I have a container garden that I started 3 years ago and this book helped me with some new tips and ideas for this upcoming spring that I'm anxious to try. This was really helpful.
I just reviewed The First-Time Gardener: Container Food Gardening by Pamela Farley. #TheFirstTimeGardenerContainerFoodGardening #NetGalley
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I am SO impressed with this book. I never thought of creating themed container garden space, such as a spaghetti sauce garden or a fruit garden. The diagrams showing how those could be laid out in the container were helpful for my visualization. I loved the section of bad bugs and good bugs, how to fertilize, mulching, and more. I’m giving this book five stars because of its through inclusion of topics and content.

However, I may need a “6-star” book, or maybe “7-stars”. Last year, my first attempt at container gardening was an abysmal failure. Yield: one small tomato. I need this book to go just a step further so I’m not looking up YouTube videos for more information. I need to amend soil? I suspect that involves more than what is deceived within the book. What about harsh weather like heat or too much rain- what then? I wish the publish had provided this fantastic author with more pages. I bet she has the answer.

If you've ever thought how good it would be to be able to pop out into the garden and pick some fruit and vegetables for a meal – but realised that you wouldn't know where to start, this is the book you need. It's comprehensive: you'll cover everything from why you should grow your own food, what you're going to grow, what you'll grow it in (both containers and soil), where you'll put these containers, how you'll water and fertilise them and you finish the main part of the book with a handy section on troubleshooting. There's also a good glossary. So, is it any good?

I came to this book from a strange direction. We recently moved house. I left behind a massive raised vegetable bed, fruit bushes in containers and a greenhouse which kept us in tomatoes and cucumbers. I needed three freezers to store all the excess produce. Then we moved. I now have a stunning formal garden, the sort that makes you think that you need to be a grown-up gardener to do it justice but you don't know if you're that grown up. There's a big disadvantage though: there is nowhere to grow food. I've now relocated the bin area and I'm going to grow some food there in containers – but I'm having to start from basics.

I was hooked by the first picture I saw: a container of vegetables, interplanted with herbs and flowers. It's practical and beautiful. That's a good start. It also assumes that you know very little and explains many of the terms which other books assume you understand. If it's not explained in the glossary, you can contact the author via her website. There's advice about what you should look for when buying plants which are gold dust. By the time you're through this section, you feel confident.

Grow what you like to eat might seem obvious advice but you'd be surprised how few gardeners follow it. There's an excellent quick planting guide which tells you all you need to know about planting – the container size, when to plant, sun or not, water and fertilizer requirements and when to harvest. It covers fruit, herbs and vegetables and by the time you've worked your way through it, your mouth will be watering. For more gold dust, have a look at the section on companion – and repellent – planting. There are some one-sentence gems: kids who grow vegetables love to eat vegetables. There are some lovely examples of what they could grow that are also decorative.

If you wouldn't eat out of it, don't grow in it is excellent advice when choosing containers, but this isn't a book that's precious about what you use as a planter. Size and drainage matter but upcycling is encouraged. I liked the advice on which containers to avoid - and why - but I was particularly impressed by the (simple) idea of how to winterise your containers. Moving onto what you put into the containers, I'm now going to make my own potting soil: it has got to be better than some of the stuff I spend money on.

My new area for the container-grown food is protected from the prevailing westerly winds, sheltered from the north and open to the south and east. I've now got a list of plants which will thrive in each of the areas. From being a problem, this is now starting to feel like fun. I've also got the watering sorted out – and a water butt appropriately placed.

You're also going to learn about pollinators and how we can attract them. How about a bee bath? Fertilising has always been a bit hit and miss for me, but Pamela Farley gives us a simple guide which takes all the mystery out of the subject. She's equally good on mulches: not all are created equal.

The final section is on troubleshooting, with the best advice being 'don't panic'. This book was a quick, easy read but it's one which I know I'm going to return to time and time again. I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

I am excited to try the ideas that I have read on here, especially now that I am revamping my balcony gardening. Container gardening, especially in cities, takes a lot of patience and not gonna lie, I was actually gonna surrender all of it because of rats. But reading this book has inspired me to give it another go! This book is brief yet comprehensive, perfect for those who want to try their hand at container gardening but do not like a long read.

I'm a novice gardener and have not been successful with containers to date. There is so much information on the internet that it can be overwhelming. So I appreciated the simple, straightforward content and layout of this novel. It covered everything one needs to try container gardening but not too much information. I also appreciate recommendations for what foods to try.

Please note that I read and reviewed this title in January/February in Minnesota. So I have been unable to actually practice the strategies and directions contained therein. But I have renewed confidence to try come the spring and summer.

An extremely useful resource for introducing budding gardeners to container gardening! As someone with not a lot of garden space, I rely on container gardening for growing my tea herbs and flowers. What I loved most about this book was the different planting guided for fruits, vegetables, and herbs. It includes useful information such as the ideal container size, when to plant, and care requirements. Usually I have to rely on several different sources for this information depending on what type of plant I intend to grow. It also contains other useful guidance on how to plant seeds and seedlings properly. The illustrations and photos were actually useful as well, which is a nice change as some gardening books just add images for fluff rather than substance. Overall I was quite impressed and I can see myself using this in the spring when it’s time to set up my container garden!

This book was really handy. I have gardened before, but I don't consider myself super knowledgeable. But this is laid out in way that makes you feel confident and secure in your efforts to sustain your family from your own back yard. It really is for any level of gardener.

A beautiful book, filled with practical and down-to-earth (in pots) information for anyone interested in producing their own food. Great disposition, layout and illustrations.

This has a lot of great information for all levels of container gardeners! While it's probably not something you're going to just sit down and read cover to cover it seems like it'd be a great reference to have on your shelf.

Farley does a good job of breaking down the book into different section like water, container types, soil etc. She also gives handy charts for common plants so you can quickly look up what size container you may need for a plan you're looking to grow. She also gives fun combinations for containers that had my wheels spinning about what I could do in some of my half barrel planters!

There are a lot of pictures to accompany the words as well. I appreciated that it was accessible for all levels of gardener.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Great introduction into container gardening. It is full of useful information and helpful guides to get you started.

Thank you for my eARC of this book. This has been really helpful alongside my RHS planning app to try and get started on growing my first veg!

A great addition to anyone’s gardening library! It covers the full scope of container gardening, from what to look for in pots and seeds to planting guides, soil guides, and troubleshooting. This might seem small, but my favorite parts were the detailed photo instructions of both transplanting seedlings and direct seeding into pots. It struck me that, for a beginner gardener, there are not many books that show a photo progression for the steps of actually putting a plant in a pot. There are lots of descriptions with sparse illustrations, but the process remains obscure unless you SEE the steps either working alongside an experienced gardener or very detailed photos. Excellent book and would highly recommend for anyone starting a container garden. Also! Definitely Kid-friendly/Homeschooler-approved!

I love container gardening, and this is a perfect book for anyone interested in the subject. It gives all the dos and don'ts of container gardening, and tells the full story of how to do it and be successful. This with great pictures makes it the perfect read!

Very easy-to-read guide on basically everything to do with planting veggies and fruits, and with step-by-step instructions. The visual aids are clear and helpful, and the text being in tables or coloured boxes really helps keep your focus on what you are reading or draws your attention to the important information you might need. Great gift for a friend or family member who has begun the journey of gardening, or even for oneself.

Brilliant photographs showing the actual plants grown. I want to grow chard now I have seen the container grown plant. Tables of information eg for a variety of herbs - which seeds, container size, seed or start, sun, water, fertiliser, when to harvest. Almost guaranteed success. Probably the best container gardening book I have experienced. I hate recipe books that you realise the recipes have not been tried and tested. This book has a photograph of plants that really have been grown throughout the season. I certainly feel that we can do the same. This book is Inspirational and informative.