2007-11-07 Easy to read - a good introduction

This book reminds me of the kind of gardening book my Grannie would have used.

It's laid out in an easy-to-follow style and Diana Galligan's writing is chatty and inviting. She gives plenty of straightforward advice on everything from how to look after a vegetable plot to what to plant when and how to store it (very useful).

There are no photographs, but the centre fold-out pages have plenty of colour sketches of vegetables common vegetables, which are olde worlde and quite endearing.

I'd have loved a little more detailed information - for example what exactly is meant by "early autumn" vs "late autumn", but I'm sure I'd work it out.

Being quite a small book makes it easy to dip into to learn a bit at a time. I find larger books can be a bit overwhelming.

I'd recommend this book to anyone interested in creating a vegetable garden or running a small allotment - but you'll probably need more information, once you're past the basics.

If you're really looking to become a smallholder, as per the book title, you'd probably be better off checking out John Seymour's classic book: "New Complete Self-Sufficiency".

That aside, I did enjoy this book and am happy I bought it.