gardening
https://pressblog.uchicago.edu/2025/04/30/a-collection-of-books-on-gardening.html

Garden Book Lists
https://www.goodreads.com/list/tag/garden

Gardening Books
https://www.madisonpubliclibrary.org/collection/lists/gardening-books

Growing Good Food: Two Books to Take Your Gardening to the Next Level
https://seedmoney.org/blog/growing-good-food-two-books-to-take-your-gardening-to-the-next-level/

Popular Gardening Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/gardening

Top 10 Gardening Books for Beginners, Experts, and Everyone in Between
https://growingspaces.com/blog/gardening-books


History

Best Books for Antique Gardeners
https://oldhousegardens.com/bestbooks

Garden design and history
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/45690.Garden_design_and_history

The History of Gardening in 12 Books
https://www.finebooksmagazine.com/fine-books-news/history-gardening-12-books

Popular Agricultural History Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/agricultural-history

Popular Garden History Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/garden-history


Plant Types

7 Go To Books About Fruit Trees
https://alamedabackyardgrowers.org/7-go-to-books-about-fruit-trees/

21 Best Vegetable Gardening Books for Beginners (2026)
https://sprigandspoon.com/best-vegetable-gardening-books/

23 Best Gardening Books To Read For Easiest Vegetables To Grow
https://createmygarden.net/23-best-gardening-books-to-read-for-vegetables-to-grow/

Books About Native Plant Gardening
https://tnvalley.wildones.org/plant-info/books-about-native-plant-gardening/

Botanical and Herb Garden Creations
https://hcpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/1765778909/1889856269

Culinary Herb and Spice Growing Books
https://www.underthechokotree.com/the-library/96-herbs/888-herb-and-spice-books

Fruit, Nut and Berry Growing Books
https://www.underthechokotree.com/the-library/69-fruit-and-vegetables/215-fruit-nut-and-berry-growing-books

Medicinal Herb Gardening
https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/88238207/1786707539

Native Plant Gardening (60 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/171764.Native_Plant_Gardening

Outstanding Vegetable Gardening Books For Your Bookshelf
https://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/vegetable-gardening-books/

Plant Dye Bibliography
https://localcolordyes.com/resources/plant-dye-bibliography/

Popular Medicinal Plants Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/medicinal-plants

Popular Natural Dyes Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/natural-dyes


Regions

5 Best Arizona Gardening Books
https://growinginthegarden.com/5-best-arizona-gardening-books/

25+ Best Gardening Books for the Urban Gardener
https://shiftingroots.com/gardening-books-urban-gardener/?currency=CAD

Books for every kind of gardener in Australia
https://www.readings.com.au/news/gardening

Cold Climate and Short Season Gardening Book Round-up
https://www.coldclimategardening.com/2015/02/19/cold-climate-and-short-season-gardening-book-round-up/

Community Gardens (25 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/122127.Community_Gardens

Desert Gardening
https://pima.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/328117111/657923909

Fruit & Vegetable Gardening in the Pacific Northwest
https://sno-isle.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/2882399337/3000605177

Gardening in the City: 18 Books About Growing Vegetables & Flowers
https://bpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/332332057/2731191697

Gardening in South Africa (73 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/133824.Gardening_in_South_Africa

Japanese Gardening
https://sno-isle.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/850043967/1691793069

Northern California Gardening: Native Plants, Low Water Gardening and Natural Landscaping
https://rcpl.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/147248201/176905313

Organic Gardening in Canada
https://westvanlibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/search?query=%22Organic%20gardening%20%E2%80%94%20Canada.%22&searchType=subject

Southern Gardening
https://fulcolibrary.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/1643707640/1670659499

Tropical Gardening Book Reviews
https://desert-tropicals.com/Bookstore/reviewed.html


Styles and Systems

Accessible Gardening
https://infosoup.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/2389200719/2420255559

Best Forest Gardening Books
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/14492.Best_Forest_Gardening_Books

The Best Permaculture Books Ever
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/12585.The_Best_Permaculture_Books_Ever

The Best Vertical Gardening Books in 2021
https://www.backyardboss.net/best-vertical-gardening-books/

Biodynamic Agriculture & Gardening (30 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/12672.Biodynamic_Agriculture_Gardening

Biodynamic and Holistic Books Collection
https://www.jpibiodynamics.org/collections/biodynamic-books

Edible Landscape Books
https://seattle.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/73359534/134828791

Gardening in a Changing Climate
https://brant.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/393562477/2260343849

How to Get Started with Syntropic Agroforestry
(Scroll down for books and publications.)
https://mountaintimefarm.com/pages/how-to-get-started-with-syntropic-agroforestry

Landrace Gardening: Food Security through Biodiversity and Promiscuous Pollination
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58340640-landrace-gardening

Organic Gardening Books: The 50 Absolute Best Books
https://www.smilinggardener.com/introduction/50-most-important-organic-gardening-books/


Themes

Best Books for Container Gardening
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/89303.Best_Books_for_Container_Gardening

Color in Garden Design
https://bookshop.org/lists/color-in-garden-design

Contemplative Garden Books Updated
https://godspacelight.com/contemplative-garden-books-updated/

Cottage Garden (22 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/76790.Cottage_Garden

International Waterlily and Water Gardening Society Books
https://iwgs.org/books-by-category/

Literary Gardening (114 books)
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/122433.Literary_Gardening

Literary Gardens
https://ideaexchange.bibliocommons.com/v2/list/display/2274529049/2630503959

Natural Garden Design Reading List
https://web.archive.org/web/20260215083936/https://www.monarchgard.com/thedeepmiddle/natural-garden-design-reading-list

Pollinator Gardening
https://pollinatorpathwaynw.org/resources-4/books-2/

Popular Wildlife Gardening Books
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/wildlife-gardening


Free Books

Downloadable Garden Guides
https://homesteadgardens.com/downloadable-garden-guides/

Farming, Animal Raising, and Homesteading Index
https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming%2C%20Animalraising%2C%20Homesteading/

Free gardening Books
https://www.bookfusion.com/books/free?language=en&query=gardening

Free Gardening Books
https://www.gardenmyths.com/free-gardening-books-2/

Free Gardening Books: The Complete Subject Directory
https://centurypast.org/books-nonfiction-subject-directory/gardening/

Survivor Library
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Berries
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Botany
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Farming
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Farming_Corn
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Farming_Potato_and_Sweet_Potato
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Forestry
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Grapes_Wine_Raisins
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Hemp_and_Flax
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/index.php/Mushrooms


All New Square Foot Gardening
https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming,%20Animalraising,%20Homesteading/Farming+gardening/Gardening/square%20foot%20gardening/All%20New%20Square%20Foot%20Gardening.pdf

The beginner's book of gardening
https://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/beginners_book_of_gardening-1911.pdf

CONTAINER GARDENING GUIDE
https://www.kellogggarden.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Container-Gardening-Guide.pdf

Costa Rica: Tropical Gardening Companion
https://quepasagrecia.com/data/files/marketplace/tropicalgardening2ndedition20202rs.pdf

THE EARTH CARE MANUAL: A Permaculture Handbook For Britain & Other Temperate Climates
https://derdejan.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/the-earth-care-manual_-a-permaculture-handbook-for-britain-and-other-temperate-climates-pdfdrive.com-.pdf

Edible Forest Gardens
https://library.uniteddiversity.coop/Permaculture/Agroforestry/Forest_Gardens/Edible_Forest_Gardens_Vol.1-Vision_and_Theory.pdf

Fruit Growing Manual
https://growchiswick.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Garden-Organic-Fruit-Growing-Manual.pdf

Gaia's Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture
https://mutualaiddisasterrelief.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/GaiasGarden-A-Guide-to-Home-Scale-Permaculture.pdf

Gardening with Kids Basics
https://kidsgardening.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Gardening-with-Kids-Basics-Toolkit.pdf

GARDENING WITH SOUTHEAST ASIAN REFUGEES
https://web.archive.org/web/20210302174642/https://kindscher.ku.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/Gardening-with-SE-Asian-Refugees02212018.pdf

Growing Fruit for Home Use
https://ag.missouristate.edu/StateFruit/_Files/MS18GFFHUweb.pdf

A guide to basic organic vegetable, flower, and herb gardening
https://www.eagleheightsgardens.org/tips/garden_manual_v_1.1.pdf

Habitat Gardening for Wildlife
https://dwr.virginia.gov/wp-content/uploads/habitat-gardening.pdf

Herb Gardening for Dummies
https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming,%20Animalraising,%20Homesteading/Farming%2Bgardening/Gardening/Herbs/Herb%20Gardening%20for%20Dummies.pdf

Master Gardener's Manual
https://web.archive.org/web/20230301161738/https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/e/master-gardeners-handbook-e-1034.pdf

Organic Gardening: The Natural No-Dig Way
https://cheiodasideia.libertar.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Dowding-Charles-Organic-gardening-_-the-natural-no-dig-way-2010-Green-Books-Perseus.pdf

Permaculture Home Garden
https://idasolucangubresi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/the-permaculture-home-garden-pdfdrive.com-.pdf

Plant Guilds eBooklet
https://midwestpermaculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Plant-Guilds-eBooklet-Midwest-Permaculture.pdf

Rain Garden Handbook for Western Washington
https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/documents/1310027.pdf

The Resilient Gardener Complete
https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming,%20Animalraising,%20Homesteading/Farming+gardening/Gardening/The%20Resilient%20Gardener%20Complete.pdf

Syntropic Farming Guidebook
https://bosquedeniebla.com.mx/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Syntropic-Farming-guide-1.pdf

A Tropical Guide to Year Round Vegetable Gardening
https://journeytoforever.org/farm_library/TropicalVegetableGardening.pdf

A Vegetable Garden for All
https://www.fao.org/4/i3556e/i3556e.pdf

Vegetable Gardening for Dummies
https://theswissbay.ch/pdf/Books/Survival/Farming,%20Animalraising,%20Homesteading/Farming%2Bgardening/Gardening/Vegetable%20gardening/Vegetable%20Gardening%20for%20Dummies.pdf

Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs Book
https://extension.usu.edu/permaculture/files/VegetablesFruitsHerbsBook.pdf


Extras

20 Plant Polycultures and Guilds: A Sample For Northeastern USA and other temperate areas
https://web.archive.org/web/20210428072830/https://pfaf.org/user/cmspage.aspx?pageid=349

DROUGHT-RESISTANT CROPS AND VARIETIES
https://web.archive.org/web/20150412180311/https://ucanr.edu/sites/scmg/files/183771.pdf

Ecoregional Planting Guides for Pollinators
https://www.pollinator.org/guides

Landrace Gardening: Survival of the Fittest
https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/landrace-gardening-survival-zbcz1306/

Pollinator-Friendly Native Plant Lists by Region
https://xerces.org/pollinator-conservation/pollinator-friendly-plant-lists


These are some of my posts about gardening.

Gardening in Cold Climates
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/13841107.html

How to Avoid Blisters from Yardening
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/10195377.html

How to Do Binless Vermicomposting Outdoors
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/12894564.html

How to Fight Extinction
You can grow a refugium!
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14793184.html

How to Garden on a Mountaintop
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/11174222.html

How to Grow Plants
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14831156.html

How to Make a Weed Bottle
This is an emergency measure in case something strips off the top layer of the biosphere.
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14658037.html

How to Plan a Food Forest
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14832925.html

How to Start a Garden
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/13264317.html

Hugelkultur in a Pot
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14369628.html
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14370721.html
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14372379.html

Seed Banking
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/13581624.html

Trees for Southwest Gardens
https://ysabetwordsmith.dreamwidth.org/14624602.html
 

Comments

[rix_scaedu]

Uncomfortable soulmates.