In an attempt to transplant a promising seedling started in a now aborted thread, I’m reposting what I feel is a helpful comment from @alan . A first book I recommend for those interested in hardy perennials is “Arboriculture” by Richard Harris published by Prentiss Hall.
It is much more expensive than some popular gardening book but will go a long way to help any person that likes deriving information from print to rounding out their understanding of how trees grow and how they can most competently be managed.
For something less academic (and expensive) Whitcomb’s “Establishment and Maintenance of Landscape Plants” should be very useful.
The full title of the newest Arboriculture book is “Arboriculture: Care of Trees, Shrubs, and Vines in the Landscape” for the older editions and “Arboriculture: Integrated Management of Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Vines” for the newest updated editions.
What other obtainable books have people found helpful? Why? What level of understanding and experience are they aimed at? Are they more for the general homeowner or more for professional development?
Links and descriptions of older online out-of-copyright books would also be helpful and appropriate in this thread.
An excellent book for sale on amazon and ebay is by Stella Otto, it is: The Backyard Orchardist: A Complete Guide to Growing Fruit Trees in the Home Garden
It really was good reading during the winter for late winter and early spring tips on pruning (especially). It is an excellent book. The antiquarian books that Scott turned us on to ’ The Fruit of New York’ series is great for research and history. The titles are (only a few) The Apples of New York, The Peaches of New York. etc. The title changes per fruit. All beautiful books with great illustrations for those looking for old and perhaps lost varieties.
From the Royal Horticultural Society: The Fruit Garden Displayed There are a number of editions of this. The one I have is a bit earlier and I think was the UK publication. This Amazon review captures it pretty well. When I plant trees for other people who have not cared for fruit trees before, I give them the relevant pages from this book on how to train, prune, fertilize, etc…
No books on my Kindle or shelf specifically for fruit or microgreens growing. Only web sites, podcasts, youtube, etc for these things.
For gardening I can highly recommend the following books. Some do make references to fruit growing, but it’s not the primary focus. Here are the obtainable books that I have found helpful:
For the begining gardener this is a great place to start. For the experienced gardener it’s an excellent reference. If you can only own one gardening book here in the west, make it this one.
Great for experienced gardeners that want to garden year round. Lots of nice tricks and best practices, with a month by month breakdown for tasks and what to plant and when. Something I refer to once a month.
Great place to start growing veg at home. Low effort, high reward system. If you can follow directions, you can have a lot of success in small spaces. I don’t refer to it much at all any more, once I got the hang of it.
This is for experinced and thoughtful gardeners. She talks about so many things here that it’s hard to summerize. Suffice to say that if you intend to read this book, I envy you for getting to read it for the first time! It’s fresh and may change how you see some things. I re-read it at least once a year.
The Apples of New York is amazing! I just pulled it up on Google books. I wish I could afford a frst edition copy. They want $500 on ebay. Amazing prints
I agree that Stella Otto’s book is worth the price of admission, although her experience is as a small commercial grower, so she doesn’t have quite the same perspective as a home grower- this has its pluses and minuses. It is a huge plus that she has so much real world experience successfully cropping fruit.
One of my favorite gardening books is not at all a how-to or a text book. “The Botany Of Desire” by Michael Pollen makes fascinating reading, even if his big idea may be pushed a bit hard. The four perfect essays that comprise the book include one about apples that should grab the interest of all forum members.
Michael Phillips “The Apple Grower” is probably the best general orcharding book I’ve read, even if I don’t share his philosophy about organic growing. That is, the best book for those of us growing fruit in the humid region.
The reason I rate it so highly is because he takes the time (invests the words) to explain not only how but also why. The why is usually the more versatile tool. The illustrations are also first rate.
This was an outstanding series on PBS. It might still be available on the PBS website or youtube. He’s pretty even-handed on some controversial subjects like GMOs, while firmly standing his ground on the negatives of monoculture.
Another useful book is “Tree Fruit Production Guide” from Penn State. I believe its about $30 in print. They also have a free on line version: http://polk.uwex.edu/files/2014/02/Tree-Fruit-Production-Guide-Penn-State-2013.pdf4 Covers Apples, Pears, Peaches and Cherries. Its more of a “how to” book than a text book. Useful information on IPM and chemical controls.
My copy arrived today - it wasn’t at all expensive in the 1983 edition. I paid $4.64, including the $3.99 shipping charge, and the book is in near-new condition. Go figure. Makes a person wish they had more lifetimes to deal with all the goodies in books like this.
I purchased the same edition, Mark, and received it the Saturday before last because it was an in stock Prime offering at 96 cents more, total cost. If it’s not new, I can’t tell. The only indication that the cover has been opened is the original price sticker inside.
It IS packed with a variety of information and illustrations. I’ve only flipped through it because I’m saving the reading for the chilly, dull and quieter days after the fall through HallowThanksMas pressures are over. It will allow me to plan and imagine being outside, even when the days are too short or icky to spend much time out there. I’m glad to have added one more very useful tool to use in my quest for becoming more effective and successful at growing and maintaining my plantings.
The cheap version is probably about 99% up to date. I actually didn’t notice any info that became obsolete from the 1st to the third. I’m not saying there was none, but it couldn’t have been much or anything very important. At least that is what I’d like to think! I do try to read carefully.
Books like this one create a foundation of understanding that you can build a solid structure on if you pay your dues by studying carefully. They are even more valuable in older hands than those of young students because you have the experience to put the info in context so it sticks better and is more likely to coalesce into a big picture of cause and affect.
J. Russell Smith’s “Tree Crops” is an interesting read. Maybe more in theory and design than application to most forum members situations, but I’m finding it interesting.