Complete Container Herb Gardening

Container gardening is very special for buckets of reasons from natural insect repellent to flavouring food to creating vibrant interior to making tea blends. Caring for plants is wonderful for mental health. It just feels good.

The author provides the hows, whats and whys in a beautiful all-sensory book resplendent with gorgeous photographs including the gingko topiary, windowboxes, rusty wheelbarrow and mossy containers. She includes various recipes for seasoning blends, tea, cleaner, etc. She encourages readers to use whatever space is available, indoors or out, balcony or living wall. Organic and inorganic container examples include plastic, ceramic, metal, iron, terra cotta, stone, concrete, chimney flues...whatever you have. I make hypertufa so use that as well as anything interesting I find.

Of course factors affect what you grow where such as weather, critters, sun exposure and space. Soil medium is discussed as are plant combinations. If you want advice on how to attract butterflies, you'll find it here. Culinary herbs? Yes, that too. Bee watering spot? You guessed it!

I look forward to making the foot soak next year! I am a master gardener and learned from this, though it is accessible to anyone. Well laid out and designed. I like that you not only are shown plants but what to do with them at all stages and keep them healthy.

My sincere thank you to Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Spring Press and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this stunning book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

Complete Container Herb Garden by Sue Goetz is perfect for those of us who are looking to learn about all things herbs and planting. I really had no idea how to go about starting a herb garden, but this book laid out a clear and easy to follow guide. It breaks down different containers, what’s best together, and different conditions for your planting. Definitely a great book to read if you are looking for guidance on starting your herb gardening.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

Complete Container Herb Gardening is a visual delight enticing readers to embrace the versatility of herb gardening. It makes it accessible to everyone regardless of the amount of space they have. The author covers all sorts of things from choosing containers and soil, to recipes using herbs. A selection of herbs are spotlighted and full instructions are given for everything. It is a book that would suit all levels and would make a great gift in these difficult times.

A nice introduction to container gardening. I’ve been doing it for years, but I’m always interested in tips and new things. The book covers many aspects, from choosing the pots to making beverages from the herbs you’ve grown. It’s a quick read, but you’ll find the info you need to get it right from the start the important things of water, light, and placement are all covered. I especially appreciate the part of growing herbs indoors.

I’m a Goetz fan. She always writes with a no nonsense approach that I appreciate.

This is a great book for beginners. It provides general guidance regarding the basics of planting – picking pots, soil, sun/shade, water, plants. In part two, Goetz provides ideas for growing different categories of herbs – such as culinary, medicinal, beverages, beauty, housekeeping, and pollinators. Obviously, some herbs can fall into more than one category. I love the side-bar boxes that list the specific herbs needed for each project. It makes an easy reference point.

For the featured herbs, Goetz gives a quick summary of why that plant is included in the particular category – but if you’re wanting more specific information about each herb, it would be best to reference another resource.
Overall, the book layout and content is good. The photos are beautiful. My only critique is that some of the project instructions lack the detail (both written and pictures) beginners might need to succeed.

https://patch405.com/2020/11/03/book-review-by-candlelight/

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This herb gardening book stands out for me because of the short descriptive passages mixed in with plenty of colourful pictures of all the herbs and plants.
The author gives excellent advice on potting containers (now I know why my metal containers didn't work out - I baked the roots of my poor plants!) and suggests which herbs live well together in one pot for those of us who really are challenged for space.
There are herbs for just about every need: cooking, medicinal, ornamental, aromatherapy - even herbs to help you clean your house, chemical free!
An easy read, with plenty of excellent, bright pictures to delight the eyes and stimulate your "memory"senses. I love herbs, and cook with a wide variety of them. Sage is my favourite medicinal tea and I was so pleased to discover the many varieties of sage in this very informative book. Highly recommended!

An excellent resource for gardeners of all levels. Comprehensive and just very well done. I felt inspired and can't wait until spring to put it into practice. I've tried herb gardens in the past with small success. Now I know why. This one sets you up to get exactly what you need and want. No matter your living situation, you can benefit from this one.

Here in New York, we have had our first freeze, which signaled the end of my summer garden. After that furious last picking before the arrival of cold temperatures, along with cleaning and prepping my garden beds for next year, my attention now turns to next year’s plan. That means reading seed catalogs and devouring garden books. The Complete Container Herb Gardening book checked all my boxes for a useful and practical read, with some great ideas for attractive herb groupings, and some very lovely pictures.
The book is divided into three parts: Cultivate Your Herbal Style, Grow This! Easy Herb Container Projects and Plant and Tend Your Herb Containers. There is a lot of information, from choosing the right pot, soil, and location, herbs that attract pollinators and caring for your plants. Also, there are some very good ideas for what to do with all the herbs you grow. I learned something interesting in each chapter, but my favorite section explained herb propagation.
So many people started gardens in 2020, and this would make a lovely gift. Whether you only have room for one pot or have an entire patio or backyard, if you are interested in herbs, this is a great resource. I will be adding a physical copy to my gardening bookshelf too!

I liked this book about container herb gardening. There is a lot of useful information inside, and I can't wait to try out some of the suggestions this winter and next spring. I would recommend it to all that are beginners in container gardening.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this! All opinions are my own.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via netgalley!

Great ideas for anyone! Whether you live in a small condo or a big house...whether you want to go ecological or fancy! Lots of beautiful images to help your creativity as well!

A gentle and very thorough guide on growing anything you could imagine in a container. The herbs are categorized by their use which includes the usual culinary suspects but also herbal beverages, healing herbs, natural beauty, and herbs for pollination. This book doesn't only cover herb growing and companion planting but also maintenance and recipes for use.

Complete Container Herb Gardening is a great practical guide for gardeners of all skill levels. There is advice on everything from choosing the proper container, finding your gardening style, indoor and outdoor gardening, and projects that range from easy to difficult. There are lots of beautiful photos accompanying the detailed instructions.

Thank you to Sue Goetz and Quarto Publishing Group - Cool Springs Press for the ARC.

With Covid causing more of us than ever to spend time at home, there's a renewed interest in self-sufficiency and creating a more joyful environment for yourself and your loved ones to spend time (or self-isolate) in. Enter 'Complete Container Herb Gardening: Design and Grow Beautiful, Bountiful Herb-Filled Pots' by Sue Goetz.

This is a small, beautiful book and would be perfect for gift-giving.

Despite its small size, this book has admirably managed that rare balance of everything the reader needs to know for success without being overwhelmed.

Goetz walks the reader through the growing process from seed to preservation in a kind, 'you can do this' tone that's never condescending but always encouraging. Readers are encouraged to assess their space - indoors vs outdoors, full light vs low light, small vs large, horizontal vs vertical - and then select pots / planters, plants, and growing medium.

As an experienced indoor gardener who's struggled against the challenges of keeping plants alive in often quite poorly-lit flats / apartments, I find Goetz's advice spot on throughout.

There is plenty here for the seasoned gardener (grouping herbs based on mutually beneficial growing patterns, suggesting new varieties that one may not have grown before, how to arrange pleasing combinations that have a balanced shape) and the new (the pros and cons of plastic vs metal pots and planters, the different types of ceramic and stone planters, and which plants have aggressive root systems and should therefore be grown on their own), and of course those of a culinary persuasion.

A keen cook, I particularly appreciate the suggested culinary groupings (Traditional, aka familiar to most UK & US cooks; Italian; French; Thai; and 'bonus' culinary herbs one might not have thought to tackle, such as ginger).

There are instructions on how to tend herbs, how to harvest and preserve them, and small sections on how to use herbs for tisanes, well-being, and potpourri.

The only tiny consideration is that the brief section on living walls / wall-mounted containers doesn't warn the reader of the risk of mould / damp and potential for damaging masonry; I do understand this is a brief book (and a very small niggle!) but this tiny omission could be a very expensive headache for someone. That being said, the fact this is my only small complaint means the reader is in very good hands indeed.

Advance reader copy very kindly provided by Cool Springs Press.

Serviceable book on all aspects of container herb gardening. Herb profiles cover a wide variety of general herbs as well as microgreens. Herbs for specific applications (sweet herbs for drink mixes, healing, aromatherapy, beauty, housekeeping and pollinators are described. In addition to cultivation aspects, good information about different types of containers (ceramic, terracotta, metal, wood, plastic) is included. Also good advice on putting herbs together in mixed potting arrangements and how to pair pots for best effects. In addition to herbs, some related plants such as camellia, witch hazel and ginkgo are included. The book is well illustrated with photos. A good book for beginning gardeners.

---Gorgeous, Informative Guide to Growing and Using Herbs--

I received an advanced review copy of Complete Container Herb Gardening from the publisher through NetGalley, and here are my thoughts.

The book lives up to its title, in that it covers all the details you need to know about growing herbs in containers. Starting from the most detailed advice I've come across about the benefits of terra cotta (how to speed up "aging" for a rustic look, etc.) versus all the myriad choices we have, including more unusual choices such as a wheelbarrow or other garden furniture.

The author writes in a helpful, detailed way about what you might encounter while growing your herb garden (changes in season, microclimates, pests), as well as ways to enjoy your herbal bounty (in food and drink, as healing herbs, in housekeeping, as support for pollinators...and much more. She seems to answer almost every question you could possibly think of.

There are also many herbs profiled in the book, all or most of which would be easy for North Americans and Europeans to obtain from their garden centers or from online ordering. So the herbs mentioned are the ones you'd likely be growing and using in your daily life, rather than an exhaustive lists of exotic herbs from around the world.

I enjoyed this book greatly. The love and knowledge of the author for this topic is evident. She is thorough and to-the-point in her advice, as well as being encouraging. She encourages the the growing of herbs for both practical reasons and for their beauty, and gives many tips on how to create containers that have healthy, attractive arrangements. I used to have a huge gardening book library, which I mostly gave away because the knowledge is now in my head. And the Internet.

This book is much, much better than anything you'd find on the Internet. Years of wisdom lovingly edited into a compact (less than 200 pages), well photographed book.

Looking forward to implementing the "bee bath" idea to provide water and a resting spot for bees.

Big Green Thumbs Up!!!!!!!

Quite informative! I’ve been thinking about starting a container garden since my yard is quite shaded, and this book is a perfect jumping off and jumping in point. Easy to follow guidelines. I can’t wait for spring to see what I can grow.