Learn to Garden Review

Learn to Garden
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If you are new to gardening or love reading about how to make leaf mold or want to learn how to recycle carrot peels and eggshells, then this is your book. I loved the quick introduction to topics like photosynthesis, pollination and other topics of interest that reminded me of my favorite Biology class in high school.
Learn To Garden will also teach you how to:
Make a Compost Pile
Figure out where to place plants according to sun/shade
Organize a Pet Friendly Yard
Plant bulbs at the proper depth
Transplant without harming plants
Prune Roses
Analyze Soil
Take Care of a Lawn
Plant Trees, shrubs and Climbers
Organize plants in containers, beds and borders
My favorite part of the book was actually how to make leaf mold. It is fascinating to think that you can make nourishing items by letting things decay. I will never look at raking leaves in the same way again. My father was an excellent gardener when we lived in Africa and I observed the way he made compost piles and nourished the dry sandy soil. Soon, we had lovely vegetables and were happily enjoying fried squash blossoms and other such gourmet luxuries.
When I was a child, the garden was were I was the happiest, getting lost amongst the corn, shelling peas on the back steps and digging up carrots to see if they were ready to eat. If you are trying to recreate some childhood memories or even just create a beautiful space to eat breakfast, this book has many ideas. This book gave me a lot of ideas, but now I'm going to have to think about moving because there is an "secret garden" idea in this book on page 77 that will need more than a deck!
What I miss most about my childhood home, is the scent of the soil and the fresh peaches we used to pick to make ice cream. The authors also discuss fruit trees, growing strawberries and those types of delicious topics.
If you have cats and have wanted to grow an herb garden, a two-tiered plant stand works very well. I'm finally growing herbs high enough off the ground so the cats don't nibble on them. Planting catnip in the lower tier is the next idea...
~The Rebecca Review


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This primer provides everything the new gardener needs to know to create a garden, whether beginning with an existing garden or starting a brand new plot. With its practical and un-intimidating approach, Learn to Garden takes the bafflement out of gardening for the novice.

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24 Great Rail-Trails of New Jersey Review

24 Great Rail-Trails of New Jersey
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This book is quite unique & even better than the author's previous book on the rail-trails of New England. Three things distinguish this book from others:
(1) Insight into the history of the railroads.
(2) Useful & reliable descriptions of each trail.
(3) Needs of both cyclists & hikers are addressed.
A must-have for any rail-trail rider or hiker who wondered about the railroads that once ruled the trail.

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24 Great Rail Trails of New Jersey is the essential outdoor guide to the best multi-use recreational trails in the Garden State. Each rail-trail has been converted from an abandoned railroad line as part of the nation-wide rails-to-rails movement, so these routes are historic as well as scenic. The accessibility and beauty of rail-trails can be enjoyed by a variety of outdoor enthusiasts, including bicyclists, hikers, equestrians, and the disabled. This guide contains all the information you need to experience the adventure of rail-trails: maps, specific directions, organizations, local contacts, B&Bs, resources for bike repair, plus fascinating stories of railroad history. You are invited to discover the delightful, educational, and healthy possibilities of the rail-trails.

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Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained Review

Understanding Wine Technology: The Science of Wine Explained
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Clearly written and a quick read, but don't be fooled: there is a lot of solid technical information here, including one of the best published reviews of filtration, and an excellent overview of additives. Clarity here is due to good writing and careful exposition, not by dumbing down the topic. The book was written for classroom use, for instance by students preparing for the WSET Diploma Examination, and also succeeds as a text for someone who understands the basics of winemaking but wants to know the why as well as the what.
However, the chapter on fermentation is a bit brief for its intended role as a textbook, and faults merit only a few pages. A lack of a bibliography (other than a few scattered references to journal articles) also counts against it. I recommend supplementing with another text such as Rankine's "Making Good Wine" (ISBN 140503601X) or a reference work such as Jackson's "Wine Science".
(Note: A newer edition is now available, it might address some of the above criticisms.)
This is a book worth owning and reading, but it will not provide all the answers.

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Understanding Wine Technology was originally written for students of the diploma examination of the Wines & Spirits Education Trust in the United Kingdom, and the Master of Wine examination as set by the Institute of Masters of Wine. However, this is the only book to explain the complexities of the science and technology of wine in simple terms, and therefore fills a gap in the large market of wine information by making wineÂ's technical mysteries accessible to those with no scientific education. This new edition brings the literature up-to-date, relaying in its plainspoken tradition the recent advances in wine science and technology. The topics covered range from the secrets of the vineyard, the processing of grapes to produce juice, the intricacies of fermentation, stabilization of the resulting wine, treatments, quality control and quality assurance, and bottling.

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Teaching General Chemistry: A Materials Science Companion (American Chemical Society Publication) Review

Teaching General Chemistry: A Materials Science Companion (American Chemical Society Publication)
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The authors have done a fantastic job of presenting general chemistry with a material science flavor. Each chapter clearly presents materials and their effects on our lives as well as demonstrations to help the educator present the material to their classes. We have the students use the text as a reference for a 'materials lab' in our general chemistry course and the students loved it. The text, if adopted for a class, has lab experiments containing clear lists of all parts and equipment needed as well as suggested sources. The experiments range for simple tests to complete property studies or synthetic processes. We found the text compliments experiments from other sources very well.
I would rate this text as a 'must have' for any professor teaching general, introductory, or citizen's level chemistries. There is something here for everyone!

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This resource volume, written especially for teachers of introductory chemistry courses, is in a ready-to-use format that will enable instructors to integrate materials chemistry into their curriculum. The book collects a critical mass of text, demonstrations, and laboratory experiments. The first ten chapters present a general introduction to solids; numerous easy-to-do teacher demonstrations are integrated into the material. The second part of the volume consists of fifteen laboratory experiments for students. Examples from cutting-edge research, as well as everyday life, spark student interest while illustrating the basic ideas that are important to an understanding of chemistry.

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From Container to Kitchen: Growing Fruits and Vegetables in Pots Review

From Container to Kitchen: Growing Fruits and Vegetables in Pots
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I was hoping for some tips and tricks to growing Fruits and Veggies in containers. At first when i read the first couple of pages before purchasing it seemed like the author was witty and experienced. Then after purchasing the book and reading the first 2 chapters I knew I made a mistake. The author started going into the spiritual and medical properties of plants for multiple chapters. Tell me how to make my plants produce more and you have won my heart. Tell me how patients who looked at pictures of plants got better faster and I think you are collecting royalties you don't deserve. He spent an entire chapter on how to buy and decorate pots. He left out a few technical details such as any measurement to define the small medium or large pots that he recommended for a few of the plants. He spent a chapter on proper soil preparation and nutrients, but never gave a recommendation or any actual amounts for different plants. He rambled on and on about where in your home potted plants could be placed and how they not only brighten up the home but have health benefits. Every time I thought I was going to get advise he backs out or changes the subject. I think all the tips and tricks put together if condensed could have been less than a single chapter and most could be found on the back of the seed packet. Most of the book was filler that had nothing to do with how to grow the plants. Do I really want to hear what he does when he gets up in the morning? Do I care where he lives and why? Should I be interested in how his home and pots are decorated or where the pots were found or how they were made? If you want to know more about the health benefits of container gardening this is the book for you. If you want to actually try container gardening don't choose this book. I wonder about most of the other reviews. Some look professional and almost make me want to read the book again to see if I missed all these helpful tips he gave. It also make me wonder if some of the reviewers were paid.

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More and more people are recognizing the need for nutritious, local, sustainable food, but organic options can be costly, and the produce sections of most supermarkets are packed with fruits and vegetables that have racked up more frequent flier miles than a rock band on world tour. How can urban dwellers without ready access to fertile land enjoy the benefits of traditional gardening? And for those with a yard, how do you maximize the harvest of fresh, healthy edibles?In From Container to Kitchen, D.J. Herda shows that there is a way. Written for the novice home gardener as well as the seasoned pro, this fully illustrated, comprehensive guide will show you how to save up to 70 percent on your produce bill by growing fruits and vegetables in pots. Topics include:Selecting the right container size and location Optimizing soil composition and nutrients Managing light, water, and humidity Choosing the best fruits and vegetables for container gardening Eliminating pests and plant diseases naturally Extending the harvest Dig in to this bumper crop of container gardening tips and techniques and learn how to create your own moveable feast!D.J. Herda is an award-winning freelance author, editor, and photojournalist who has written several thousand articles and more than eighty books, including Zen and the Art of Pond Building. He is an avid organic gardener and test grower and has been writing extensively about growing fruits and vegetables for over forty years.

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Platinum and Palladium Printing, Second Edition Review

Platinum and Palladium Printing, Second Edition
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This book covers platinum and palladium printing in a very logical, thorough manner. If you have never done Pt/Pd, you will get all the introduction necessary to buy a kit and get started. If you have done some, you can move on fairly quickly to the more advanced topics in the book, and get more out of your printing sessions.
The printing method in this book is not for everyone. The methodology in the book is fairly numerically based, and if you like to work by instinct and intuition, this may not be the right approach for you. However, the discussions of available papers, chemical use and hazzards, and other resources listed in the book are worth the price of admission alone, not to mention the exquisite photographs reproduced in duotone.
The photographs are quite inspirational; Arentz is clearly a master image-maker from the printing perspective, as well as having an eye for composition and subject.
There are other books on platinum printing out there (most notably by Weese and Sullivan) but this book is the one resource I keep going back to again and again.

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Platinum and palladium printing is one of the easiest of the non-silver processes to learn. This guide offers a number of variations, which the photographer can closely control. Photographers interested in learning, or improving upon this process, will find this book an indispensable resource and reference guide. This is an absolute must-have for professional photographers and printmakers.Inside you will find: *The three basic phases of printing: sensitometry, chemistry, and mechanics *Practical information based on the making of over 3,000 platinum and palladium prints, covering everything from making your first print, to the most advanced techniques to challenge experienced printers*Over 50 duotones of the author's platinum and palladium prints and those of five contributorsAlso included for the first time are contributions written by recognized authorities in their fields:*Pyro and Platinum Printing by Bob Herbst*Crafting Digital Negatives by Mark Nelson*Ultraviolet Light Sources by Sandy King*Custom Platinum Printing by Stan Klimek* Practical information based on the making of over 3000 platinum and palladium prints * Includes 50 duotones of Arentz's platinum and palladium prints* Explains sensitometry as applied to the platinum/palladium process

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Essential Environments: Discover How to Create Healthy Living Spaces (Essential Living) Review

Essential Environments: Discover How to Create Healthy Living Spaces (Essential Living)
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This book is absolutely amazing, and the title could not be more appropriate. This book is filled with practical and useful advice on how to bring your life into balance, and avoid those things that we all think we need, but really make us worse off. You might think that using these strategies your life would be more complicated or difficult, in exchange for living healthier, but instead, you are likely to enjoy your life more while living longer! This book is simply amazing.

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How to create healthy living spaces, promote wellness through positive lifestyle choices, and avoid the assault of chemical toxins are among the simple and smart solutions included in this handbook to incorporating the healing force of nature into daily life. Products and practices that are kind to the environment are featured with healthy alternatives to such potentially harmful products as laundry detergent, toothpaste, and deodorant. Suggestions for redesigning the home, office, and yard to create toxin-free spaces are complemented by information on eating healthier foods that have minimal environmental impact.

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