Orchard fruits can be some of the most enjoyable crops that come from the garden. Fruit trees can be decorative, grown either individually or trained as fans and espaliers. In this book, the main types of tree fruits are described and illustrated, and there is key advice on preparing the soil and making compost, choosing, planting and supporting fruit trees, and harvesting and storing the fruit. A section on practical cultivation details essential information on growing and caring for each type of tree fruit, including when and where to plant trees, and how to keep fruit in good condition. The book is perfect for all gardeners who would like to grow their own fruit.

For a beautiful, productive, and edible paradise, transform your approach to growing with The Permaculture Garden

• Create a thriving garden inspired by nature's patterns that is better for the soil, local wildlife and your plants
• Design your space sustainably, factoring in climate, landshape, resources, energy and your goals so all elements work together in harmony
• Grow a diverse mix of plants together – from fruit trees to flowers and vegetables to herbs – for year-round harvests and a more resilient, ecological and attractive garden

For decades, gardeners have approached vegetable gardening the same way: planting in square or rectangular beds or in straight rows, keeping vegetables separate from flowers, and definitely not mixing perennial plants with annual ones. According to these old rules, every insect must be killed, the garden must be tidy, and nothing should ever be allowed to go to seed. It's time to break the rules! Today's gardeners are re-envisioning the vegetable garden as a creative, playful space where the beds may be circles or spirals, beneficial insects are invited to the party, flowers for cutting grow right next to annual vegetables (which might be chosen for their curb appeal as much as their flavor), and a bit of "untidiness" simply creates a garden that more closely mimics the natural world. With The Creative Vegetable Gardener, lifestyle editor and master gardener Kelly Smith Trimble encourages readers to widen their focus, be playful, and imagine a vegetable garden that reflects their own unique aesthetic and offers a meditative sanctuary as well as a source of fresh, homegrown food. From seed selection to garden layout and regenerative gardening practices, gardeners of all levels will find Smith Trimble's liberating advice a pathway to making the garden a place of nourishment for the soul and creative spirit, while also feeding the body.

Why plant a vegetable garden with the same old tomato and cucumber plants that everyone else has? Small Fruits in the Home Garden is your home gardener?s guide to growing and harvesting small fruit for personal enjoyment. The contributors to this book provide the necessary information and helpful hints for you to grow many new varieties of small fruits, that have wonderful flavor but may not be suitable for commercial production, right at home. Now you can harvest the tastiest varieties at their peak flavor! In Small Fruits in the Home Garden, you?ll see how small fruits can enhance not only your diet, but also your garden and landscape. You?ll learn how strawberry plants, for example, make wonderful perennial borders along paths and walkways and how currants, gooseberrries, and blueberries serve as "edible" hedges that are especially lovely in the summer when their branches are laden with colorful fruit. Each chapter of this unique handbook provides detailed background and growing information on a particular fruit, with special attention to: climate soil pests water table preplant operations planting management pruning fertilizing liming wateringSee how growing and harvesting small fruit can provide you with something nutritious and beautiful that doesn?t demand too much free time. With Small Fruits in the Home Garden, you, too, can easily manage and enjoy small fruit growing.

This book offers everything readers need to know to grow tasty organic fruit outdoors - whether in a garden, allotment or on their window ledge! It is suitable for beginners and includes a comprehensive directory. This latest title, from a growing and successful series, is by an UK author. What could be better than the enjoyment of tasting your own sweet, succulent, home-grown fruit? Most people have got room to grow some kind of fruit - whether it be a small apple tree in a front garden, a grape vine up a trellis or strawberries in a window box. Gardeners seeking a concise, easy-to-follow approach to fruit growing and maintenance need look no further; this book will provide all the practical advice and information that they need. With guidance on which fruits to choose, when and how to plant, propagate, harvest and store them, plus a comprehensive directory of popular varieties to grow - it won't be long before readers are discovering the delights of their own home-grown organic fruit.

WINNER OF THE ANDRE SIMON FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2014 'Otter Farm is all about flavour. It starts and ends with the question: What do I really want to eat?' The taste of a perfectly ripe mulberry was Mark Diacono's inspiration for creating Otter Farm, a unique smallholding in Devon with every inch dedicated to extraordinary produce. Sprouting broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, borlotti beans and chard flourish in the vegetable patch; quince and Chilean guava grow in the edible forest; and pigs and chickens roam freely. Here Mark shares his colourful, beautiful recipes, all brimming with flavour and with fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit - including a warm salad of Padron peppers, cherries and halloumi, a stew made from chicken, pork and borlotti beans, a curried squash and mussel soup, and cucumber ice cream, quince doughnuts and fennel toffee apples. He charts the seasonal challenges and excitements of rural living, and offers practical advice for cultivating the best of the familiar, unusual and forgotten varieties at home. With luminous photography that captures life in the kitchen and outdoors, this ground-breaking book reveals how even the most exotic and exciting tastes can have their roots in British soil.

What would a greengrocer say if you were to ask for half a dozen Grenadiers and a couple of Catsheads? In the course of the past century we have lost much of our rich heritage of orchard fruits, but with taste once again triumphing over shelf-life and a renewed interest in local varieties, we are rediscovering the delights of that most delicious and adaptable fruit: the apple. This book features apples from the Herefordshire Pomona that are still cultivated today. The Pomona - an exquisitely illustrated book of apples and pears - was published at the height of the Victorian era by a small rural naturalists' club. Its beautiful illustrations and authoritative text are treasured by book collectors and apple experts alike. From the familiar Blenheim Orange and Worcester Pearmain to the less feted yet scrumptious Ribston Pippin, Margil and Pitmaston Pine Apple, Heritage Apples is illustrated with the Pomona's stunning paintings and tells the intriguing stories behind each variety, how they acquired their names, and their merits for eating, cooking or making cider. Also including practical advice on how to choose and grow your own trees, this is the perfect book for apple-lovers and growers.

A vegetable garden is not an option for everyone, and so container growing has become desirable for people with little outside space Many have discovered the love of growing houseplants and want to take their skills to another level; others are inspired by the idea of growing their own food organically and sustainably. The book covers all the essentials of growing a range of edible plants in pots, and meeting each crop's specific needs. Author Claire Ratinon brings her urban food growing expertise to this popular subject, in a book designed to appeal to new gardeners and anyone who would like to take on the rewarding challenge of growing their own dinner, even if they've only got a window box or balcony to work with.

The groundnut (peanut) is a crop of global economic significance, not only in the widespread geographical areas of its production, but also in the even wider areas of its processing and consumption. In this extremely important book, the crop is presented in its global context by an international group of contributors. Every chapter has been written by acknowledged experts in each of the major aspects of the crop covered. The book's contents include coverage of the economic status of the groundnut and the origin and history of its cultivation. The crop's botany, taxonomic status and agronomic aspects are covered, including pests and diseases, and thorough coverage is given to the utilization, processing and nutritional value to animals and humans. The Groundnut Crop provides a solid reference on this most important crop and should be of great use to all those involved with its cultivation and production, including agronomists, plant scientists, food scientists and technologists. As well as being a practical reference source which scientists will want to have to hand, this book should also find a place in all libraries of universities, research establishments and companies with a concern in the crop.

Forest Gardening (or agroforestry) is a way of growing edible crops with nature doing most of the work. A forest garden imitates young natural woodland, with a wide range of crops grown in vertical layers. Species are chosen for their beneficial effects on each other, creating a healthy system that maintains its own fertility, with little need for digging, weeding or pest control. The result of this largely perennial planting is a tranquil, beautiful and productive space. This book is a bible for permaculture and forest gardening, with practical advice on how to create a forest garden, from planning and design to planting and maintenance. It explains how a forest garden is designed from the top down: the canopy layer first, then the shrub layer, the perennial ground-cover layer, the annuals & biennials next, the climbers and nitrogen fixers and finally the clearings, living spaces and paths. Whether in a small back garden or in a larger plot, the environmental benefits of growing this way are great. Forest Gardens are a viable solution to the challenge of a changing climate: we can grow food sustainably in them without compromising soil health, food quality or biodiversity. Forest gardens: store carbon dioxide in the soil and in the woody biomass of the trees and shrubs. enable the soil to store more water after heavy rains, minimizing flooding and erosion. boost the health of the ecosystem, ensuring a balance of predators and beneficial insects because mixed planting is crucial to the scheme. allows the soil to thrive because it is covered with plants all year round. Creating a Forest Garden includes a detailed directory of over 500 trees, shrubs, herbaceous perennials, annuals, root crops and climbers. As well as more familiar plants such as fig and apple trees, blackcurrants and rosemary shrubs, you can grow your own chokeberries, goji berries, yams, heartnuts, bamboo shoots and buffalo currants. Forest gardens produce fruits, nuts, vegetables, seeds, salads, herbs, spices, firewood, mushrooms, medicinal herbs, dye plants, soap plants, and honey from bees. This book tells you everything you need to create your own forest garden with beautiful illustrations and helpful tips throughout.

Ever wanted to grow your own food but don't have the time, the space, or even know where to start? Alice Holden, one of Britain's most pioneering female growers, has spent her life outdoors working on small and large scales - from kitchen gardens to commercial farms. In Do Grow, she'll help optimise the space and time available to you - even if it's just a window box and 10 minutes a week - with simple-to-follow guidance, plus advice on: - The basics for your gardening tool kit - How to make your own compost - Common garden pests to watch out for - How to keep your soil fertile With delicious recipes from Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and others that Alice has worked with over the years, Do Grow is an accessible and inviting guide to growing, harvesting, and preparing farm-to-table meals from your very own edible garden.