Take your love of plants to the next level and start growing some food with this modern, easy-to-follow guidebook that shows you everything you need to know to grow edible plants all year round!

Did you know you could grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs in containers? Well, now you can take your houseplants to the next level by growing home-grown produce and seasoning that will taste delicious in all of your favorite dishes.

How to Grow Your Own Food identifies 50 common, easy-to-grow edible plants from herbs to vegetables, along with detailed care instructions and beautiful illustrations of each plant. You’ll find everything you need to know about building your container garden including:

• How to choose the right size container for each plant
• How to water (and feed!) your plants for optimal growth
• When to harvest your crops for the best flavor
• And much more!

'BRAVE, BOLD COOKING THAT PUTS WHOLE VEGETABLES AT THE CENTRE OF YOUR PLATE. I WANT TO COOK (AND EAT) IT ALL.' - ANNA JONES More than 100 everyday, plant-based recipes, including several with QR links to online videos. Each recipe in Vegan Love has a veggie as the star, treated as you would meat or fish - so slow-cooked, baked, roasted, pan-fried or grilled. Each one also consists of the same 4 components: a big veggie (the main) + a protein side (a pulse or grain) + a sauce or cream or dressing + a topping (herbs and crunch) Many can be cooked in 30 minutes, none use less-than-healthy vegan substitutes and all elevate veggies to the next level, showing how simple and tasty they can be. Several are also accompanied by QR codes for online tutorials.

Vegetables, fruits, and grains are a major source of vital nutrients, but centuries of intensive agriculture have depleted our soils to historic lows. As a result, the broccoli you consume today may have less than half of the vitamins and minerals that the equivalent serving would have contained a hundred years ago. This is a matter for serious concern, since poor nutrition has been linked to myriad health problems including cancer, heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes. For optimum health we must increase the nutrient density of our foods to the levels enjoyed by previous generations.

To grow produce of the highest nutritional quality the essential minerals lacking in our soil must be replaced, but this re-mineralization calls for far more attention to detail than the simple addition of composted manure or NPK fertilizers. "The Intelligent Gardener" demystifies the process while simultaneously debunking much of the false and misleading information perpetuated by both the conventional and organic agricultural movements. In doing so, it conclusively establishes the link between healthy soil, healthy food, and healthy people.

This practical step-by-step guide and the accompanying customizable web-based spreadsheets go beyond organic and are essential tools for any serious gardener who cares about the quality of the produce they grow.

Steve Solomon is the author of several landmark gardening books including "Gardening When it Counts" and "Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades." The founder of the Territorial Seed Company, he has been growing most of his family's food for over thirty-five years.

Although urban allotment gardening dates back to the nineteenth century, it has recently undergone a renaissance of interest and popularity. This is the result of greater concern over urban greenspace, food security and quality of life. This book presents a comprehensive, research-based overview of the various features, benefits and values associated with urban allotment gardening in Europe. The book is based on a European COST Action project, which brings together researchers and practitioners from all over Europe for the first detailed exploration of the subject on a continent-wide scale. It assesses the policy, planning and design aspects, as well as the social and ecological benefits of urban allotment gardening. Through an examination of the wide range of different traditions and practices across Europe, it brings together the most recent research to discuss the latest evolutions of urban allotment gardening and to help raise awareness and fill knowledge gaps. The book provides a multidisciplinary perspective, including insights from horticulture and soil science, ecology, sociology, urban geography, landscape, planning and design. The themes are underpinned by case studies from a number of European countries which supply a wide range of examples to illustrate different key issues.

While the act of pruning is simple enough, knowing where and when to prune can confound even experienced gardeners. For more than half a century, Robert Sanford Martin's "How to Prune Fruit Trees" has been the go-to guide for pruners of all levels of expertise. As one reviewer noted, "This book simplifies what other books complicate. It has a small amount of text paired with line drawings that help break pruning tasks down into something you can easily understand." Martin has judiciously pruned his words to make his advice as clear and simple as possible. His guidance in the art of cutting back and thinning out has been responsible for the preservation of countless healthy trees and orchards. Maximize your fruit production-whether you are growing apples, almonds, plums, pomegranates, or any of over 40 varieties of fruit trees discussed in this book-by making the right cut every time.

In this enhanced edition, additional information from H. H. Thomas's "Pruning Made Easy" explores the treatment of roots, side shoots, sub-laterals, standards, cordon trees, and other aspects of plant care. Well illustrated and clear, this book will become your indispensable guide for year-round pruning success and should have a place in the library of both seasoned and amateur gardeners.

"An invaluable resource" Huw Richards If you want to grow your own food, become more self sufficient, zero waste or eco friendly, or even go fully off grid, Liz Zorab is the perfect guide to help you explore the world of green living and permaculture. Grounded is the story of her gardening journey: from bare field to bountiful feast; from poor soil to fertile abundance; from rookie errors to successful sustainability. Liz and her husband, Mr J, transformed a tired 0.8 acre field into a fertile homestead that provides 80% of their food and drink - with enough left over to stock a community veggie box scheme! An inspiring blend of practical tips and ideas with personal narrative and a good smattering of humour, Grounded will show you how to: ` Fill your garden without emptying your pocket ` Make the most of the space you have ` Be creative with resources ` Achieve more without exhausting yourself ` Become more resilient ` Enjoy the process as much as the results This is a tale of courage and imagination that will inspire you to grow your own productive paradise and live your dreams.

The Ecological Farm is a breakthrough resource for ecological fruit and vegetable growers at every scale who want to go beyond organic. Through a unique ecosystem-balancing approach focusing on reduced tillage, minimising farm and garden inputs and pest control, you’ll learn how to build higher soil quality and fertility by using fewer harmful inputs.   Farmer, consultant, and educator Helen Atthowe (along with her late husband, Carl Rosato) have decades of farming experience which is shared in this essential book. They guide readers on how to reduce or eliminate the use of outside inputs of fertiliser or pesticides – even those that are commonly used on certified organic orchards and market gardens. With clear, easy to action language and colour photography, charts, and graphs throughout, The Ecological Farm emphasizes the importance of managing the details of an entire growing system over the full life of an enterprise. The Ecological Farm features a crop-by-crop guide to growing more than 25 of the most popular and profitable vegetables and fruits, including specific management advice for dealing with pests and diseases. You’ll also learn how to: design a system that establishes a year-round root-in-soil system for microbial health strengthen the “immune system� of a farm or garden supply crop needs using only on-farm inputs such as cover crops and living mulch maximise the presence of beneficial insects and microbes minimise ecological impact in dealing with insect pest and disease problems The Ecological Farm makes complex, sometimes messy, ecological concepts and practices understandable to all growers, and makes healthy farming, in which nature is invited to participate, possible.

'A warm, funny, uplifting writer to celebrate!' KATIE FFORDE If you love Lucy Diamond, Phillipa Ashley, Sue Moorcroft and Holly Martin, you'll LOVE Erin Green's novels of love, life and laughter! 'A lovely, heart-warming story of three very different women trying to change their lives for the better . . . I was hooked! I hope there will be many more books in this lovely series!' CHRISTINA COURTENAY 'A delicious Shetland setting and the exquisite writing of Green, come together for a delightful tale of friendship, family and love' JENNI KEER Readers are enchanted! 'A lovely Christmas read . . . made me feel good. Excellent' 'An essential for anyone's pre-Christmas light and relaxing reading list' 'I couldn't put this book down it was that good. . . 10 stars at least' 'A wonderful festive read that makes you wish you were there' 'This was a beautiful escapist read' 'Great characters, great storyline and a big hug in book form will be found within the pages of this amazing festive book. Loved it' 'A lovely story of friendship, love, and starting over. I wish I lived in this town, could shop at their stores and be friends with these lovely characters' ..................................... Friendship can be the greatest gift you'll ever give . . . Verity is embarking on a better-late-than-never gap year now that her sons have flown the nest, and dreams of turning a lifetime's hobby of knitting and crocheting into a profitable new enterprise at Lerwick Manor's gallery. Nessie has returned to Shetland after two years spent retraining as a blacksmith on the Scottish mainland. She's determined to do whatever it takes to reignite the traditional craft and prove that gender is no obstacle to taking on her family's heritage. Isla is fresh out of catering college, but she is desperate to prove she has what it takes to run Lerwick Manor's artisan cafe. Focused on perfecting her grandmother's traditional recipes, Isla has no time for anything else - especially not her pesky ex. With the island's Yule Day celebration fast approaching, it's the ideal moment for their crafts to shine. But they can't do it alone - and their friendship might turn out to be their greatest creation yet... ..................................... 'A perfect story full of hope, love and friendship' 'An uplifting, engaging and heart warming book. Loved it' 'An amazing book and makes you really think that your dreams of changing your life can really happen' 'The author has the knack of making her characters spring off the pages so real that you'll care about them' Peterborough Telegraph Don't miss any of Erin Green's gloriously uplifting reads in Lerwick - look out for From Shetland, With Love, Sunny Stays at the Shetland Hotel and A Shetland Christmas Carol - perfect for any season! You are invited to a holiday where friendship, home comforts and romance are guaranteed . . . look for New Beginnings at Rose Cottage! If you don't ask you'll never know . . . it's a great time for Taking a Chance on Love!

With over 400 recipe ideas and many wonderful stories from the cook's garden, Tender: Volume I - A cook and his vegetable patch, is the definitive guide to cooking with vegetables from the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking. 'I would like to think I know more now than I did before I picked up my trowel and dug that first furrow of red and white radishes. How to get the best out of a vegetable yes, but also what are the different ways to treat it in the kitchen, which seasonings will make it sing, what other ingredients is it most comfortable or most exciting with. What are the classic recipes not to be missed by a newcomer and what new ways are there which might be of interest to an old hand.' In his inimitable, unpretentious style Nigel Slater, the presenter of BBC One's Simple Cooking, elevates vegetables to the starring role in his latest cook book, whether that means enjoying vegetables for their own sake or on the same plate as a piece of meat or fish. From crab cakes and crushed peas to broccoli and lamb stir-fry, luxury cauliflower cheese to a delicious broad bean salad, 'Tender' has everything a cook could want from a recipe book.

'When I am disturbed, even angry, gardening has been a therapy. When I don't want to talk I turn to Plot 29, or to a wilder piece of land by a northern sea. There, among seeds and trees, my breathing slows; my heart rate too. My anxieties slip away.' As a young boy in 1960s Plymouth, Allan Jenkins and his brother, Christopher, were rescued from their care home and fostered by an elderly couple. There, the brothers started to grow flowers in their riverside cottage. They found a new life with their new mum and dad. As Allan grew older, his foster parents were never quite able to provide the family he and his brother needed, but the solace he found in tending a small London allotment echoed the childhood moments when he grew nasturtiums from seed. Over the course of a year, Allan digs deeper into his past, seeking to learn more about his absent parents. Examining the truths and untruths that he'd been told, he discovers the secrets to why the two boys were in care. What emerges is a vivid portrait of the violence and neglect that lay at the heart of his family. A beautifully written, haunting memoir, Plot 29 is a mystery story and meditation on nature and nurture. It's also a celebration of the joy to be found in sharing food and flowers with people you love.

SowHow is an innovative grow guide for every modern gardener. With its fresh, bright design and clear-cut know-how, the sleek reissue of this little book provides expert advice and encouragement to get growing whether you're looking to fill a garden, allotment, or a patio pot. When you're growing veg for the first time it can be hard to know where to start and even more difficult to find inspiring advice that isn't completely incomprehensible... You'll find entries on 30 easy-grow vegetables to sow throughout the seasons, from kale to runner beans and carrots to cucamelons, plus ideas for herbs, edible flowers and advice on cultivating your own cocktail garden. SowHow breaks down the key steps of sowing, planting and harvesting each featured vegetable into understandable bite-sized chunks using straightforward language and smart infographics. Plus, the essential start-up advice covering everything from top tools and cunning crop rotations, to uncomplicated compost and the lowdown on mulches, will make you a pro in no time. Complete with simple cooking suggestions, shrewd storage info and creative gardening hacks, this unique, comprehensive companion will transform your grow space into a hot bed for leeks, beets and all your other veggie friends. So whether you are looking to fill a garden, an allotment, or a patio pot, get going and grow with SowHow.

'A brilliant and inspirational starter kit for anyone who wants to make a garden to suit their own needs.' - Alan Titchmarsh Although excited by the prospect of moving into their own home for the first time, many people are mystified at the thought of what to do with their outdoor space. Frances Tophill's fuss-free, practical guide shows you how to create a space outside your own back door that's designed by you, built by you and enjoyed by you. Beginning with advice on getting to know your garden - what type of soil you have, what the drainage and light is like - then on getting to know yourself as a gardener - do you want a vegetable patch, an abundance of flowers or simply an extension of your indoor living space? - and then moving on to the practical design, including hard and soft landscaping and building materials and guidance, Frances guides you through different types of plants and how to source and plant them. There is also a section on aftercare, telling you the best way to keep your garden well cared for and easy to maintain throughout the year.

Recent nationwide recalls of spinach due to E. coli contamination and peanut butter due to Salmonella, make the emerging development of "active" and "intelligent" packaging crucial for consumer safety and quality assurance. Now that it is possible to make packaging that can detect and inform consumers of contamination, as well as prevent or reduce the growth of human foodborne pathogens, the food packaging and safety industry needs a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-science and future directions of this widely important field. Drawing on the research of a diverse group of scientists and pioneers in the field, Intelligent and Active Packaging for Fruits and Vegetables explores the new technology and applications used to bring fresh, safe, nutritious produce to the consumer. It explains Modified Atmosphere Packaging (MAP) and its use in packaging fruits and vegetables, as well as, fish and meat. It includes variations and advances on MAP such as high vapor-permeable films, and demonstrates modeling techniques to assist in the prediction and selection of packaging type. The book contains a chapter on the trends, opportunities, and challenges of RFID temperature monitoring in food packaging. It also considers the interaction between container and food product, as well as the use of non-toxic insect repellent plastics. There is a chapter on the regulatory implications of the use of nanotechnology in food packaging. Finally, the book discusses consumer perception, the specific needs of developing countries, and current implementation inEurope. Explaining the very latest in packaging technology and opening areas for future research, Intelligent and Active Packaging for Fruits andVegetables provides an excellent knowledge base from which to revolutionize the delivery of safe and nutritious food.

How we eat is such a fundamental part of what we are; yet, in our present time-poor culture of prepackaged fast foods, food can become an expensive symptom of alienation and disempowerment. It doesn t have to be this way The Vegan Book of Permaculture gives us the tools and confidence to take responsibility for our lives and actions. Creating a good meal, either for ourselves or to share, taking time to prepare fresh, wholesome home- or locally grown ingredients with care and respect can be a deeply liberating experience. It is also a way of taking back some control from the advertising agencies and multinational corporations.In this groundbreaking and original book, Graham demonstrates how understanding universal patterns and principles, and applying these to our own gardens and lives, can make a very real difference to both our personal lives and the health of our planet. This also isn t so very different from the compassionate concern for "animals, people, and environment" of the vegan way.

Interspersed with an abundance of delicious, healthy, and wholesome exploitation-free recipes, Graham provides solutions-based approaches to nurturing personal effectiveness and health, eco-friendly living, home and garden design, veganic food growing, reforestation strategies, forest gardening, reconnection with wild nature, and community regeneration with plenty of practical ways to be well fed with not an animal dead This is vegan living at its best."

While tomatoes continue to be one of the most widely grown plants, the production and distribution of tomato fruits have been changing worldwide. Smaller, flavorful tomatoes are becoming more popular than beefsteak tomatoes, greenhouse-grown tomatoes have entered the marketplace, and home gardeners are using the Internet to obtain information for growing tomatoes. Encompassing these changes, Tomato Plant Culture: In the Field, Greenhouse, and Home Garden, Second Edition clearly presents the characteristics, nutritional information, environmental requirements, and production aspects of tomato plants and fruits. Authored by one of the foremost experts in hydroponics, the book outlines the history of the tomato plant and fruit and delves into the author's personal experiences with tomato plant cultivation. It discusses the characteristics and composition of the plant as well as seedling and seed production. The author elucidates the physical features of the fruit and the mineral nutrition of the plant. He also examines the physical and chemical characteristics of soils most desirable for plant growth, makes fertilizer recommendations, and explores the factors involved in greenhouse tomato production. In addition, the book looks at ways to identify and control plant diseases and insect pests. With scientific data, trivia, and troubleshooting advice, this technical yet accessible book enables scientists, commercial growers, and home gardeners to cultivate a successful crop of tomatoes.

Welcome to modern matchmaking - for plants! All you need to do is be honest about what you can invest into your plant relationship (attentiveness, experience ... sunlight) and voila - The Modern Gardener will suggest the best matched plant partner for you. Nothing livens up a room, windowsill or small yard like the presence of leafy Swiss cheese plants, angular succulents, perennial peonies or your own little herb garden. And this comprehensive reference book starts by covering all the best types of plants and planting for every type of indoor room, patio and balcony - from decorative and beneficial, low maintenance or useful edible plants - you'll find everything you need to know about how to find the perfect plants for you and your lifestyle, and how help them to thrive. The second half of the book - the Personal Plant Selector - features an extensive directory of over 100 plants, in which you will be introduced to each species and their characteristics, benefits and needs, including quick facts on potting and repotting, correct care and more. This beautifully designed encyclopedia of plants also includes a comprehensive index and a cross-referencing system, to make it easy to find information quickly. It's the ultimate guide to your personal plant kingdom!

Perennial vegetables are a joy to grow. Whereas traditional vegetable plots are largely made up of short-lived, annual vegetable plants, perennials are edible plants that live longer than three years. Grown as permaculture plants, they take up less of your time and effort than annual vegetables do. Martin Crawford's book outlines the benefits of growing perennial vegetables: Perennials provide crops throughout the year, so there's always something that can be used in the kitchen. You avoid the hungry gap between the end of the winter harvest and the start of the summer harvest of annual vegetables. Perennial vegetables are less work. Once planted, they stay in the ground for many years. They are the classic plants for no-dig gardeners. Unlike annual vegetables, perennial vegetables cover and protect the soil all year round. This maintains the structure of the soil and helps everything growing in it. Humous levels build up and nutrients don't wash out of soil. (Cultivating the soil for annuals exposes this humous to air on the surface, causing the carbon to be released as carbon dioxide.) Mycorrhizal fungi, critical for storing carbon within the soil, are preserved. (They are killed when soil is constantly dug for annual vegetables.) Perennial plants contain higher levels of mineral nutrients than annuals because perennial vegetables have larger, permanent root systems, capable of using space more efficiently, and they take up more nutrients. How to grow perennial vegetables gives comprehensive advice on all types of perennial vegetable, from ground-cover plants and coppiced trees to plants for bog gardens and edible woodland plants: In Part One Martin Crawford outlines why we should grow perennials. He then explains where and how to grow them in perennial polycultures, in forest garden or aquatic garden settings. He outlines how to propagate them, how to look after them for maximum health and how to harvest them. Part Two is a plant-by-plant reference of over 100 perennial edibles in detail, from familiar ones like rhubarb, Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), horseradish and asparagus to less common ones such as skirret, nodding onions, red chicory, Babbington's leek, scorzonera, sea kale and wild rocket. With beautiful colour photographs and illustrations and plenty of cooking tips throughout, this book offers inspiration and information for all gardeners, whether experienced or beginner.

This fun-filled outdoor adventure handbook is packed with unique ideas to help kids discover the great outdoors and get closer to nature. Created with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK's leading gardening charity, this pocket-sized guide teached kids about different habitats. This gorgeously illustrated handbook is bursting with fun activities, top tips and nature facts to help inspire kids to explore the amazing world around them. Learn how to choose a campsite. Grow your own daffodils. Learn how to navigate using the night sky. Each page is packed with original ideas to help kids discover and explore plants and wildlife, with exciting activities for different habitats.

National treasure and presenter of ITV's hugely popular Love Your Garden, Alan Titchmarsh brings us his month by month almanac of garden knowledge, facts, advice and inspiration. Here is seasonal advice on what to grow and sow, projects to engage in, as well as wildlife to spot, gorgeous gardens to visit, birds and flowers to celebrate, weather notes, and nature to reflect on in poems, music, and books. A beautifully packaged giftbook with illustrations by Alan himself.

If you want a vibrant, chemical-free vegetable garden, companion planting is the solution. Did you know tomatoes produce a natural insecticide that can help protect carrots against pests? Or that planting mint near lettuce can repel slugs? Every gardener knows that the key to an abundant harvest in their vegetable garden is controlling pests and disease, while still maintaining a healthy growing environment. But it is possible to have a healthy, thriving vegetable garden without using dangerous chemicals? It is, as long as you know how to pair up the right plants. Organic gardeners have known for years that planting the right plants together is the key to minimizing pests, improving soil quality, and increasing the yield of their gardens, and almost any vegetable you can grow likely has a beneficial companion. Companion planting is the ideal way to avoid using chemicals, while still increasing the efficiency of your garden. Expert organic gardener Brian Lowell will teach you how to use plants to create a beautiful, vibrant vegetable garden that will be free of toxic chemicals. Here's what you'll find inside: Handy companion planting pairings for all of the most common garden vegetables Practical, simple photography and colorful illustrations for dozens of beneficial planting configurations Expert advice from a master gardener that is specifically designed for beginners Loads of troubleshooting tips for fixing common issues with companion-planted gardens Tips for setting up the perfect vegetable garden, including practical advice on watering, soil management, troubleshooting, and more

This is best-selling author Ed Smith's complete guide to growing a bounty of vegetables in small spaces and without land. This is a completely updated and expanded edition of "Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers", now including conventional containers of all sizes, from window boxes to tubs. "The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible" provides information on growing everyone's favourite vegetables in all kinds of containers. And Ed Smith delivers his wealth of container gardening knowledge in the friendly, accessible style that his readers love. He explains how to choose the rights plants, select appropriate containers and tools, provide balanced nutrition, care for plants throughout the growing season, control pests without chemicals, and much more. He even includes plans for small-space container gardens that urban and suburban gardeners will love.