This information–packed reference contains everything a gardener needs to know to produce bumper crops of succulent tomatoes, spicy peppers, melt–in–your–mouth lettuce, and fragrant, flavorful herbs. Whether you are a first–time gardener or a seasoned expert, you will find clear, knowledgeable answers to all your vegetable– and herb–growing questions.
Over 280 full–color photographs and 30 line drawings make this essential reference as beautiful as it is useful. Easy–reference charts put a wealth of information at your fingertips, including the amount of water each crop requires for best growth, application rates of common organic fertilizers, and first–and–last frost dates for locations across the country.
Part One, Vegetable Gardening from the Ground Up, contains the information gardeners need to plan, plant, and care for a healthy, bountiful, all–organic garden. Topics covered include how to select a suitable garden site, what tools make gardening easier and more rewardingand how to fill your tool shed with an arsenal of sturdy tools that will last a lifetimeplus how to make compost and transform any soil into fertile "fat earth." Chapters on laying out and planting the garden include details on how to use space–saving, harvest–enhancing techniques such as intercropping, succession cropping, and trellising, and also cover how to determine planting dates and extend the season. Care through the seasonincluding mulching, watering, midseason, planting, and harvestingas well as pest and disease control are also covered.
Part Two, Plant Portraits, features descriptions of over 100 plants, including information on growing hundreds of herbs and vegetablesfrom common to exotic. Entries on popular crops such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, beans, and lettuce are accompanied by information on unusual, yet easy–to–grow, edibles such as bok choy, corn salad, New Zealand spinach, salad burnet, and shallots. These portraits contain esssential informaiton on deciding which tomatoes or peppers to growand how many to plantalong with information on the best site and soil for every crop and complete growing instructions. Harvest and storage information is also included. Each entry explains how to select the best site and what care the crop requires through the season.