Samantha Johnson

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners, by Daniel Johnson and Samantha Johnson, is an excellent guide for beginners as well as many current gardeners who might be having partial success.

My experience with gardening is minimal and a long time in the past, but I am considering a small garden for both a hobby and to supplement my groceries. This volume gave me a lot of good advice in simple language, with plenty of pictures. I don't know for sure, but I imagine many such books can make similar claims. But what this book did that the other three books I've read on gardening didn't do was give me the confidence to give it a try. I don't know exactly what it was, maybe just the way they made it clear that anyone can do this and then broke it down into manageable steps.

I would recommend this to anyone thinking about growing any vegetables, even using pots or other containers. I think you'll be given enough information to decide just how big or small you want to start, and the confidence to actually start.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (meer)

My top recommendation for chicken coop building is "Hentopia" by Frank Hyman, but this book does have some good information written in a simple style. "How to Build Chicken Coops" was written for the FFA organization (originally Future Farmers of America) and has been reprinted by Quarto.

The authors spend a fair bit of time on building codes and laws pertaining to predator control. These are good points. You don’t want to be ticketed for raising chickens where they are prohibited, nor do you want to go to prison for hurting a raptor, even if it is completely by accident.

I found the writing ponderous and unsatisfying. I don't recommend buying the book.

I received a review copy of "How to Build Chicken Coops: Everything You Need to Know, Updated and Revised" by Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson (Quarto – Voyageur) through NetGalley.com.

"Hentopia": https://www.librarything.com/work/22239510/edit/163219970… (meer)

Due out January 16, 2018

Description

The popularity of egg-laying chickens is on the rise. Sustainable and fun, raising chickens is one of the most interesting and rewarding backyard hobbies you can find. In Chicken DIY, aspiring chicken farmers will find creative plans and easy-to-follow construction tips for making a safe and healthy environment for their fine-feathered friends. Veteran farmers and poultry enthusiasts Samantha and Daniel Johnson provide complete and easy-to-follow instructions for 20 essential projects, from coops and feeders to runs, ramps, roosts and incubators. Clear step-by-step colour photographs guide the reader through each hands-on project.

Available Editions

EDITION
Paperback
ISBN 9781620082300
PRICE $19.99 (USD)

My thanks to NetGalley and Chapel Publishing for the ARC to read and provide my honest review!

MY BOOK REVIEW:
Okay, if you ever plan on raising chickens, this book is exactly what you need to get started. It is full of great ‘how to’s,’ pictures showing step by step building of everything you need. At the back of the book are recipes too.

The hardest part may be cutting some of the wood to begin your projects. The book shows what tools you’ll need and how to put your project together. Everything a chicken needs is included.

There’s even a section on candling, raising chicks, designing a dust box so your plants and gardens won’t take a beating… this is such a great book. When we start raising chickens next year, we’re buying this book!
I love it and think it’s exactly what is needed!… (meer)