Last Updated on May 9, 2021 by ellen
It’s not always easy to find the best gardening books for beginners. I love gardening and have been doing it for years but at one point, I was a beginner searching for information. Some very popular gardening books were just too much information for me when I was just getting started.
Posts may be sponsored. This post contains affiliate links, which means I will make a commission at no extra cost to you should you click through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Best Gardening Books for Beginners
All I really wanted to know about gardening when I first started was what to plant, how to get it to live, and how to get vegetables from it. I didn’t want long, complex explanations of soil chemistry or how to cross two different plant varieties by self-pollinating them. All I wanted to do was keep the plants alive long enough to get food from them.
- Rodale’s Basic Organic Gardening. I’m a huge fan of all of the Rodale books and this is no exception. Lots of great information in one place.
- Gardening for Dummies. This series is one of my favorites. They put all of the explanations in easy to understand format with lots of examples.
- Companion Gardening for Beginners. Certain plants just grow better next to other plants. This book puts the explanation in an easy to understand format.
- Low-Cost Gardening – A Recycled Garden. If you want to learn to grow vegetables inexpensively, this is the book you need to start with.
- The Gardener’s A-Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom. If you are more interested in flowers than vegetables, I recommend this book.
- Container Gardening for Beginners. Container gardening is a great option for those who have a limited amount of space.
- How a Seed Grows. Get the kids in on the fun in the garden with How a Seed Grows.
There are many different types of gardening and everyone has their favorite. If you find you don’t enjoy vegetable gardening, don’t give up, try fruits or flowers instead. Just get out there in the sunshine and try to grow something today.
Do you have a favorite I’ve forgotten?
Ellen is a mom of a 25-year-old son and 30-year-old daughter. She is Grandma to one adorable toddler. In what little spare time she has, she loves to read, watch movies, and check out the latest toys and games.
I have some ebooks I would consult but no faves. I’m partial to the Dummies series just because it’s easy to look up things with their format and a little humor is added.
I agree, Deb.I like them for the same reason.
I’ve got so many great gardening ideas, I just never seem to be able to get started. Maybe this book would give me the boost I need.
Can’t hurt to try one, Lisa!
My favorite book is Backyard Harvest by Jo Whittingham. It has a month-by-month to-do list that I still reference even though I’ve been gardening for years.
I’ll have to check that one out!
No favorite gardening books here. The only thing we’ve ever planted was tomatoes (cherry in topsy turvys) for two years and strawberries (fail) for one year.
We’ve had our share of failures as well! Time to try again!
I’m glad I found this post! I’m a total beginner. I decided to ease into it a bit and made a small raised bed garden. It doesn’t have many plants in it, but I’m hoping to learn from it enough this year to have a larger garden next time. I’ll definitely have to check out some of the books you’ve listed. Thanks so much!
Glad to share! Start small and next year you can do a little bit more. Gardening is loads of fun!
I have gardening books but seldom reference them. I learned how to do a few things well and am afraid to go astray from those. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I do that sometimes too, Nicole. This year I did try a few new things & I am hoping they turn out well.
I love Gardening Books to me they are relaxing to read and I am always amazed at how much I can learn from someone else’s experiences. I liked Low Cost Gardening – A Recycled Garden. I also keep a copy of the Farmers Almanac for reference. Thank you for sharing.
I agree. The Farmer’s Almanac is super helpful!
I remember being a first time gardener and not knowing where to start. I found so many great books at the local bookstore. I might grab one of your suggestions to see what else I can learn.
Hope they help you, Candice!
I want the low cost gardening book. I bet there are great tips in there.
I agree. That one looks amazing.
I find books that focus on my region very helpful. Nice list…Im sure they would come in handy!
I agree, Diane. Those are very helpful!