On the inside cover of “From Seed to Skillet,” readers are told that they can learn to:

“Plan your own garden, big or small.

Design and construct growing beds.

Weed, water, and fertilize your crop, without using harmful chemicals.

Harvest your gorgeous, ripe vegetables.

Cook a delicious feast with Jimmy’s favorite family recipes.”

This claim may seem excessive, yet it summarizes pretty well what the book offers.

Jimmy Williams is an urban farmer and landscape designer who learned the gardening art from his grandmother, who had grown up in a Gullah community in South Carolina. Susan Heeger has written for magazines and newspapers about gardening, design, home, lifestyle and food. Together, they have produced a very informative and attractive book beautifully illustrated by photographer Eric Staudenmaier with large and detailed color plates.

Individual chapters in the book focus on topics such as “Preparing for Planting,” “Making Your Beds and Choosing Bedmates,” “Tending the Crops,” and “Bringing in the Beans.” Some of the subsections are “pH: What’s That?,” “When is Compost Ready?,” “Battling Bugs and Diseases,” and “Tucking Up for Winter.” Each section is carefully explained and well illustrated.

The authors provide a list of “Top Seed and Seedling Sources” in various parts of the country. Chapter 8 surveys a variety of edible vegetables, herbs and fruit and includes recommendations on which varieties of each are “top picks.” In chapter 9, Williams’ family recipes include such dishes as lima bean soup, sweet-and-sour cucumbers, grits and shrimp casserole, corn bread with sweet potatoes, and peach and berry cobbler. A bibliography and index complement this fine text.

“From Seed to Skillet” should please anyone interested in exploring backyard gardening.

— Reviewed by Richard Weigel, Department of History, Western Kentucky University.