Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening

The first time I read this book, I glazed over the section on soils (too involved - I originally thought). The rest of the book was far more interesting since I was more concerned about the best watering techniques, laying out the garden, organic methods, specific instructions for different crops, etc. Since then I've read the soils section at least a half dozen times and am astounded at how simple the formulas are and what a difference it can make. This is a book that will be referenced over and over again.

I love this book. It is so helpful in giving you hints on growing all sorts of vegetables. Especially valuable to me is the author's "super fertilizer mix" (my words) in which he suggests combinations of natural ingredients to supplement the soil. It works! Now, I mix his formula up and put in old garbage cans so I can always have it on hand to give my little veggies. And do they ever appreciate their "treats"! I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in gardening successfully and doing it in a respectful manner.

In composing a review of a book we've used constantly & incessantly over the years, my husband murmured that I should describe our copy. Wherever we've found a portion that pertains to our patch of earth in a valley on the edges of a National Forest, I've stashed a marker. Sometimes it's an emery board, a letter from England, pages from scratchpads with recipes for slug bait or maps of our raised bed plantings for a year, postcards from friends warning us about their impending visit. This book is now double in thickness yet these markers allow me easy access to what I need most often. We have enjoyed every penny we invested in Steve Solomon's Complete Guide to Natural Gardening. When we've got a problem, there's usually an answer right in there. When we're wondering about our climate, or our soil or our expectations for a harvest, given our climate, Steve Solomon's got an answer. Really useful, just wish it had more illustrations!

This book is a must for every Northwest gardener, but I found it especially helful for a beginner like myself. Its very easy to follow and the author doesn't talk over the reader's head. I especially liked the focus on organic gardening. My vegetable gardens have been awesome since reading this book and following the basic guidelines given. I have given this book as a gift to family and friends and they have all loved it and the results it has made in their gardens. I would recommend it to any serious gardener in the Pacific Northwest!

If you are a gardener west of the Cascades you'll definitely find useful and readable information in this book. It includes an introduction to soil science, when to plant, what varieties grow well here, which seed companies are reliable and trustworthy, information on dealing with pests, and a section on the cultivation of each vegetable. Steve Solomon started the Territorial seed company, though he's no longer associated with it, and was growing most of his own food when he wrote this book. His approach is primarily organic, though not evangellically so. This is a good book for both the "corn and tomato" gardeners as well as somebody who is aspiring to grow a significant fraction of their own food. This is a regional book--probably one of its strongest points, since gardening is different in different bioregions. The regions include the Willamette Valley, SW Washington, Oregon coast and Southern Oregon, Puget Sound, Washington foothills, Yoncalla Valley, along the Umpqua, and northern California, with probably the most emphasis on the Willamette Valley and SW Washington. This is the book I begin every planting season (or seed purchasing season) with!