By “scientific”, I don’t mean I want dissertations. I mean I’m interested in reading about the science of how vegetables and other crops grow, though if possible presented in an interesting, readable way. It could be couched in a narrative or not, either way is fine. I’ve worked on a farm before but am interested in knowing more about the science of it. Thanks!
Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Mineral might do the trick. I learned some fun stuff about asparagus 
Hm. It’s probably not what you’re looking for exactly, but The Omnivore’s Dilemma has a long section on industrialised farm practises, focusing on corn in particular, and also looks at alternative methods of crop production.
It’s a fascinating read, and I highly recommend it.
Missed the edit window: The Kingsolver book seems similar, and I am interested in reading it now, too.
Is this for study, or are you actually planning to plant a vegetable farm?
Here’s my reply if you want practical advice:
Polland’s and Kingslover’s books are to be recommended. But, please. They are not “How To” books to be sure. Though kudos to y’all for reading from the NYT bestsellers list -:rolleyes: .
Lama Pacos,
Would you describe where you are from? My partner and I are just starting to plan our garden. We are in southeastern Utah and had a very successful season last year. Our next to last garden was in the Mojave desert. If we could get veggies to grow in sand and dust, I think I could help you. What’s it like in the northeastern US?
The above mentioned books are scholar wank-fests. Important and must-reads (for public policy implications, glamour-living-in-nature, killing-my-own-food fantasy stuff, we-all-should-do food cultivation, absent a soft dollar). Though, without book deals and teaching gigs at Berkeley, it’s still mental masturbation for people who want to grow.
Let me know if I can help. It really is as simple as planting seeds.
Ps. Read the books, not to grow, but to learn from rich intellectuals how to be eco-friendly. They’re the only people who have the cash and time to know how.
Two gentlemen whom I respect, and teach methods applicable for the home-grower, dealing with building up soil health, and sustainable methods, are :John Jeavons and Eliot Coleman. Both of them have been doing sustainable gardening for decades, informing the authors of the previously mentioned books.
To me, for small scale sustainable farming, these are the Go-to guys with practical down in the dirt experience. Those techniques make great sense to me, with some horticultural experience. For more “regular” ag techniques, you can always access your local Extension (Ag) agent: there are usually plentiful state sites with lots of info.
A great OP. Someone could make a pile of money (or maybe just achieve personal satisfaction) by addressing this question, and create a new cult in the process. To explain by example:
Shirley Corriher and Alton Brown look at cooking from a food science point of view, present the information in an easily accessible and entertaining form, and (at least to a large number of Doper-type nerds), are hugely popular.
Whoever is first to write a similar book explaining food growing could do quite well.
Could this be a possible Doper Collaborative Project[sup]TM[/sup] among people who know the science, people who know how to write for publication, and people who are just generally creative? I bet there are PHD theses out the wazoo for the ideal conditions for growing carrots (and any other vegetable); others for altering soil chemistry, structure or whatever to achieve a desired condition; and so on.
I think it’s doable for the right people.
For basic how-to stuff, there are two books to get: Barbara Damrosch’s Garden Primer (which, omigod, just came out in a new edition), and The Big Book of Gardening Skills.
Neither one of them has a single color illustration – instead, they rely on solid basic information on just about every topic you need to consider.