Karen Newcomb

In my dreams I have a good-sized yard with a small greenhouse in a back corner. Nearer the house I'd have a decent patch of lawn surrounded by gardens with roses and perennials. In between would be a sitting area with the fire pit and a large-enough vegetable garden to grow whatever I want. Of course I have all kinds of ideas for the plants I'd like to grow and where I'd hide the composter and even how I might keep a couple of chickens. But the current reality is that my yard is smaller than I'd like and gets too much shade. Still, I've managed a raised-bed on the side of the house and a number of pots around the pool that are fairly productive. It's not as much 'earth' as I'd like for a garden, but it's probably just as well since my current calling at church barely leaves me enough time after work for what I've got.

So I'm always looking for ways to make the best use of limited space, and when I saw The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden by Karen Newcomb offered by bloggingforbooks, I jumped on it. This is an updated and revised edition of a book that was first published 40 years ago and has a new focus on growing heirloom varieties of vegetables – which I've become very interested in over the last few years. The techniques are mostly organic and encourage improving the soil and making the most of your space with "crop-stretching" techniques and using vertical space. About half the book is an encyclopedia-like section that lists the different vegetables and their suitability for the small "postage stamp garden," as well as recommended varieties.

This is a nice simple and straight-forward book with minimal illustrations. The plant advice seems to be similar to what I've seen elsewhere except that it specifically addresses how to grow them in small spaces and make multiple plantings each year. The recommended heirlooms are usually the ones I've seen in catalogs and the book suggests which vendors might carry them. There are a few illustrated plans that seem a little better than some I've seen that are meant to get you thinking. But some of the advice seems a little dated, such as roto-tilling and double-digging, although much of what I've read elsewhere no longer recommends either practice. I was also a little confused by the suggestion to add red worms to compost piles, although I think the author is talking about cold composting as opposed to hot composting, which I imagine would just toast any worms in the pile.

Still, I appreciate that it's more like the traditional approach to gardening I learned when I was young. Some of the recent advice I've seen (like 'no-dig' and no chemicals) doesn't always make sense to me, and this seems more like a 'tried-and-true' method – or at least a rational mix of the two. It leans more to the beginner, but if you're trying to make the most of limited space (and limited time), this might be a very useful book.… (lisätietoja)

I want to thank Blogging for Books for my review copy of the revised Postage Stamp Garden book.

I noted that another reviewer had the same delay in reviewing the book for the same reason I did! I was too busy referring to the book as I prepared and planted my little summer garden. My Aunt Margaret had a postage stamp garden and I was always amazed at the variety and volume of produce grown in such a small space. Previous attempts at gardening at my house have sent me racing to the grocery store in defeat. This book has given me the courage to try again!

The book covers all the bases from planning, preparing, planting and maintaining your garden. Highly recommend for beginners.… (lisätietoja)

I loved this book! I loved this book so much that I kept putting off this review because I was too busy planting and organizing my garden. But, before I give you my honest review I have to tell you a bit about myself. I’m a nature kid. I love hiking and as a kid was always playing outside. One of the things that attracted me to my husband was that he also is a nature kid at heart; even more than I am. Once we were married we immediately started slowly building out little nature heaven but haven’t had as much luck as we had hoped.

For example, last year I planted acorn squash, peas, asparagus, and watermelon. Our results were: peas that had been dug up by some animal; watermelon that had shriveled up no matter how often we watered; an acorn squash that produced one lone little plant, and an asparagus plant that seemed like our only hope but died the beginning of this spring. What were we doing wrong?

According to the advice in Karen Newcomb’s bestselling book The Postage Stamp Vegetable Garden, EVERYTHING. We had planted starters at the wrong time, had over watered, and had planted plants next to their worst nightmares. For more information about companion plants see Chapter 7 “Plants That Like Each Other”.

So, the last few weeks, my husband and I have been tilling up the 16X16 garden we have (not really a postage stamp garden but the idea still applies) and this year we have planted: tomatoes, lettuce, beats, peppers, peas, and soybeans. I also have several marigolds and cilantro plants to keep them company. In the front yard we planted mint and lavender. Now, so far everything seems happy and healthy, but we’ve been getting a lot of rain. But, with the advice she’s given throughout her book I feel extremely confident that we will be getting some awesome stuff this year.

As for the book, the writing is easy to follow and although there aren’t a lot of diagrams, the ones that are available are very helpful. My favorite diagrams are the example stamp gardens for ideas no how to plant. I also like that most of the book have a thorough guide on each vegetable and gives different types of breeds worth considering for the results you want.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a green thumb or has one. I can’t wait to start sharing photos of my growing garden soon!

Disclaimer: I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.… (lisätietoja)

This book is perfect for someone who only has a small amount of space and would like to plant a high-yield, organic vegetable garden. The postage stamp method is for people with as little as 4x4 feet or even container gardens. The author walks you through the steps of choosing a place for your garden, building your soil, selecting plants and how to plant them, natural fertilizers and how to water.

I liked that this book encouraged soil health, since every garden needs a good foundation. Another good tip is for companion planting, especially for when you are planting so close together. The most valuable sections of this book for me were the actual garden plans that were shown and the index of heirloom varieties for each vegetable that are best for small spaces as well as tips for each.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.… (lisätietoja)