"Martin_Stevens" wrote in message
...
Hi,
Suggestions, please, for a textbook to comprehensively cover vegetable
growing for a new (coming to the end of my first season) allotment
holder.
I've had some good successes and a few failures and learnt a
tremendous amount but I'd like a single source of reference that has
good depth on everything I might need to know - and on things that I
might not need to know but will find very useful to know. A text that
covers everything and assumes a starting knowledge of zero would be
good, and with a 'want to at least try to be organic' bias.
ISBN numbers for suggested texts would be very useful, if you're
suggesting a book you own and can find such information.

Can't lay my hands on the book but many years ago the Readers Digest guides
all seemed good.
I cut my teeth on the DIY manual, Cookery Year and Gardening Guide.
This was in the 1970s though, so I have no idea how the modern version
stacks up.

Ah - be warned!
Review at
http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-revi...owViewpoints=1

"Please be careful, I received this book yesterday after waiting 3
weeks.Initially I was elated, until I realised this was for the American
market! Tempertatures in Farenhiete, chemical weedkillers that we cannot buy
here & perennial weeds that we have, but obviously not in America.

I have one of these but it is a mid 70's version, and we wanted an
up-to-date one. "

So perhaps you should steer clear of the recent version, or at least read
through it first at Waterstones or similar.