The Complete Vegetable and Herb Gardener (Burpee) (Hardcover)

The Complete Vegetable & Herb Gardener features:

• A full–color encyclopedia of over 100 vegetables and herbs with detailed, expert advice on growing them successfully from planting to harvest
• Planting and growing techniques that keep maintenance to a minimum
• Entries on how to grow unusual edibles, such as refreshing mesclun for salads, colorful edible flowers, spicy mustards, and more
• Descriptions and photos of a host of succulent vegetables, both hybrids and heirlooms, from common to exotic
• Complete information on improving even the poorest garden soil using safe, organic techniques, plus practical advice on making compost
• Recommendations on garden tools you need–and those you don’t
• Information on controlling pests and diseases organically, without resorting to poisonous sprays
• Spectacular full–color photographs of vegetables and herbs, food gardens, and edible landscapes, plus 30 black–and–white line drawings

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 rewarding–and how to fill your tool shed with an arsenal of sturdy tools that will last a lifetime–plus 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 season–including mulching, watering, midseason, planting, and harvesting–as 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 vegetables–from 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 grow–and how many to plant–along 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.