Here is a collection of books to help you learn more about the vegetable gardening. Whether you want to learn how to use organic gardening to grow better veggies or basics on growing crops, a book is a great resource to learn from.

The Vegetable Gardener's Bible
by Edward C. Smith, John Storey

Ed's system is based on W-O-R-D: Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, Deep soil. With deep, raised beds, vegetable roots have more room to grow and expand. In traditional narrow-row beds, over half the soil is compacted into walkways while a garden with wide, deep, raised beds, plants get to use most of the soil. In Ed's plan, growing space gets about three-quarters of the garden plot and only about a quarter is used for the walkway. Ed teaches you how to create raised beds both in a larger garden or in separate planked beds. One of the most important--and most often overlooked--aspects of successful vegetable gardening is crop rotation. Leaving a crop in the same place for years can deplete nutrients in that area and makes the crop more likely to be attacked by insects. Rotate at least every two years and your vegetables will be healthier and bug-free. There's also a good section on insect and blight control.

Before choosing what to grow, go through the last third of the book, where Ed takes a look at the individual growing, harvesting, and best varieties of a large number of both common and more exotic vegetables and herbs. Whether you are a putterer or a serious gardener, The Vegetable Gardener's Bible is an excellent resource to have handy. --Dana Van Nest

Fast, Easy Vegetable Garden
by Jerry Baker

Jerry Baker answers thousands of questions sent to him from gardeners in every climate, and tackles such tough questions as how to lay out the vegetable garden for maximum efficiency, how to pick the right spot, how to improve the soil, and what and when to plant. Along with his practical, safe, and easy tips for growing a fabulous vegetable garden, Baker gives fresh solutions to common problems including what to grow in that shady corner, how to handle aphids and leaf blight, and how to water while keeping the foliage dry.

Jerry Baker's Terrific Tomatoes, Sensational Spuds, and Mouth-Watering Melons: 1,274 Super Secrets for Growing Prize-Winning Vegetables
by Jerry Baker (Editor), Vicki Webster, Kim Adam Gasior

Secrets to growing big, juicy, prize-winning vegetables using common household products such as beer, dish soap, and cola are revealed in this book of gardening tricks, tips, and tonics. Beginning and experienced gardeners alike will learn easy but effective techniques for growing, protecting, storing, and saving vegetables, from asparagus and beets to rutabaga and zucchini. Topics include planning a plot; weeding, feeding, and watering; and keeping plague and pests at bay. Revealed are secrets for fighting fungus with molasses, spreading wood ashes to grow a glorious garden, using herbs to protect against cabbage moths and carrot flies, and starting veggies in containers with coffee grounds.

Taylor's Guide to Vegetables & Herbs (Taylor's Guide to Gardening)
by Norman Taylor, Gordon P. Dewolf

Learn to grow your own produce, free of chemicals and pesticides. Complete with 135 vegetables and 75 herbs, this guide includes tips for growing many varieties of tubers, corn, tomatoes, peppers, beans, peas, melons, berries, and much more. Helpful advice on harvesting vegetables and herbs is also included.