You Grow Girl

I remember reading about Gayla Trail's You Grow Girl years ago in a magazine.  I had to get it.  And while I've flipped through it many times over the years, this was my first time reading it from cover to cover.

You Grow Girl is very much a gardening book for beginners.  And that's okay!  That makes it a great all-around reference book.  It covers activities in a typical gardening year, from planning your garden, planting your plants, growing them all season long, harvesting, and preparing for winter.  Along with some great advice on a variety of topics (I learned all about mulching's benefits!), it's also got some fun gardening related craft projects that you can make. 

My major criticism is that this book really is not meant to be read cover to cover (even though Trail tells you that you can in the introduction).  It was really slow going (I started this book on May 29th; I've read two books in the meantime because I had a hard time motivating myself to continue reading it).  If you do manage to read it cover to cover, it'll give you a great overview of what you should be doing in your garden all year.  But rather than slog through, I recommend flipping through and reading the parts that you find interesting or need help with.  You Grow Girl is much more enjoyable that way.