If you ask enthusiastic gardeners for a good gardening book, “The Organic Garden” by Marie-Luise Kreuter is always mentioned. In 2019, this reference work, which is often recommended as the “Bible of Gardening”, was published in a completely revised new edition. We took a closer look at the standard work.
Title:The organic garden
Author:Marie-Luise Kreuter
Publisher:BLV
30. Edition
432 pages, 530 photos
Sturdy cardboard volumeISBN: 978-3-8354-1693-2
The Book
If you would like to cultivate your garden without chemicals, you will find a valuable guide in this thick work. Divided into chapters:
- Basics
- Practice
- Biological methods
- Cuttable Garden
- Growing vegetables on balconies and terraces
- ornamental garden
- Natural garden
all areas of organic gardening are comprehensively and explained. All topics are covered in detail and the biological connections are explained in an easy-to-understand manner. The first two chapters already create a deep understanding.
Why does it make sense to pay attention to crop rotation? Which plants have a positive effect? All of these fundamental questions are presented in great detail. “The Organic Garden” provides a comprehensive overview of ecological plant protection and shows how you can ward off and combat pests in an environmentally friendly way.
If you don't have your own garden and would like to grow a few vegetables on the balcony or terrace, the new edition of the book also addresses this topic in detail. The information is supplemented by QR codes, which you can use to access videos on the Internet.
Although the plant portraits are short, their scope is certainly sufficient for hobby gardeners. Also positive: The newer editions have been expanded to include a work calendar, which provides a monthly overview of the work to be done.
Our conclusion: “The Organic Garden” is a very valuable reference work for all gardening newbies. But experienced hobby gardeners can also find numerous tips here.
About the author
Marie Luise Kreuter is one of the most important German garden book authors. The National Library lists a total of 166 of her publications. In addition, from 19885 she was a specialist advisor for the magazine “Kraut&Rüben” and became editor there in 1990. She published articles in this renowned gardening magazine until her death. Her entire life's work is dedicated to ecological relationships and organic gardening. For this reason, her works are more relevant today than ever.
Tip
In this book you will often find tips such as “incorporate plenty of compost”. If you redesign a garden, you usually won't be able to use this valuable fertilizer. You can get ready-made natural fertilizer of tested quality for little money at green collection points in almost all districts and cities. So you can implement this advice from Marie-Luise Kreuter when you're designing your garden.
