Originally published in the late 1800s, this is a delightful book on gardening that still contains much information of relevance to today's gardeners. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork Contents Include - The General Management of the Garden - Lawns, Paths, Beds, and Border On the Duty of Making Experiments - Some Neglected but Handsome Plants - The Conservatory and Greenhouse - The Tool Shed and Summer House - Roses and Aateurs - Enimies of the Garden - The Rockery - Trees, and How to Treat them - Shrubs- The Inns and outs of Gardening - The Profitable Portion - Annuels and Biennials - Window-Boxes - Table Decoration - The Propagation of Plants - The Management of Room Plants - Various Hints

"Fruit can be grown almost anywhere" says Mr. Bush, "if you are prepared to take the trouble" . However, quite often the most intelligent and ardent gardener can go wrong simply because the trouble he takes is ill-directed. This book, first published in 1942 and since twice reprinted and revised, tries to guide the amateur in the growing of soft fruits. The subject is dealt with methodically; the general questions of aspect, soil, nursery material and planting procedure are reviewed first. There follows a discussion of the specific cultural details associated with the various soft fruits. The range is wide. Besides the better known blackberries, loganberries, currants, gooseberries, raspberries, strawberries, tomatoes and mushrooms, the less familiar figs, outdoor grapes, mulberries, cranberries, barberries, melons and passion fruit are included. Other matters are dealt with as well. The vagaries of temperature and climate, the use of the compost heap, the need for and practice of spraying are all separately and exactly explained. There is also a chapter on the pruning of cobs, a subject of which many horticulturalists fight shy. The perils and pitfalls which complicate the best laid plans of the most well-intentioned gardener are here averted. Contents Include: An Ounce of Practice - Coming Down to Earth - On Choosing Nursery Stock - Planting Fruit Bushes - Blackberries, Loganberries and Hybrids - The Black Currant - Red and White Currants - The Fig - Gooseberries - Grapes out of Doors - The Raspberry - Strawberries - The Tomato - Some Oddments - Nuts: Cob Nuts, Filberts and Walnuts - Is Spraying Necessary? - Mushrooms - The Whys and Wherefores of Spring Frosts - Manuring and CompostHeaps

Close-up photos of plump apricots, juicy mangoes, crisp lettuce ... these are familiar to us all through cookery books and garden guides. But seeing fruit and vegetables as detailed art, viewed through eighteenth-century eyes, is something very different - and more interesting. Thanks to intrepid explorers and plant-hunters, Britain and the rest of Europe have long enjoyed a wide and wonderful array of fruit and vegetables. Some wealthy households even created orangeries and glasshouses for tender exotics and special pits in which to raise pineapples, while tomatoes, sweetcorn and runner beans from the New World expanded the culinary repertoire. This wealth of choice attracted interest beyond the kitchen and garden. In the 1730s, a prosperous Bavarian apothecary produced the first volume of a comprehensive A to Z of all available plants, meticulously documented, and lavishly illustrated by botanical artists. 'A Cornucopia of Fruit & Vegetables' is a glimpse into his world. It features exquisite illustrations of the edible plants in his historic treasury, allowing us to enjoy the sight of swan-necked gourds and horned lemons, smile at silkworms hovering over mulberries and delight at the quirkiness of 'strawberry spinach' ... a delicious medley of garden produce and exotics that will capture the imagination of gardeners and art-lovers alike.

In The New Southern Garden Cookbook, Sheri Castle aims to make "what's in season" the answer to "what's for dinner?" This timely cookbook, with dishes for omnivores and vegetarians alike, celebrates and promotes delicious, healthful homemade meals centered on the diverse array of seasonal fruits and vegetables grown in the South, and in most of the rest of the nation as well. Increased attention to the health benefits and environmental advantages of eating locally, Castle notes, is inspiring Americans to partake of the garden by raising their own kitchen plots, visiting area farmers' markets and pick-your-own farms, and signing up for CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes from local growers. The New Southern Garden Cookbook offers over 300 brightly flavored recipes that will inspire beginning and experienced cooks, southern or otherwise, to take advantage of seasonal delights. Castle has organized the cookbook alphabetically by type of vegetable or fruit, building on the premise that when cooking with fresh produce, the ingredient, not the recipe, is the wiser starting point. While some dishes are inspired by traditional southern recipes, many reveal the goodness of gardens in new, contemporary ways. Peppered with tips, hints, and great stories, these pages make for good food and a good read.

For those without the time or stamina to spend hours maintaining a garden, well-known experts Alan and Gill Bridgewater offer an easy-care method with minimal digging and weeding. They show how to make raised beds, build up soil with mushroom compost, cover weeds with mulch, and protect plants with nets and plastic--all using organic methods whenever possible. A must for every gardener.

Charles Dowding, the master of no-dig gardening, developed his highly successful methods of vegetable growing through 30 years experience of growing and selling vegetables and extensive experiments. Through his courses at Lower Farm in Somerset and his three previous books, he has won a keen following. Beginners and experienced veg growers alike find that his methods work and that he opens their minds to new possibilities. Now he has distilled the essence of his courses and ideas into one book. In it you will find out how to grow vegetables the Charles Dowding way. Charles Dowding's Vegetable Course is both a straightforward guide to success and an inspiring source of ideas for achieving a more productive vegetable garden for less effort. Lower Farm, run by Charles and Susie Dowding, has been part of Sawday's Special Places to Stay collection for 12 years. Click the link on the left to visit Sawday's to find out about accommodation at Lower Farm and our other characterful, independently-run places to stay across the UK and Europe. All have been inspected and selected because we like them - what makes each 'special' varies hugely, but common to all are owners whose personality, friendliness and local knowledge ensure a memorable stay.

No dig organic gardening saves time and work. It requires an annual dressing of compost to help accelerate the improvement in soil structure and leads to higher fertility and less weeds. No dig experts, Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty, explain how to set up a no dig garden. They describe how to: Make compost, enrich soil, harvest and prepare food and make natural beauty and clean ing products and garden preparations. These approaches work as well in small spaces as in large gardens. The Authors' combined experience gives you ways of growing, preparing and storing the plants you grow for many uses, including delicious vegetable feasts and many recipes and ideas for increasing self reliance, saving money, living sustainably and enjoying the pleasure of growing your own food, year round. Charles' advice is distilled from 35 years of growing vegetables intensively and efficiently; he is the acknowledged no dig guru and salad expert both in the UK and internationally. Stephanie, a kitchen gardener, grows in her small, productive home garden and allotment, and creates no dig gardens for restaurants and private estates.She presents truly delicious seasonal recipes, made from the vegetables anyone can grow. She also explains how to use common plants you can grow and forage for to make handmade preparation for the home and garden.

It takes just a few dollars and a few days for you to start enjoying fresh, healthy produce grown indoors in your own home. Imagine serving a home-cooked meal highlighted with beet, arugula, and broccoli microgreens grown right in your kitchen, accompanied by sauteed winecap mushrooms grown in a box of sawdust in your basement. If you have never tasted microgreens, all you really need to do is envision all the flavor of an entire vegetable plant concentrated into a single tantalizing seedling. If you respond to the notion of nourishing your guests with amazing, fresh, organic produce that you've grown in your own house, condo, apartment, basement, or sunny downtown office, then you'll love exploring the expansive new world of growing and eating that can be discovered with the help of "Indoor Kitchen Gardening." Inside, author and Bossy Acres CSA co-owner Elizabeth Millard teaches you how to grow microgreens, sprouts, herbs, mushrooms, tomatoes, peppers, and more-- all "inside" your own home, where you won't have to worry about seasonal changes or weather conditions. Filled with mouthwatering photography and more than 200 pages of Do-It-Yourself in-home gardening information and projects, "Indoor Kitchen Gardening" is your gateway to this exciting new growing method--not just for garnishes or relishes, but wholesome, nutritious, organic edibles that will satisfy your appetite as much as your palate.

This volume is a lunar calendar and descriptive text that guides the novice planter through the world of planting, sowing, tending and harvesting vegetable and fruit plants according to the lunar and zodiacal cycle.

You can grow all the fruit and vegetables your family needs, raise animals for meat and eggs, keep fish and bees, and even produce firewood on a plot of land of just one acre or less - alongside your work and family life. Whether you have a garden, a paddock or perhaps the corner of a field, Sally Morgan guides you through: How to lay out your plot - including fencing and polytunnels or greenhouses Managing soil fertility Growing fruit and vegetables throughout the year Keeping livestock: poultry, pigs, sheep and goats Producing fish with aquaponics Filled with practical advice, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to be more self-sufficient and live a more sustainable life.

Drawing directly from his experience as an acclaimed climate-change gardener, and of setting up a kitchen garden from scratch for River Cottage, Mark explains the practical aspects of organic growing, introduces us to a whole world of vegetables we may not have previously considered, and does away with alienating gardening jargon once and for all. Mark begins with a catalogue of vegetables that will grow in this country, explaining for each their benefits, what varieties to go for, dos and don'ts, and popular culinary uses. He then invites us to create a wish list of foods, and shows us his own list from his early gardening days. Next, he explains how to turn this wish list into a coherent kitchen garden plan appropriate for our space, whether it be a patch of acidic soil, a roof-top garden or an allotment, whether we put on our wellies in every free moment or are 'time-poor' gardeners. Then he puts all the theory into practice, showing us how to look after nutrients in the soil, how to resist pests and diseases, and how to make our garden sustainable and organic. In clear, concise sections we learn about seed trays, supporting plants with climbing structures, mulching, composting, companion planting, irrigation and promoting pollination, and there are additional tables showing sowing and harvesting times, plant sizes, and alternative varieties of plants for different sites.About thirty recipes and a directory of useful addresses finish the book, and the handbook is complemented by bright colour photography throughout. Practical and inspiring, with a textured hard cover and an introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, "Veg Patch" is destined to join Handbooks No. 1, 2 and 3 as an indispensible household reference.

GARDEN MEDIA GUILD PRACTICAL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2012 Fruit and vegetables have formed a fundamental part of the Scottish diet for thousands of years. This fascinating and practical book explores the history of fruit, vegetable and herb growing in Scotland, and provides a contemporary guide to the best techniques for growing produce, whether in a garden, allotment, patio or window box. Packed with hundreds of colour photographs, drawings and descriptive diagrams, this is a detailed and comprehensive bible for the gardener. In addition to advice on climate and soil conditions, it has contacts for organisations, specialist societies, nurseries and suppliers, as well as a detailed bibliography and list of useful websites. This is an essential reference book for anyone aiming to get the best possible results from their garden produce north of the border.

'Brilliant ... Equal parts irreverent, cheeky and vitally important ... Charming ... Much too valuable to tuck away until the zombies come ... A gardening manual that you can put to use immediately, regardless of your situation' Zombie Research Society. Climate change? Brexit? Screaming brain-biters? Don't lose the plot, this book can help! Irreverent, straightforward and useful, it shows even complete beginners how to grow enough of their own food to survive when Armageddon arrives and imports collapse. Or even if they don't. A grow-your-own guide for the generation who'd rather eat compost than watch Gardeners' World, it tells you how to sow and grow 20 key crops, whether you have two pots, a patio or a whole allotment to play with. It takes you through what seeds, tools and other kit you'll need, teaches you how to plan and plant your site for maximum nutrition, and suggests gardening projects to get underway while civilization still stands, from growing dinner in a dustbin to a juice bar on a balcony. All while sticking a garden fork in the eye of the undead. Gardening for the Zombie Apocalypse: surviving has never been so much fun.

In this truly innovative book Lucy Hutchings – aka She Grows Veg – proves that vegetable gardening doesn't always require outdoor space.

Through clever uses of space and containers, understanding of growing conditions and a unique, design-led approach, Lucy showcases how anyone can grow pretty much anything in their back garden, courtyard, balcony or kitchen.

Lucy creates 19 projects, from living vegetable walls and hydroponics basics, to indoor greenhouses and hanging herb racks that have all the decorative style and visual interest of ornamental house plants.

With step-by-step illustrations and stunning photography, with Get Up and Grow, you can go from gardening novice to growing pro in a matter of weeks. Lucy is blazing a trail for new-wave gardening with a mantra of anything is possible, for anyone.

By reimagining how we design and use our gardens, we can all do our bit to support local wildlife, improve our health and help tackle the climate crisis. If we all take positive steps in our gardens, no matter how small, we can all really make a difference in the world. This book focuses on the activities and planting suitable for a Scottish climate but also contains lots of useful information relevant for gardeners throughout the UK. Practical information on planning is followed by expert guidance on: Planting for wildlife in nectar-rich borders, wildflower meadows, hedgerows, trees and shrubs Building for wildlife with bird boxes, bug boxes, feeders and ponds Green gardening approaches with fruit and veg production, rain gardens, green roofs, compost making and creating new plants through propagation Attracting birds, bees, butterflies and other insects, aquatic life and nightlife