I  try to remain appropriately skeptical when a publisher sends me a book to review, but I have to admit my interest was piqued when Storey Publishing sent me a copy of “Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook.” This guide, written by father and daughter authors Ron and Jennifer Kujawski, claims to help you achieve “perfectly timed” (yeah, right) gardening, so I was prepared to find something to criticize.

To be honest, I couldn’t find anything in this book to grumble about. Let’s start with its physical characteristics. Ring bound, and with sturdy covers, it is obviously meant to be dragged outdoors for quick reference. Instead of photos, there are lots of illustrations – line drawings actually- clearly showing the subject or technique the text is describing.

There is also  room for entering information about your own garden, so the book can serve as a journal as well. Nice idea, but I like a bit more space for my journaling, so I can rant and ramble and color outside the lines.

I kept waiting for the let-down, thinking that the authors had neglected to mention something important, only to find it on the very next page. I guess the one thing I can think of to criticize is that it does get a bit repetitive at times, perhaps because gardening topics can have a tendency to overlap. The information is sound, though, and the authors manage to cover just about everything without going overboard.

Ay $14.95, this is a pretty good deal. It would make a great “summer weekend hostess gift,” or a useful gift for someone starting a vegetable garden or maybe into their second or third year. This might not be the best choice for seasoned pros, because most of the information is basic – practical, but basic.