Jean-Marie Lespinasse and Evelyne Leterme, fruit tree specialists based in France, explain the unique conditions and requirements of fifteen different types of trees almond, apple, apricot, cherry, chestnut, fig, grape, hazelnut, kiwi, olive, peach, pear, plum, quince, and walnut. From understanding climatic limitations and tree morphology to selecting rootstock varieties and mastering fertilization technique, principles of training, and proper harvesting methods, this manual provides an in-depth study of fruit tree cultivation for landscape designers, arborists, horticulturalist, and serious gardeners alike. By respecting the natural characteristics and habits of the trees, you will learn sensitive, effective interventions to ensure strong, healthy fruit tree development. Technical details are elegantly and clearly illustrated in more than 300 full-color photographs and drawings, supplemented by a comprehensive glossary and resource list."

There is nothing quite like growing your own strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, cranberries and currants to provide a reliable crop of the finest taste and quality. In this informative kitchen garden handbook, all the most popular soft fruits are illustrated, with useful information on their origins, growing habits, nutritional content and culinary uses. A techniques section explains how to train and support fruit bushes, pruning, sheltering plants from the weather and harvesting and storing crops. Whether you have a large kitchen garden, a small garden plot with some space in the borders, or room for a few containers, this book is a must for all fruit growers.

The Kitchen Garden Book gives you the confidence and know-how to grow your own produce, whether this is in a walled kitchen garden, in containers or simply in existing flowerbeds. The text contains photographs, illustrations and clear practical advice.'

Growing your own vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers? This is the complete practical guide to growing your own vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers in an allotment, shown in over 530 hands-on photographs and illustrations. It explains how to get started on your allotment, from finding and applying for a site to assessing the conditions, planning the design and planting your first crops. It contains step-by-step instructions for essential techniques, such as testing the soil, weeding, composting, planting, sowing seeds, propagating and fertilizing. It includes down-to-earth advice on growing in the open and under glass, and how to deal with pests and diseases. This highly accessible book shows novice gardeners how to start their own allotment garden, from applying for permission and planning the garden through to planting, growing and harvesting vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers. A brief history examines the origins of allotments, from their first official inception in the late 1500s through the World Wars and to their role in modern society. Next, the book explains how to keep your soil healthy, plan what to grow where, and how to choose the best plant varieties. It includes practical step-by-step instructions for everyday techniques, such as sowing seeds, propagation, pruning, and harvesting. Finally, a season-by-season calendar of care provides an at-a-glance checklist of what to sow, plant out and harvest for every stage in the gardening year. With its expert information and more than 530 photographs and illustrations, this is an essential volume for anyone interested in cultivating home-grown crops.

Biochar, charcoal made from wood or another type of biomass, has become the new darling of organic gardeners, embraced for its outstanding abilities to enrich the soil and improve plant growth. Gardening with Biochar is the first comprehensive guide to understanding, making, and using it effectively in the home garden. In this highly accessible handbook, long-time garden writer Jeff Cox explains what biochar is and provides detailed instructions for how it can be made at home, along with specific guidelines for using it to enrich soil, prevent erosion, and enhance plant growth. Now widely available at garden centers, biochar is also being lauded for its ability to sequester carbon in the soil, making it good for the health of the planet, as well as the plants.

As the name suggests, root vegetables are vegetables whose roots form the edible parts. These vegetables are highly nutritious and they are particularly tasty if they are home-grown and eaten soon after harvesting. In this book, the main types of root vegetables are described, with useful information about the different varieties that can be grown, their history, cultivation requirements and cooking uses. There is key advice on preparing the soil for new crops, growing root vegetables from seed, and making compost. A must for the novice grower, the book also provides information for the experienced gardener who wants to experiment with new varieties.

This is a directory of varieties and how to cultivate them successfully. It is an illustrated gardener's guide to the different varieties of bulb vegetables, their history and cooking uses. It features step-by-step instructions for preparing the soil, sowing from seed and from sets, and harvesting and storing. It includes practical advice on cultivating a wide range of bulbs, including onions, shallots, garlic, spring onions and scallions, leeks, chives and Florence fennel. It contains helpful hints on how to avoid pests and diseases, and what to do when problems occur. Bulb vegetables have leaves that are adapted to store food reserves below or just above the ground, creating fleshy leaf bulbs. This book describes and illustrates all the main types, and includes useful information about the different varieties that can be grown and their cooking uses. There is practical advice for preparing the soil for new crops, making compost and growing bulb vegetables both from seed and from sets, as well as guidance on growing and caring for vegetables and how to harvest and store them. There are also suggestions for dealing with any pests and diseases.This handy book is suitable for novices and experienced gardeners alike.

This book is firstly addressed to those who grow vegetable gardens in Mediterranean environments. Also it may be of interest to people who live in areas affected by draught. Whoever is engaged with a vegetable garden in these areas knows very well the limitations presented by the climate-intense sunlight, lengthy hot and dry period, strong winds.

Learn how to grow big veg with Gerald Stratford, the gardening grandad loved by over a quarter of a million fans on Twitter. "I am very grateful for all the interest my wonderful friends and followers have taken in my gardening. Now, I hope this book gives you the motivation you need to get out in the garden. Cheers!" - GERALD Gerald's book is packed with decades of gardening know-how and fully illustrated with photos from his Cotswolds garden. It includes a helpful month-by-month guide to sowing, planting and harvesting veg, as well as tips on how to grow Gerald's speciality: really big veg. Full of encouragement and Gerald's infectious enthusiasm, Big Veg makes an ideal companion for anyone keen to grow-your-own.

Root cellaring, as many people remember but only a few people still practice, is a way of using the earth's naturally cool, stable temperature to store perishable fruits and vegetables. Root cellaring, as Mike and Nancy Bubel explain here, is a no-cost, simple, low-technology, energy-saving way to keep the harvest fresh all year long.

In Root Cellaring, the Bubels tell how to successfully use this natural storage approach. It's the first book devoted entirely to the subject, and it covers the subject with a thoroughness that makes it the only book you'll ever need on root cellaring.

Root Cellaring will tell you:

* How to choose vegetable and fruit varieties that will store best

* Specific individual storage requirements for nearly 100 home garden crops

* How to use root cellars in the country, in the city, and in any environment

* How to build root cellars, indoors and out, big and small, plain and fancy

* Case histories -- reports on the root cellaring techniques and experiences of many households all over North America

Root cellaring need not be strictly a country concept. Though it's often thought of as an adjunct to a large garden, a root cellar can in fact considerably stretch the resources of a small garden, making it easy to grow late succession crops for storage instead of many rows for canning and freezing. Best of all, root cellars can easily fit anywhere. Not everyone can live in the country, but everyone can benefit from natural cold storage.

This is a step-by-step guide to kitchen and allotment gardening with 1400 photographs. It shows you how to design a kitchen garden, with plans for a range of gardens of all shapes and sizes, including potagers and large-scale vegetable plots. It includes directories of all the main vegetables, herbs and fruit, with expert advice on cultivation, crop rotation and the best varieties to choose from. It features step-by-step practical advice on the best tools to use, preparing the soil, sowing, transplanting, propagation, training, harvesting and storage, as well as on all aspects of cultivating vegetables and herbs, and planting, pruning and propagating fruit trees. Growing your own produce is highly rewarding, and this book gives you all the knowledge you require to plan and plant your own crops. There are detailed sections on how to design a variety of kitchen and herb gardens. Beautiful plans and clear planting lists provide the inspiration to create vegetable plots, potagers, fruit gardens and container gardens.The book explains how to choose vegetables, herbs and fruit to suit different locations, the best way to lay out a garden, and how to grow and maintain everything from broccoli and potatoes to lavender and raspberries. With over 1400 photographs, this is a reference manual for all allotment gardeners.

Whether you've got a back garden, a balcony, a tiny courtyard or a patch of earth in a shared space, this book offers inspiration and instruction for growing good things to eat.

The book has three sections: What plants need; an A-Z of Vegetables, Fruits and Herbs; and an A-Z of Pests. These instructional chapters cover everything from: why soil matters; composting; how to use pots and planters; how to select the right growing style; what to plant and when; harvesting; troubleshooting; pruning; and more.

Reflecting the authors' no-nonsense approach to planting, the book combines instructional photographs, step-by-step illustrations and beautiful shots of the plants and schemes to make growing your own food both a joy and a doddle.

This is an illustrated gardener's guide to the different varieties of bulb vegetables, their history and cooking uses. It includes step-by-step instructions for preparing the soil, sowing from seed and from sets, and harvesting and storing. It offers practical advice on cultivating onions, garlic, leeks, Florence fennel and many more. It also offers helpful hints on how to avoid pests and diseases, and what to do when problems occur. Bulb vegetables have been cultivated from the earliest civilizations for their essential flavouring qualities. They include onions, shallots, garlic, spring onions, leeks, chives and Florence fennel. These vegetables are particularly healthy and flavoursome if they are home-grown and eaten soon after harvesting. All the main types of bulb vegetables are described and illustrated, with useful information about the different varieties that can be grown, their history, cultivation requirements and cooking uses. There are suggestions for when and where to plant bulb vegetables, and how to keep them in tip-top condition by dealing with any pests and diseases that may occur. A must for the novice grower, the book also provides reliable information for the experienced gardener who wants to experiment with new varieties.

Squashes and pumpkins come in many shapes, sizes and colours. This guide also covers other members of the gourd family, from marrows to courgettes and cucumbers. It lays out the different varieties and shows them in glorious full colour. Practical information is given on how to grow each type, as well as harvesting and cooking uses, making this a handy addition to any kitchen gardener's library.