Editorial Reviews

Book Description:
Shiny green cucumbers; firm, juicy tomatoes; baby lettuces handpicked one salad at a time—these are the tasty benefits of the backyard vegetable garden. But earth gardens are a lot of work. They require a plot of plantable land and a significant time commitment to sowing, watering, weeding, and tending each plant.

Is there a solution? Self-watering containers allow vegetable gardeners—from the casual weekender interested in a tomato plant or two to the very dedicated gardener with limited space—to grow richly producing plants in a controlled, low-maintenance environment.

Lifelong gardener Ed Smith became fascinated with the possibilities of self-watering containers and began testing dozens of vegetables in various containers, experimenting with nutrients, soil mixtures, plant varieties, and container positioning. Now Smith is here to tell gardeners that anyone can grow and enjoy wonderful organic vegetables, using pots with continuous- flow watering systems.

Smith shares advice on choosing appropriate containers, how to provide balanced nutrition using his secret soil formula, and what additional tools benefit the container gardener. The reader will also find advice on starting from seed versus buying plants, which vegetables thrive in containers and which might be a bit more challenging, along with space-saving tips on pairing plants in single containers. After the last green tomato has been picked and is ripening on the windowsill, Smith wraps everything up with a chapter on fall clean-up and preparing for next spring. Now there’s really no excuse for store-bought tomatoes!

Customer Reviews

Very Average by S. Sell
This book starts out good and states that it’s going to tell you how to make your own self-watering containers. However, once you get through all the initial fluff, I found the details necessary to actually follow through on the author’s suggestions to be extremely limited. The author discusses how to make any pot self-watering, but uses a ready made insert. Then he does not say where to get the ready made insert from. Parts of the book read more like a pat on the back to his own successes with pictures from his own garden. That’s great, but I bought the book to learn how to set up my own self-watering system which I still am at a loss after reading the book. I was very disappointed.

This should be a best seller!!! by Bonnie Moore
I have read a lot of gardening books, but this is one of the all time best!! It is full of facts, as opposed to general descriptions. “A full grown tomato takes a gallon of water a day.” as opposed to some vague keep it well watered that you get in so many books.

It is precise, without being dry. Written with a sense of humor, as well as common sense. I found a lot of very useful information, even though I am a seasoned gardener, and a novice would find this invaluable. The information I found was accurate, and as importantly, explained. I love to know the “why” behind something.

I must also comment on the pictures. They are good pictures of exactly the plant being talked about. You could easily identify an unknown plant from the pictures and descriptions. That is rare…most books show plants from too far away, or in a grouping…neither of which is helpful to me.

All and all, this is my favorite gardening book of all time!! If I had to list a fault, I would be hard pressed to come up with one. Perhaps a bit more on the section on making a self watering pot at home. The basics are all there, but I would have like a bit more on the bigger containers, like how to turn a whiskey barrel into a self-waterer. And to go along with that, a few resourses on parts (as opposed to finished units.)

I’m ready to try doorstep gardening by Kathleen Connolly
I’m a serious organic gardener, with 4500 square feet of flowers, herbs and veggies. I have a good garden library and I’m glad to add this book. As far as I know, it is the only container gardening book that addresses organic vegetable growing. I used to think that tilling the earth was superior to container gardening. In recent years, however, time pressures have made me wonder about the viability of growing convenience items (lettuce, tomatoes, onions) close to my front and back doors in containers so that dinner would be easy to harvest. Having read this book, I’m ready to try it. A very quick and lively read, the book’s only shortcoming is lack of adequate information on how to create your own self-watering pots.

Self-Watering Container Gardening for Dummies! by R. Seal
This book provides a thorough and thoughtful explanation of vegetable gardening in self-watering containers. While Mr. Smith seems to make a point of not endorsing specific brands in his books I would have found that useful. I did manage to google the adjustable reservoir insert Mr. Smith describes in “making a self-watering container” on page 28 and discovered it, or one just like it, is available from the Gardener’s Supply Company for $14.95. It would be a relatively simple propositon to make your own from pvc pipe and sheet plastic.

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