Best tree gardening books according to redditors
We found 28 Reddit comments discussing the best tree gardening books. We ranked the 10 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 28 Reddit comments discussing the best tree gardening books. We ranked the 10 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Das macht ihn trotzdem nicht jünger. Die ganzen Kiefern-Plantagen die heutzutage als "Wald" bezeichnet werden sind halt einfach kein bisschen mit alten Wäldern wie Hambi vergleichbar. Lesetipp: Peter Wohlleben, Das geheime Leben der Bäume
There are some great resources to read over the winter.
Bill Mollison was the guy who started Permaculture. A great start would be to read his Design Manual.
This will give you a framework to think about Permaculture. You could spend years following the aspects that fascinate you whether it is landscape design or grey water systems or rocket stove heaters, mob grazing, natural swimming pools, or a million other directions you can take it. It's good to have an overview first.
About making a living, there were a couple aspects that never made sense to me. First if I wanted to make living on a permaculture farm full time, how was I supposed to eat apples all year? I like the idea of perennials, but I was confused. Then I met Mark Shepard in Wisconsin at his farm. He explained that it's more than just fruits. He grows hazelnuts for oil, chestnuts for carbs, and veggies between the rows. That made more sense to me. Mark has a permaculture design course that he calls Restoration Agriculture where he talks about how to purchase the land, how to structure your business, etc.
The second area of confusion for me was how to make a living teaching design courses. In any given area, there is a finite number of people interested in Permaculture. For you to teach courses and continue to get enough people to make a living, you need to be a big name like Geoff Lawton. So I thought about falling back on design. Even fewer people have the money to pay you to design their property. Meanwhile more and more people want to do this for a living.
Basically, I'm still struggling to figure out how to realistically pay my bills just doing permaculture. I hesitate to say this because I don't want to discourage you. Permaculture is amazing.
I'm not sure it is possible to do it with small-scale, localized agriculture.
I think the goal is to scale permaculture up to the size of conventional agriculture, but even here the jury's still out. There's no real data yet because there hasn't been enough people doing permaculture at that scale. On the one hand, I can imagine Permaculture out-competing because you get so many different crops from one acre of land; on the other, conventional agriculture is so much more efficient per input, since virtually 100% of your input is going to the crop (versus going to nitrogen fixers, ground cover, etc.). I think Fukuoka was able to beat conventional farms in Japan, but none of his students have been able to, so one of the few examples I can think of adds to the ambiguity.
Mark Shepard is really trying to address this; he does think that Permaculture scaled up can out-compete. I'm reading his book right now, and it is mind-blowing.
Anyway, I guess this a really long-winded way of saying this argument isn't settled yet and ultimately only will be once people start doing permaculture.
EDIT: fixed my crazy link :/
You could always grab a copy of Tree Finder to carry with you. It's cheap and will actually fit in your pocket.
I am also interested in what foods you are growing/planning on growing /u/mrsfrugalwoods
I read this book last year and the way Mark Shepard approaches food growing is a lot like early retirement planning.
I don't know for sure, but I would guess those are going to be flowers, not leaves. I would bet the leaves are coming later.
Edit: I have and like this little guide to leafless trees; maybe it could help you with yours too! https://www.amazon.com/Winter-Tree-Finder-Identifying-Deciduous/dp/0912550031
cool! I found this book in a Free Library by chance a few weeks ago. I grew up in the Midwest and have been out here 6 years and have wondered about a few tree species. This book is also cool because it has a map of some of the best area 'specimens'. I've been planning on going on a little quest sometime to see how many are still around (was published 30 years ago).
https://www.amazon.com/Exceptional-Trees-Angeles-Donald-Hodel/dp/0962112100
Do you have any plan on how the livestock you mentioned will be incorporated into that area? If not, I'd recommend Mark Sheppard's "restoration agriculture".
Also, if you're interested in a larger list of potentially compatible plants you can see one [here.] (http://www.americanplant.net/index.php/gardening-tips/organic-gardening/13-resource-library/plant-care-sheets/60-plants-to-grow-under-black-walnuts)
I love reading this stuff too. I’m a very outdoorsy person. So, if you want a nice non portable book about trees, there’s the david allen Sisley guide to trees. For portable, there are a lot more. The Audubon book is good, it just hasn’t been updated in a longtime. The Peterson guide is more recent and is good also. I’ll try to think of the books we have. My mom has a lot and has ones from her parents too. One that’s good is the national wildlife federation book on wildflowers. A new book that cool is one called wildflowers of the Appalachian trail. On trees, I really like an old edition of the golden guide to trees that we have. The Audubon guide to eastern us trees is good. I think Peterson is better than Audubon though. There is also a forestry department book on trees of around here that I have from middle school. Don’t worry, I’ll provide links to these books.
https://www.amazon.com/Sibley-Guide-Trees-David-Allen/dp/037541519X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481660&sr=1-1&keywords=Sibley+trees
https://www.amazon.com/GOLDEN-GUIDE-Herbert-Alexander-Martin/dp/B000KIITZK/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481704&sr=1-3&keywords=Golden+guide+trees
https://www.amazon.com/Field-Guide-Eastern-Trees-Including/dp/0395904552/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481730&sr=1-1&keywords=Peterson+trees
https://www.amazon.com/Audubon-Society-Field-Guide-American/dp/0394507606/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481747&sr=1-1&keywords=Audubon+trees
https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Shenandoah-Valley-Ridge-Mountains/dp/0813908140/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481845&sr=1-3&keywords=Blue+ridge+wildflowers
https://www.amazon.com/National-Audubon-Society-American-Wildflowers/dp/0375402322/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481845&sr=1-10&keywords=Blue+ridge+wildflowers
https://www.amazon.com/National-Wildlife-Federation-Wildflowers-America/dp/1402741545/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481922&sr=1-2&keywords=national+wildlife+federation+field+guide
https://www.amazon.com/Peterson-Field-Guide-Wildflowers-North-central/dp/0395911729/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481968&sr=1-1&keywords=Peterson+wildflowers
https://www.amazon.com/Wildflowers-Appalachian-Trail-Leonard-Adkins/dp/1634040902/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1524481991&sr=1-1&keywords=Wildflowers+of+the+Appalachian+trail
http://www.shopdgif.com/product.cfm?uid=2051408&context=&showInactive=N
I’m going to post again once I go look at our bookshelf. This was just off the top of my head. Oh and it’s not a field guide, but you should read a walk in the woods by bill bryson.
I am voting with ABITCH and saying Carpinus caroliniana. Carpinus don't usually get so big, but in a city the competition is usually nonexistent and if it can survive the smog, a tree can thrive. The bark seems a little unusual for that species, but I think that's a result of the tree being bigger than an average specimen. It does look a bit like an elm or beech, but take a look at those 'little leaves' developing at the ends of the branches- those are definitely not beech nuts or elm seeds, and they sure look a lot like carpinus inflorescence. They are neat little trees and tend to look very muscular.
Also, I like your blog! I recommend getting this book, and/or others in the series: http://www.amazon.com/Tree-Finder-Manual-Identification-Eastern/dp/0912550015/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310438269&sr=8-1
It will help you learn about the different distinguishing characteristics and walk you through ID's until you get the hang of it. Sometimes picture based guides are not ideal, because one specimen may look very different than it's relatives due to disease or an unideal habitat.
Anything written by Alex Shigo
http://www.amazon.com/Modern-Arboriculture-Systems-Approach-Associates/dp/0943563097
If you're going to do this yourself, you've got some reading to do. You'll need to learn to identify the pests you're dealing with and then research methods for controlling them. If you want to do it right, you'll eventually become an amateur entomologist. Understanding the life-cycles and lifestyles of your pest is key to dealing with them effectively.
As for pruning.. If you take photos of your trees I might be able to give you more specific advice, but first you need to familiarize yourself with the physiology of trees. There are some good youtube videos out there but I feel reading is the best way to learn. Basically, each year you have a limited amount of wood you can remove from the tree. (Some say 1/4 to 1/3 of the tree's total mass.) Don't try to correct them in one year. Start out by making big cuts (going for older, thicker wood and taking large portions) and remove the dead wood. Next year, make some finer detailed cuts.. You'll be progressively refining the shape every year until you get where you want to be. Then from there you have to maintain it and keep the tree in balance.
Some books to get you started:
If you can find it at a local library or are willing to shell out the money to get your own copy this is one of the best, most concise books on pruning and training I've ever read.
The Holistic Orchard and The Apple Grower written by Michael Phillips are excellent for beginners.
I am just about to finish Mark Shepards "Restoration agriculture". im sure its been brought up on the forums before...
I highly recommend it due to his more extensive discussion of growing staple crops in a regenerative fashion (instead of some fun loving feel good hugelkulture backyard project book =P).
heres a link
http://www.amazon.com/Restoration-Agriculture-Mark-Shepard/dp/1601730357
here is a link to his website though, where you can read a little more, purchase his hazelnuts, and many different kinds of rootstock (which i am going to do in a year or 2... thousands!!).
http://www.forestag.com/book.html
regards
It is kind of broken down into many categories and depends on where your interests lay. I recommend DK Press as a publisher of many different topics. I had to use this book for a class last year covering plant propagation techniques and it was very informative.
In terms of general knowledge of plants I would recommend this book. The first section covers the basics of leaf characteristics, identification, hardiness zones, and then the back is all common ornamental plants and tons of information about them.
For quick field identification I would recommend this. Ive had a copy of this book since I was 8 years old and still reference it on occasion. It is very simplistic and quick to use.
Horticulture is a huge subject but those three books, especially the last two, could be very useful in your daily work at a bird sanctuary. Knowing how to identify certain trees to a particular bird habitat can prove to be very helpful.
My knowledge base covers topics ranging from landscape design, turfgrass management, greenhouse design, identification(plants, pests, diseases), propagation, and basic botany. If you have any questions I can try to point you in a good direction to start reading.
EDIT: I just remembered, when I was younger I actually learned tons from the pot growing forums like ICMag and mushroom growing forums like shroomery. While I was never into growing illicit substances, the wealth of information is usually more or less able to be transferred to other plants. Mushrooms/fungi don't especially fall into the realm of horticulture but they are another very interesting subject. The pot forums are great to learn about nutrient schedules, pathology problems, and efficient indoor gardening techniques.
Anything by or editied by Craig Elevitch - he's Hawai'i based, so focuses mostly on tropical and subtropical trees, but the insights are valuable to anyone studying agroforestry.
i highly recommend The Overstory Book, which is collection of scientific articles on tree crops, including nutrient cycling, NFT's, intercropping etc etc etc.
not related to permaculture per se, but The Wild Trees is about folks exploring and studying the world's largest trees. very engaging and readable.
Here is an excellent field tree ID book for the Eastern US by leaves. Here is another tree ID book for the Pacific Coast. Here is a tree ID book for the Eastern US during winter.
I can't seem to find the passage at the moment, but I'm sure I read somewhere in mark shepard's book about no-till coming from the organic/permaculture movement. I could be mistaken however, so I'll edit that.
However, cover crops almost entirely fell out of favor after WW2 due to n-based fertilizer, organic farmers were the ones who developed it since:
http://www.jswconline.org/content/70/6/130A.extract
Are you a farmer?
Mark Shepard book says your wrong. Hear is me providing a source.
https://www.amazon.ca/Restoration-Agriculture-World-Permaculture-Farmers/dp/1601730357
From what I understand it's basiclly because of the chain of production that goes into raising cattle (water required for the crops to grow feed for the animals). Everything needs to be overhauled. We grow mostly corn, but the majority of what's grown isn't even used for direct human consumption.
A good book to read on the subject is Restoration Agriculture by Mark Shepard
See "Restoration Agriculture" https://www.amazon.ca/Restoration-Agriculture-World-Permaculture-Farmers/dp/1601730357
I don't think all of his systems are workable. You will need some form of easy to move electric fence. You also will need some form of protector animals that live with the flocks. (Eat Alberta Lamb. 10,000 coyotes can't be wrong)
I did the bio route, specifically botany. B_Prov has a great list, but my 2 cents: The origins go back to native American traditions of animism. Trying to find some quality and formative ethnographies on their world view may give you more of a chronistic context.
Many of the modern romance authors are, sort of, a proto-revisitation of those themes. Thoreau is solid (you can certainly pick apart things, but his premise is solid). I second Muir, and Leopold. Sand County Almanac was the precursor to the modern environmental movement and the foundations of deep ecology. Again, this is a more articulated 'white-man's' animism. Edward Abbey is a bit more cynical, but also a better author then many of his predecessors.
That said, here are a couple that you may find interesting as a biologist:
Gathering Moss
lives of a cell
Natural History of North American Trees: 2 vol ,
The Immense Journey
Oddly, I thought Vonnegut's Galapagos was riveting.