For a while now, I have thought that I really want to start growing some veggies in my garden and I have always been so so intimidated by the whole science around it. Starter Vegetable Gardens was exactly what it promised to be and exactly what I needed. First and foremost, it took some of the apprehension away and now I absolutely can't wait to try these tips out and hopefully grow some delicious veggies of my own!

This book was great, it had different sections based on the space you might have available and skill level, a thorough and informative book!

This is a good beginning gardner book for someone who is a first time gardener and lives in an average climate. It does tell you how much soil to purchase, for example, for a small garden plot and which plants to begin with planting. What it doesn't explain is how much physical labor goes into starting a garden plot, especially raised bed gardens. You will need about ten or more 40 lb bags of gardening soil to begin a small garden plot, and then if your vehicle is a distance from your gardening area you will need to carry all this stuff to your garden. It can be very daunting work for someone not used to physical labor or that has a bad back.

I would hire someone to help you get started on building a garden, and then just enjoy the garden once its planted. Also they recommend starting from seedlings, and most gardeners buy plants already growing rather than try to grow seedlings. Its more expensive but you will be more successful with the plants.

I live in a very hot area that has a long intense summer, so it is challening finding plants that will survive this climate and your water bill may be detrimental to you continuing gardening. These issues are not addressed in the book.

This book is excellent! It is a thorough and easy to follow guide for both the beginner and the experienced gardener. It provides step by step instructions and helpful images/illustrations. This is the book I wish I had 2 summers ago when I started my backyard vegetable garden during the Covid lockdown. I actually read this book earlier this year, however I waited to write this review until now as I wanted to see how helpful it would be for me for this years' growing season. It turns out it was extremely helpful. I ended up consulting this book fairly frequently throughout the summer. I highly recommend this book for all prospective backyard gardeners.

Buy Book !!!! Read, pick a plan, prepare soil, plant, water and harvest. What a great book.
I have been trying to build the confidence to start a garden at my house. This book does a great job of giving you options for a garden. Then provides you details in preparing the soil and setting up your garden. The book even gives you a diagram with dimensions and tells your what and where to plant.
The timing of reading this book should set me up to have a garden next spring. How exciting! The book even tells you what types of each vegetable to plant. Also talks about starting from seeds or small plants.

I really enjoyed this updated edition! I'm not sure if this will be a purchase for our library, but I'll definitely be ordering a personal copy to inspire and educate in my gardening efforts. These garden plans are simple, easy to understand, and beautiful. I think that this is a great resource for beginning gardeners as well as those who have a little bit more experience, but want some more direction or inspiration. There's just a ton of great info in here, and the pictures and illustrations add to the experience. A great addition to a gardening collection!

Starter Vegetable Garden is full of very helpful information. I just wish I had a copy in hand to review. It was a difficult read on a Kindle. I am sorry I cannot do the book justice.

I enjoyed this book. As a former gardener (job) and a current at-home gardener (for fun), I did find this book useful and learned some new things. The garden plans all have illustrated layouts, almost like a blueprint, so following along is easy. The author, Barbara Pleasant, gives a step-by-step guide for each plan. There are small gardens, easy gardens and large gardens to choose from. Some even include flowers to make the garden more aesthetically pleasing, especially for those who need to plant in front of their house. Each layout gives information on how to expand or improve the garden every year x 3 years. I do think the book is a bit specific - it is not necessarily a general vegetable gardening book - it's focused on specific garden layouts. If interested, I recommend picking up a copy at your local bookstore and briefly reviewing the various layouts to see if one suits you.

A detailed book for new gardeners or those who want to get the most from whatever size plot they have. Packed full of information with a step by step approach this will be an ongoing guide for gardeners.

Do you know that you can start a garden in a bag? You can purchase a bag of topsoil, plant the seeds in it and harvest right from the bag - don't forget to poke holes in the bottom for drainage!
You will learn how to map out your garden, putting in paths, planting vegetables that protect each other and support each other, and plant the plants in rows or hills. You will be shown which plants grow best in each season, from early spring to early winter.
A compost pile will help you to fertilize your garden all year, a container with a lid is good for keeping your compost protected from animals or appearing untidy, you can use grass clippings, weeds, leaves and fruit and vegetable peels in your compost pile.
Raised beds can be an asset if your soil is poor and you will do less bending, you will also be shown how to have a front yard garden that you and your neighbors will enjoy.
This is an all around gardening book with many helpful ideas for the beginner or experienced gardener!

In this age of sustainability and inflation, we are all seeking ways to have an organic garden on our lawns. This book gives one of the easiest ways to incorporate a sustainable garden in our homes by just using a 40 pound bag of topsoil located at any garden center we can have a quick garden plot without all the trouble of build raised beds or tilling. The book even give suggested garden plans...a great find.

A good book if you are an new or expert gardener. Plenty of ideas and hints that I wil surely used.
The explanations are clear and I found it interesting.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This book was wonderful and taught me so much about vegetable gardening! I am started my garden in September and will certainly be using this book as a reference!

this is a very educational and helpful book. I am starting a homestead farm and I was really glad I got the chance to read this and learn more.

This is a very good book for beginners or anyone wanting to have a garden. It was descriptive and educational and i will be using this when starting my garden next year. I recommend this for any gardeners or someone interested in starting a garden.

I received a copy of this book early spring. As a first time home buyer this is exactly what I needed to get my bearings in beginning my first ever vegetable garden. I grew up watching my mom garden, but never really learned how to get started myself. This book gives readers a step by step guide on getting started with different garden varieties, which I think is so important. Not everyone is looking for the same thing and there isn't a one size fits all for everyone. I also love that each plan comes with a three year plan. Many gardening books I have read are focused on one season only and don't really guide you on building up your garden over a few years. I really look forward to using this book as a resource as I continue to build up my garden.
One point I strongly disagreed with was the author's note saying that unless you have reason to believe your soil is contaminated there is no need to test your soil before starting a new garden. I think that is extremely good practice to always test your soil for dangerous contaminants before starting a vegetable garden. You just never know what you might be dealing with. I had no reason to suspect contamination in my backyard and found out that I had higher levels of lead than I was comfortable starting a vegetable garden in.
I also would love to see more pictures in the book and more tips on maintenance of different veggies. Otherwise a great read for newer gardeners.
Thank you to NetGalley and Barbara Pleasant for the copy of this book.

This is a great book for anyone who, like me, would like to have a go at growing some of their own vegetables but really doesn’t know anything about gardening and doesn’t know where to start.
It’s written using plain language and doesn’t use too much gardening jargon so that Was something I really liked.
I’m going to have a go at some of the suggestions in the book for next season and I’m looking forward to seeing how I get on.
My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book in return for an honest review.

Very useful companion for me in my first year of growing my own. Lots of great tips and pictures. Recommend to anyone who is thinking of getting started!

This is the perfect resource for beginner gardeners. The book gives step-by-step directions for setting up a garden, lists of plants to grow, where to buy seeds, and contains lots of tips to grow a successful garden. I found it super insightful with lots of good information about starting a garden.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I was quite impressed with the content and layout of the book. I will be purchasing a copy of this book once published. Great resource for gardening. I am excited to try the bag gardening. What a great idea! Other gardening books get too technical for me. This book explains in simple terms and easy to understand. The planting/gardening plans are very doable. For the weekend gardeners get this book!