Garden Experts Talks: Dick Raymond
Joy of Gardening is a best-selling book by Dick Raymond, who is a world renowned garden expert. After working as head vegetable gardening specialist at Garden Way Gardens in Vermont for 15 years, Dick Raymond went on to produce a TV series (also called “Joy of Gardening”), and penned several books on care for gardens in Texas, Florida, Georgia and California. This garden guru brings more than 40 years of wisdom to the table in this 365-page book.
Joy of Gardening is full of valuable information for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. First, you’ll learn about Dick Raymond’s “wide row gardening system” and how to create a continual harvest, save hours on weeding and watering, thin out-of-control crops and plant multi-crop rows. You’ll learn about “Salad Gardens,” “Summer Gardens” and “Eat N’ Store Gardens.” In chapter two, you will learn about getting the soil ready, creating raised beds, testing soil for pH and terrace gardens. Chapter 3 advises on how to start planting and how to calculate dates; choosing pots, soil and light; transplanting; tunnel growing and getting an early crop of radishes. Chapter 4 provides you with the tools you need to fight persistent weeds. Chapter 5 talks about garden care topics like mulching, watering, composting, harvesting and fall gardens. Chapter 6 is about “green” manures. Chapter 7 entails root cellar protocol. In this book, you will also learn about a treasure trove of vegetable growing techniques for beans, cabbage, corn, eggplants, green veggies, okra, onions, peanuts, peppers, potatoes, root crops, sunflowers, tomatoes, vine crops and garden perennials. You will also gain insight into pest deterrents and disease prevention.
To grow iceberg lettuce, “All you need is some cool weather in spring or fall,” Raymond writes in Joy of Gardening (p 243). “Get started early; head lettuce needs as much time as possible developing in cool weather, so the earlier you can set out some plants, the better.” Six to eight weeks before the last anticipated frost, Raymond sets to work planting his lettuce in shallow or pyramid flats. Then, he says, “The most important step in early planting is to harden off the plants… after they are about 4 weeks old, I start giving them some time outdoors. That way they can handle unexpected cold snaps and even a light frost.” He puts his lettuce in wide rows in a 20-inch wide seedbed, set 10 inches apart “in a 3-2 pattern down the row, two at the edges and one in the middle in the first row. And two in the next row, each 5 inches in from the edges.” He trims their outside leaves to help the roots recover from shock and he advises to harvest a few as soon as the heads are “softball” size. As they grow, watering regularly will be crucial.
Perhaps one drawback for Joy of Gardening is that it was first written in the eighties. One reviewer commented that the book’s pictures had an “eighties” feel to it, although most people say that the information contained on the pages is timeless. Dick Raymond isn’t shy about advocating tilling methods and chemical fertilizers, he also provides readers with organic methods and alternate techniques. This book is about organic vegetable growing, not about flower gardens or commercial pesticides, so it’s aimed primarily at backyard gardeners — both beginners and pros. All in all, this “Gardening Bible” makes a great gift, which can be bought at www.amazon.com or www.lehmans.com.
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