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Books > Health, Home & Family > Gardening > Specialized gardening methods > Container gardening
Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban
and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no
comprehensive "how-to" guide for growing fresh food in the absence
of open land. Fresh Food from Small Spaces fills the gap as a
practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food
in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge and skills
necessary to produce their own fresh vegetables, mushrooms,
sprouts, and fermented foods as well as to raise bees and
chickens--all without reliance on energy-intensive systems like
indoor lighting and hydroponics.
Readers will learn how to transform their balconies and
windowsills into productive vegetable gardens, their countertops
and storage lockers into commercial-quality sprout and mushroom
farms, and their outside nooks and crannies into whatever they can
imagine, including sustainable nurseries for honeybees and
chickens. Free space for the city gardener might be no more than a
cramped patio, balcony, rooftop, windowsill, hanging rafter, dark
cabinet, garage, or storage area, but no space is too small or too
dark to raise food.
With this book as a guide, people living in apartments,
condominiums, townhouses, and single-family homes will be able to
grow up to 20 percent of their own fresh food using a combination
of traditional gardening methods and space-saving techniques such
as reflected lighting and container "terracing." Those with access
to yards can produce even more.
Author R. J. Ruppenthal worked on an organic vegetable farm in
his youth, but his expertise in urban and indoor gardening has been
hard-won through years of trial-and-error experience. In the small
city homes where he has lived, often with no more than a balcony,
windowsill, and countertop for gardening, Ruppenthal and his family
have been able to eat at least some homegrown food 365 days per
year. In an era of declining resources and environmental
disruption, Ruppenthal shows that even urban dwellers can
contribute to a rebirth of local, fresh foods.
What can be more convenient than being able to nip into the garden
to pick some salad for lunch, some herbs for the pot or some fresh
veg or fruit for dinner? Nothing beats the flavour of home-grown
produce, or, in these days of additives and preservatives, the
reassurance of knowing what is in your food. Contrary to popular
belief, you don't need an enormous garden, or a dedicated spot
within it to grow your own, nor do you need to join the mammoth
waiting lists for a local allotment; all you need is a window
ledge, some steps, a patio, some wall space or even some gaps in
your flower borders. In this handy book the team at Gardeners'
World Magazine will give you loads of tips on how to get started if
you've never grown fruit or vegetables before, suggest some fun and
practical ways you can grow your favourite crops in a limited space
or small garden, and tell you how to get the best from what you
grow. Growing your own has never been more popular or more simple,
and in this essential little guide, packed with inspirational ideas
and advice from Gardeners' World Magazine, everyone can get in on
the act. So what's stopping you now? Go on, grow your own grub!
Grow some of the world's most unique and beautiful houseplants with
this one-of-a-kind guide. Plus, find DIY projects for using
houseplants to kick up your decorating skills! Houseplants make
epic house guests-they don't talk back, they're 100% no drama,
they're exceptional listeners, and they help beautify your bedroom
and calm your senses. Plus, houseplants are fun to nurture and care
for. In Houseplant Party, you'll discover dozens of amazing,
easy-to-care-for houseplants that are a perfect fit for your desk,
windowsill, bedside table, or bathroom vanity. From peace lilies
and ponytail palms to fairy washboards, air plants, and Venus fly
traps, author and houseplant guru Lisa Eldred Steinkopf has your
back with easy-to-follow houseplant advice and insight. But,
Houseplant Party isn't just about taking care of plants. It's also
about decorating with plants. Get step-by-step plans for making: A
creative test tube wall planter A knotted plant hanger using
recycled fabric or an old t-shirt A stress-reducing succulent Zen
garden for your favorite relaxation spot A bedside aquatic garden
with a Japanese moss ball A macrame hanger to display your favorite
vining houseplant A wooden trellis to train climbing plants to grow
on your wall and ceiling A trio of shadow boxes to display an air
plant collection A beautifully trained and pruned bonsai plant Join
the Houseplant Party and decorate your world with green!
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