Good all around beginners gardening book

I searched the list but came up with too many hits.

Can someone reccomend a good beginners gardening book?

Specifically, I have a backyard and want to start growing the following:

Basic Herb Garden
Produce to cook with as follows:
Baby lettuce
Tomatoes
Mexican herbs
Some cool flowers / plants that spice up the garden

Any help would be appreciated since I have absolutely no experience in doing this!

Thanks!

TB

this book is pretty good

I really like The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch.

It covers everything from tools, preparing the soil, to what you need to know about all kinds of flowers, vegetables, herbs, bushes, etc.

If you plan to go much beyond eatables, you might want to check out some of the books by William Aldrich and Don Williamson:

*Perennials for Illinois
*Gardening Month by Month in Illinois
*Tree & Shrub Gardening for Illinois
*Best Garden Plants for Illinois
*Container Gardening for The Midwest
*Annuals for Illinois

Each of these is a short paperback that costs about $15. Nice pictures and information about stuff that grows well around here.

Darren72 wrote:I really like The Garden Primer by Barbara Damrosch.

Picked it up this weekend. Exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks again!

I'm a little late since you already picked up a book, but I'd also recommend "The Vegetable Gardener's Bible" by Edward C. Smith.

"Carrots Love Tomatoes" is an excellent book on companion planting. Since I took its advice and planted my basil between my tomato plants, they've both been growing like crazy and producing excellent yields.

The Backyard Homestead and You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail are two of my favorite beginner-friendly books.