The Organic Gardener’s Handbook by Frank Tozer

Of all the gardening guides I have ever found, The Organic Gardener’s Handbook tends to be one of the most broad in its scope and specific in its gardening insights. This book, written by Frank Tozer is a winner in its expansive knowledge, its engaging bouts of humor and its helpful charts and guides. Tozer covers so much general knowledge from experienced gardeners that it is quite amazing that any one person could compile such a book.

A few crop rotation options

Rarely do I renew any of the library books that I check out, but I have already renewed this book twice. It covers when, where, how, how much, why and every other question related to seeds, vegetables, gardens, tools and so forth. It covers intensive and less intensive gardening. It covers the many options in rotating crops and in planning out how to plant a garden. Because each area of the country experiences different weather patterns, Tozer finds ways to give advice while still making it universal. He does not say this works for everything, but instead says if your conditions are dry, hot, wet, cold etc. then you might want to consider doing specific things to ensure a successful garden.

Crops for different situations

Planting by height

Frank is quite funny at times. At one point he states that you can drop off your slugs at a competitor’s garden while in another section he mentions the use of compressed wood as one possible material for composting. He then goes on to say that he doesn’t know why anyone would think of composting compressed wood and doesn’t know why he is even writing it!

Spring Planting guide

The various guides that Tozer includes are quite helpful. He explores many facets of crop rotation, planting by size, direct sowing vs. transplanting, how to prepare transplants and when to plant crops in the spring vs. in the fall. By consulting charts and guides, a gardener can find ways to expand the season and grow things that work well for their climate.

Fall Planting Guide

For those who are new to gardening, as well as those who have established crops, The Organic Gardener’s Handbook provides a wealth of knowledge that can be of benefit to anyone who cares to read.

A Tucson Planting Guide for the Organic Seed Saver

Years ago, after many failed attempts to understand gardening in Tucson I made this little guide for myself, which consists of 3 charts. Please note that I am not saying that this is the "definitive" guide to growing plants in Tucson. Rather, this is an attempt to better understand how to plan out my gardening.

 

With the first chart I was attempting, on my part, to understand when to plant, how long I could expect plants to take to germinate and grow. First, it lists some "general" planting dates. But more importantly it then lists the optimal soil germination temperature (in parenthesis). Knowing the soil temperature allows the gardener to note the current conditions, rather than relying on a calendar that may not be as accurate. 

 

The next set of numbers underlined in the third column lists the days until you can expect to notice seedlings popping out of the ground. Lastly, the chart tells the amount of time you can expect until you might see a harvest. Plants that are grown over the winter months under less light will take longer to grow.

 

 

Contained in the second chart (on the upper right) is a basic guide to NPK ratios of various amendments. All amendments will vary – so I take this with a grain of salt.

 

Finally, the last chart of this guide (on the lower right) concerns seed viability. Why, you may ask, might this information come in handy? Any gardener wishing to have some hope of self-sufficiency recognizes that a major component to being independent in a time of need is to have control of his seeds. Knowing how many years a gardener can keep seeds in a cool dry place enables the gardener to plan the frequency by which each vegetable variety must be grown.

 

On a side note - If people would focus less on complaining about big agricultural companies such as Monsanto and more on saving seeds we would not have to worry about the negative side affects that such large companies could create. A gardener who possesses quality water and soil and employs appropriate gardening practices can determine her skill at saving seeds by the quality of the vegetables harvested from her home-saved seeds.