Best vegetable gardening books for beginners

If you’re looking for the best vegetable gardening books for beginners then you’re in the right place.

I’m a self-confessed book addict so you can probably imagine how many gardening books we have in the house!

Thankfully, it’s really easy to pick up second hand books at bargain prices so make sure to check out your options before buying new.

A good vegetable gardening book for beginners needs to be clear, concise and include plenty of pictures that help to clarify instructions.

So, let’s take a look at our top 10 best vegetable books for beginners…

Some links on this website may be affilate.

10 best vegetable gardening books for beginners

1. Veg In One Bed by Huw Richards

I have to include this informative vegetable gardening book that was written by Huw Richards.

He has been filming gardening advice for his hugely popular YouTube channel Huw’s Nursery for years so it’s not surprising that this book is a big hit.

It’s packed with information as Huw shares his tips for growing year-round vegetables in just one raised bed!

It’s geared towards gardens with a temperate coastal climate but is easily adaptable to variations in temperature and rainfall.

Huw explains how you can achieve an abundance of organic, inexpensive vegetables in his month-by-month guides.

It includes step-by-step photogtaphs which is perfect for begginer gardeners.

If I haven’t sold this book to you already, one of the biggest plusses of Veg In One Bed is that Huw follows the “no dig method” which takes the backbreaking work out of gardening.

Veg In One Bed is suitable for those who have anything from a field to a roof terrace and the author’s enthusiasm is sure to inspire you.

2. Beginner Gardening by DK

This illustrated guide is the perfect companion for beginner gardeners who are planning their own garden.

Follow the step-by-step guides to learn the basics and get growing at home.

3. The Backyard Gardener by Kelly Orzel

A simple yet beautiful guide to growing edibles from scratch.

Kelly Orzel eexplains everything you need to know to get gardening from soil selection to harvesting.

The information she shares is accessible and would suit both beginner to expert gardeners.

4. Grow Food For Free by Huw Richards

Another great book from Huw Richards. This book fovuses specifically on setting up a garden on a strict budget…of nothing!

He’ll show you how you can make-do, borrow and swap your way to delicious crops.

Whether you’ll be growing on raised beds or pots this book will   guide you through the process of growing 40 types of popular annual and perennial edible crops.

5. Complete Gardener’s Manual by RHS

The Complete Gardener’s Manual covers everything from how to start a garden to how to prune. It’s packed with beautiful images to inspire you and features step-by-step instructions to help you get the best out of your garden.

It includes a comprehensive catalogue of plants so you can see what you could be growing for each season at a glance.

It includes helpful sections on specific topics like propagation and improving soil quality.

The RHS Complete Gardener’s Manual would be a welcome edition to any gardener’s bookshelf.

6. Urban Gardening by Kevin Espiritu

If you’re short on outdoor growing space then this book will help you to make the most of it.

Kevin Espiritu will help you to decide on the best growing methods to suit your individual situation. He explains everything from vertical gardens to indoor growing.

This book will also guide you through selecting plants that will thrive where you live.
 
Kevin also includes detailed plans to build upcycled projects and an intensive hydroponic systems.
 

7. Gaia’s Garden by Toby Hemenway

328 pages to spark your imagination!

This book is a great introduction to permaculture which is about working with nature rather than against her.

This second edition has been expanded to include more helpful advice for urban and suburban growers who wish to explore permaculture options.

Learn how to create your own “backyard ecosystem” by choosing plants that work together and perform a variety of functions.

Learn how to improve soil quality and maintain soil fertility. Catch and conserve water and privide a habitat fir benegicual insects, birds and animals.

“Gaia’s Garden is simply the best permaculture book ever written, and is in the running for best gardening book ever written. No one should be without it.”

Sharon Astyk, author of Depletion and Abundance: Life on the New Home Front

8. Grow Your Own Crops In Pots by RHS

Another of the best vegetable gardening books for beginners.

Grow Your Own Crops In Pots is one of a series of 6 books (I own them all!) This one includes 30 step-by-step projects to get you growing an abundance of edibles in pots.

It covers the essential techniques you need to know to grow more than 60 vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers in containers.

You’ll also find 30 delicious recipes to make with your produce!

9. Grow Your Own Fruit And Veg For Dummies by Geoff Stebbings

From the editior or Garden Answers magazine Geoff Stebbings offers this practical manual to growing fruit and vegetables.

It covers everything from choosing plants, greehouse growing to harvesting crops.

10. Raised Bed Gardening For Beginners by Tammie Wilie

Raised-Bed Gardening for Beginners is all about getting higher yields from less space.

This book demonstrates how raised beds can be built and maintained easily to give you great results.

It incluedes step-by-step instructions to get you started. It explains crop rotation, conpanion planting and propogation.

It includes detailed instructions of 30 beginner-friendly plants to help you select the right ones.

Remember to follow us too! This site is brand new so we have loads of informative posts to come. Join our new Beginner Gardener Tips Facebook group for regular gardening updates.

So, that’s 10 of the best vegetable gardening books for beginners. Which will you choose?