There are many good books written about gardening and the how-to go about it, my first suggestions is you decide what you want to grow and how much you want to grow then look for the books that match your interests.

One book that I do recommend is by Janeen R. Adil, called Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, tools and Plants. While the author created a work that has a specific demographic in mind the information is alos very useful to anyone who is growing in a small space.

Accessible Gardening was published in 1994 by Woodbine House. If you want to garden this is a must read.

There are also two publishing houses I must refer you to: Rodale and Chelsea Green. Anything about gardening they publish is well worth reading.

One of my favourite Rodale books and if organic gardening is your thing then these guys have what you need, is Jeff Cox’s Landscaping with Nature: Using Nature’s Designs to Plan Your Yard. This book was first published in 1991 but it is a constant source of information for me and as valid today was when it was first available.

Pay particular attention to Chapter One; Learning from Nature, for when you allow Nature to guide you all will follow.

Now one of the best for the organic vegetable grower is Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Gardner. This book is designed for the backyard vegetable grower who is seeking to increase her or his food supply or for the person who is interested in the more commercial aspects of a market garden. If neither of these applies to you, I’d still borrow this book from the public library just to read it; when you garden there is always something to learn and Coleman’s book equips you for the adventure.

If you are seeking a smaller size garden them Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening is what you want.

Bartholmew has developed a gardening method that is used by people all across North America and beyond.

Another great book for small spaces and for those who do not like to or cannot dig is Patricia’s Lanza’s Lasagna Gardening: New Layer System For Bountiful Gardens.

This is one of the first gardening books I read more than once and have adopted her lasagna method in different ways in many different situations.

Anyone of these books will get you started but I do suggest that you read Janeen R. Adil, Accessible Gardening for People with Physical Disabilities: A Guide to Methods, tools and Plants first and then Cox’s Landscaping with Nature.

If you are launching your journey into the gardening world I do suggest you get a public library card, that way you can gather all the information you need without putting too great a strain on your book pocket.

If you must buy do not overlook second hand books stores and book sales they can be excellent sources for any gardener. My collection would not contain as many books as it does without them.