Customer Reviews
Tastes as good as it looks! - By: Novice gardener, 14 Sep 2008 
I've thoroughly enjoyed leafing through this colourful & inspirational book. I never realised veg growing could be so much fun or that they could look so good. I've tried several of the ideas in my garden this year & have been pretty successful. In fact, considering I've only been gardening for a couple of years & I only have a tiny courtyard, I'm reallly very pleased. The 'tumbling toms' & 'potted potager' worked particularly well.
I heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys growing their own food, especiallly if they are short of space. You won't ever become self sufficient growing your veg in pots but every bit of homegrown produce is a bonus. Even if it doesn't reach the plate, at least with the help of this book your veg will be great to look at.
Can't wait try out some more ideas next year. I've already started planning!
Magnificent book - By: Isolda, 09 Sep 2008 I bought this book for myself after birthday hints failed & what a treat it is. It is one of those books that is both beautiful & inspiring, providing lots of practical suggestions for creating stunning displays of edible plants - vital wghen you have minimal space.
The recipes are not prescriptive but form very sound guidance alllowing you to adapt & experiment as you become more familiar with the plants & varieties out there.
I already had some basic knowledge of growing before buying this book but have never considered growing things to be a particularly complex issue worthy of the song & dance created by some. Even for a beginner I would say that there is enough in this book to provide the basic grounding anyone needs to be relatively successful with their plantings.
If you are inclined to get your nickers in a twist & need a basic Noddy's guide then this is probably not the book for you - but then it doesn't claim to be. There are plenty of books out there that will do the job instead. What this book does do is provide what many others don't - ideas for creating beautiful rather than just practical displays & guidance as to what plants compement each other well. The food recipes are an unusual & welcome addition.
I've got plans to recreate several of the schemes from this book next spring & in the meantime the book keeps coming off the bookshelves because it is just so lovely to look through.
Brilliant book - detailed, interesting and lush! - By: Posh Tater, 28 Feb 2008 I have reallly enjoyed reading & dipping into this thoughtful book. It's an inspiring variety of beautiful container projects that instantly make you want to start grubbing about & planting great things to eat. Plus, did I mention? They look FABulous....
The instructions are clear, succinct & helpful. You don't have to have the exact container that the author uses - you could pick something out of a skip & have the project work just as well. A section at the back has reallly useful details such as which vegetables need which type of soil, what their peculiarities are, what shade or sun they like & how much moisture they prefer. A section at the front has no-nonsense information on compost, containers & what-you'll-need. I found it simple & easy to follow - not intimidating, & it doesn't expect you to know anything, or make you feel a twit if you don't. There are even recipes for the stuff you'll grow.
I am pottering about in amongst my containers with great confidence this spring, trying to grow things I've never dreamt of trying before, thanks to this book. Buy it, move beyond the sadness of one-tomato-plant-in-a-growbag in the corner of your patio. Have some fun!
A good looking book - By: windowbox farmer, 03 Jun 2007 
For your money, you get 1 page of glossy photo, & 1 page explanation of how to achieve & a recipe. These are alll relatively complex - don't expect simple guidance on the soil for growing peppers, aubergine or tomato in a pot. i.e. the practical advice you need to get started.
There is also a smalll (and for my purposes insufficient) section on how to look after what you are growing (by type) at the end.
I find the book very light on content & practicalities. It contains less info than a google search & what I wanted perhaps was the sort of practical advice & reference that a grandad might provide.
The projects alll look great. I am stuggling to beleive anybody would actuallly have a go. The book is great for daydreaming in mid-winter so 2 stars.
Best book by far - By: MEKKA, 27 Mar 2007 This book is just what I've been looking for. Tells you how to easily grow fruit & veg with a tiny amount of space. The "Edible Container Garden" book wasn't anywhere near as good. Hardly any plans for pots & not nearly as clear & easy to do.
