Today I picked the first cucumber and it was quite a respectable size though not very thick! However it is a start! 
Apart from that nothing new is happening and the weather has been too awful to do anything. I desperately need to weed, especially around the blackcurrants but I think we need a bit more sun first as the soil here can be very claggy when it’s wet.
So what does one do when one can’t garden? Among the things that I do is reading and often I’ll pick up a book on gardening to extend my knowledge and give me ideas. My favourite books are:
Your Kitchen Garden by Mitchell Beasley Publishers Ltd. This is an old book but I find it invaluable for all kinds of basic knowledge about fruit and vegetables.
The Complete Book of Herbs by Lesley Bremness. I love this book and it gives me a lot of insight into herbs and what one can do with them as well as cultivation.
Step by Step Container Gardening by Stephanie Donaldson. This is a really useful book for someone like me with a minute garden. Pots and containers are the answer to getting more space!
Crops in Pots by Bob Purnell which is a modern book and similar to the previous book. Good ideas!
The RHS book on Pests and Diseases. A very useful book but there is such a wealth of information that I usually end up confused!
The RHS Garnener’s Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers which gives me lots of ideas and makes me yearn for acres to plant in!
And last but not least. A very old copy of the Reader’s Digest book Food from your Gardening. Very basic, down to earth advice and the answer to lots of my problems.
So what gardening books do you recommend? Do you have a ‘bible’ that you wouldn’t be without? Do you find gardening books inspiring? I’d love to know!
