The Joy of Gardening
Love to garden? We do too! We also love to read old gardening books and collecting antique gardening tools. When we're not out back weeding, chasing pests or propagating plants, you'll find us in the den with our prized collection of 100 year old gardening books, poring over quaint drawings of garden plans and planting lists. This blog will excerpt passages from those wonderful gardening resources as well as keep you up to date with our backyard adventures. Gardening tips and tricks from over 100 years ago, who would have thought?

Posts Tagged ‘home vegetable garden’

There is nothing more quaint than the preface to an old gardening book. F.F. Rockwell’s introduction to his Home Vegetable Gardening is no exception. Even the title is lovely:
HOME VEGETABLE GARDENING

A COMPLETE AND PRACTICAL GUIDE TO THE PLANTING AND CARE OF ALLĀ  VEGETABLES, FRUITS AND BERRIES WORTH GROWING FOR HOME USE

Here’s the preface:

With some, the home vegetable garden is a hobby; with others, especially in these days of high prices, a great help. There are many in both classes whose experience in gardening has been restricted within very narrow bounds, and whose present spare time for gardening
is limited. It is as “first aid” to such persons, who want to do practical, efficient gardening, and do it with the least possible fuss and loss of time, that this book is written. In his own experience the author has found that garden books, while seldom lacking in information, often do not present it in the clearest possible way. It has been his aim to make the present volume first of all practical, and in addition to that, though comprehensive, yet simple and concise. If it helps to make the way of the home gardener more clear and definite, its purpose will have been accomplished.

Update (April 2009): We are in full swing in terms of a financial crisis and saving money is the topic of the day. I couldn’t help but notice the reference in the above passage to “these days of high prices”. Wow!