I recently received a review copy of a book called Juicy Tasty Tomatoes by Annette Welsford & Lucia Grimmer that contains a lot of very useful information from experienced tomato growing experts. Unfortunately, while I think the book itself is a good comprehensive tomato growing guide, I don’t think the $45.95 price is justified, and I’m suspicious of the infomercial-esque website being used to sell the book.
Tomato Growing Guide
Juicy Tasty Tomatoes really is comprehensive. The substantive part of the book begins with a quick start guide that serves as a cheat sheet for the information found in the rest of the book. The authors then discuss different varieties of tomatoes, explain the difference between heirlooms and hybrids, and provide useful lists of both “cool season” (i.e. short season) and “warm season” (long season) varieties. This is followed with step-by-step info on site preparation, cultivation, watering, fertilizing, pests, harvesting, seed collecting, organic growing, hydroponics and greenhouse growing. All covered in more than adequate detail.
What’s nice about this book is that a complete novice could pick it up, and if he or she followed the authors’ advice, would have all the knowledge needed to be successful. The information isn’t dumbed down though. A seasoned tomato grower would certainly learn some new things and find the pest and disease sections very helpful. I doubt anyone–novice or experienced gardener alike–could come up with a question or scenario not covered in the book.
My primary complaint about the book is that the photos are small (all of them are in the 2-3 inch range) and many aren’t high quality. If you believe the (ridiculous) website being used to sell the book, the book’s real value is $49.95. I don’t know about you all, but I can’t remember the last time I bought a book for $50, and if I ever did, I would expect professionally taken, large, nicely printed photos. Gardening books must have top quality photos in my opinion. It’s non-negotiable.
A quick note about the website. At present time, it is a one page, really long, infomercial-type sales pitch. Typical of such websites, it claims that the products bundled together are worth way more than any home gardener would pay for them, and then acts like it is such a great deal to get them at a much lower, but still absurd (in my opinion) price. I find it a HUGE turn off.
Our Family Tomato Cookbook
Bundled with every purchase of Juicy Tasty Tomatoes is Our Family’s Tomato Cookbook. I’ll be blunt, I would never purchase this cookbook, and wouldn’t have any use for it even if it was a gift. The recipes are not very interesting, and at least one is reprinted directly from the internet. You’d think that a cookbook solely covering recipes for tomatoes would have innovative ideas for using specific varieties of tomatoes. But you’d be wrong. I didn’t see any recipes that called for a tomato by variety name. And similar to Juicy Tasty Tomatoes, the photos are snapshot quality, and small. If you’re looking for a tomato recipe book, I recommend you check out The Tomato Festival Cookbook
Tomato Varieties Database
Supposedly the tomato varieties database on an included CD is worth $72.95 and grants access to a database describing 1300 different varieties and provides information on where seeds can be purchased. However, I couldn’t view the database at all. I clicked on the appropriate file as instructed, but when I entered the username and password listed on the CD, all I got were error messages. Honestly, maybe I am spoiled by how easily things normally work on a Mac, but with a product whose package sells $45.95, I shouldn’t have to search through a list of folders and files to hunt down the right file and then fiddle with usernames and passwords. And it should actually work.
Journaling and Information Sheets
These basically contain information in the book reorganized into a “cheat sheet” format. Included are Common Problems Ready Reckoner, Growth Stage Cultivation Guide, Conversion Guide, and Tomato Growing Diary. They’re handy, but I personally wouldn’t pay extra for them. And certainly not the $39.95 value attributed to them.
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Eesh. The only books I’ll pay that much for (or more) are usually coffee table books with huge high quality photos. If the database actually worked, and it weren’t so crazy expensive, I might consider it as a gift for my dad, who loves tomatoes. (His fathers day gift this year was 12 heirloom tomato seedlings).
Thanks for reviewing this! Aaand thanks for the link to the tomato cookbook, I might actually buy that one.
Hi Fiern – I think I’ll stick to randomly googled free lists of tomatoes! Thanks for this guide to new tomato based reading materials (and some older, truer recommendations) It’s not only informed me, but it’s given me more time to dream about tomatoes in this cold(ish), wet Australian winter.
ooooops Fern, I can actually spell your name correctly – stupid Saturday morning typos!!! Sorry
That’s OK, I just realized I left the ‘e’ off your name when I responded to you on Facebook, so we’re even.
Thanks Fern. It looks sounds like a good book, but the only books I buy that are over $50 are text books…and that’s only because I have to. It sounds like the author had good intentions, but got lied to by whoever was marketing the book. No one wants a cheaply made $50 book about tomatoes. They’re probably selling it online so you can’t tell how much you’re not getting. The cover looks good but based on your review, it doesn’t match what’s on the inside. The information sounds useful and I might give it a shot if it was under $30, but not for any more than that.
Thanks to the wealth of free information available online-much of it local to wherever any of us garden-overpriced books like this are just not necessary! Anyone in the U.S. who has not looked into the wealth of info available to download at their State Master Gardener/County Extension and/or land grant university website is missing out! As a Maryland Master Gardener I am biased but the http://www.hgic.umd.edu site is fantastic and check out the link to the Grow It, Eat It program which provides a wealth of info to vegetable gardeners!
That one expensive book on tomatoes. Thanks for the review, but I wouldn’t buy it for cost alone.
Well thankyou for taking so much time to write such a comprehensive review of our books. Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion. I am rather annoyed that you asked for a hard copy of the book (won’t accept a PDF copy) so you can review it. So I spend $25 and post the bookset to you (we’re in Australia and postage is expensive – which is why the set is $45). So now you have your free copy and all you can do is slam it. You must be a very unhappy person to be so nasty. Glad the 5600 people who’ve bought the book so far have been happy cheerful people. We’ve received well over 2000 emails from people about how happy they are with the book and our service, and about 65% of those emails have been from the USA. We’ve been featured in 15 magazines/newspapers, on TV and radio and have never ever encountered anything like this. Maybe you need to get outdoors a bit more into a garden?
Annette–I understand that you’re upset that I didn’t write an entirely positive review, but attacking me personally doesn’t help your cause. Reviewing doesn’t mean writing a fluff piece.. I’m sorry that you were under the impression that sending me a copy of a book guaranteed you the right to a positive review.
I think it’s important to note that I did not approach you and request a review copy, you approached me and pitched your book to me. I have a non-negotiable policy that any book or product I discuss on LOTB be one that I have actually read or used. I will not simply reprint someone’s press release, doing so would be unethical. I asked for a hard copy because there is more to reviewing a book than just reading the text. I can’t recommend people buy the hardcopy if I haven’t actually seen it myself.
Moreover, if you actually read my review, you’d see that I liked your book on the whole. It’s the website and the other materials that I think are lacking. It honestly pained me to say something negative about something that someone else worked hard on, but I owed it to LOTB readers to share my honest opinion.
Yikes, international shipping or not $50 is hard to part with for anything. It’s unfortunate the author failed to understand your review. You clearly state there is a wealth of information contained in the book which would be valuable to any level Gardner. I agree that trying to “valuate” the content is a bit brash and I too found their site pitchy and almost unsettling.
Thanks for the good info on the book and all it’s accessories! And also about the pricing. Something I will be adding to my used book lookout list for sure