Word of Mouth

Weighed down in minutiae of 'Growing Herbs and Vegetables'

'Growing Herbs and Vegetables: From Seed to Harvest'
By Terry and Mark Silber
(Alfred A. Knopf)

April 6, 2000
Web posted at: 4:37 p.m. EDT (2037 GMT)

By Kristin Lemmerman
CNN Interactive Editor

(CNN) -- The classic example is the garden-fresh tomato, and for good reason: There are few vegetables that so clearly define the difference between "grown at home" and "picked up at Publix." How many times in your life have you heard someone swear that tomatoes from the store just don't taste as good?

But luscious, flavorful tomatoes aren't the only reason to grow your own vegetables at home. Maybe you have 15 must-try recipes that call for lemon grass, which your local supermarket doesn't carry. You could be seeking organic produce, or a greater degree of self-sufficiency. Or you might simply be enticed by the pretty pictures on the seed packets at the local discount store.

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Whatever the reason, now's the time to jump on the garden bandwagon. It's spring. It's time to plant.

Where to get started? Perhaps not with "Growing Herbs and Vegetables" (Alfred A. Knopf), one of the latest nuts-and-bolts books to enter the gardening how-to market. Written by husband and wife team Terry and Mark Silber, this earnest tome outlines all the steps you should take to raise the absolute best seedlings on your very first outing -- simultaneously, the book's greatest asset and fault.

In describing their own early efforts in starting their first seedlings, the Silbers illustrate what conditions are required for these needy infants of the plant world -- good light, adequate moisture, ample containers. Then they tell you more: how to moderate the soil temperature with special devices; how big your greenhouse should be. Then they point out that you can nurture seeds into full-grown plants without shelling out the big bucks for the gear professionals use.

In other words, this book has the information new gardeners need to get started, but it doesn't separate the basics from the advanced coursework.

It's difficult to imagine a novice gardener wading through the multitude of details an experienced gardener might find interesting, and it seems unfortunate that this enthusiastic pair of gardeners -- both of whom have clearly earned their chops as master growers -- didn't take the time to sort their knowledge into a better-organized book. After all, growing plants isn't brain surgery; you can do just fine with little pots lined up in a bright windowsill, following the information on the seed packet, as long as you don't forget to water your new charges.

Plant lists to pique the imagination

What to plant, and what to do with the harvest? On this question, "Growing Herbs and Vegetables" is stronger, serving up the information that its lush, full-color cover photo promised to eager foodies.

First, the Silbers devote nearly half of their 271-page guide to descriptions of the different vegetables, fruits and herbs you could choose, explaining how to grow each, and illustrating with line drawings what the various seedlings will look like. (You'll be glad for those pictures when you're trying to pick out tiny bean plants from weeds in a new garden bed, or a year from now, when some of your composted vegetables offer up mystery "volunteer" seedlings.)

Then the Silbers suggest recipes. Not predictable tomato salads or vegetable soups, but a palate-tempting recipe for "Wonderful Quick Pickles" that are ready to eat in a couple of hours without the laborious process of canning; and "Herb Tempura," complete with instructions for a Japanese dipping sauce. The book concludes with another technically accurate but verbose chapter, this time on the techniques for saving seeds from the plants you've grown.

Is this book going to help you grow a good garden? Maybe. But it could just as easily overwhelm and dissuade you from taking the first step. Better to stick with a tried-and-true book (Barbara Damrosch's "Garden Primer" or, for Southern gardeners, Don Hastings' "Gardening in the South: Fruits and Vegetables," both in print since 1988 for good reason) than shell out for this convoluted volume. It won't be joining them on the classics list anytime soon.

Kristin Lemmerman, CNN.com's Entertainment editor, has been cultivating her own vegetable and flower garden at her Atlanta-area home for the past six years.

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August 16, 1999

Alfred A. Knopf

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