How to Grow Winter Vegetables shows that it is possible to enjoy an abundance of vegetables at the darkest time of year, whether stored or ready for harvesting when needed. It also covers growing for the 'hungry gap' from April to early June. Not much grows in winter, but a well-organised plot may nonetheless be quite full. You need to plan carefully, and well ahead (as early as spring) for sowing and planting at specific times through the year, so the main part of the book is an extensive month-by-month sowing, planting and growing calendar. Further sections cover harvesting, from garlic in July right through to the last of the overwintered greens in May, and storing your produce. Many salads can be grown in winter, especially with a little protection from fleece, cloches or larger structures. The book includes a whole section on frost-hardy salad plants, explaining how to ensure harvests of fresh leaves throughout winter. The beauty of winter and its produce is captured in glorious photographs from the author's garden.

"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.

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.

Are you using your polytunnel, also known as high tunnel or hoop house, to its full potential? If so you'll be harvesting fresh crops all year round - sweet potatoes and late celery in November; winter radish, baby carrots and celeriac in early February; salads leaves right through the winter. Even in the 'hungry gap' you'll have a choice of new potatoes, pak choi, peas, tender cabbages, beetroot and more. How to Grow Food in Your Polytunnel has all the information you need to make the most of this precious covered space, including: * a detailed crop-by-crop guide to the growing year * dedicated chapters on growing for each season, including the 'hungry gap' * a sowing and harvesting calendar to help with planning.

Straw bale gardening is an inexpensive, low-maintenance way to grow a bounty of food in a small space. All you need is a bale of straw, some fertilizer, and your favorite vegetable seeds! Craig LeHoullier's step-by-step instructions show you how to do everything from sourcing the straw and setting up your bale to planting, dealing with weeds and pests, and harvesting.

Make your garden flourish with these 300 easy and inexpensive gardening hacks to help your plants blossom-perfect for any green thumbs, first-time horticulturalists, or reluctant gardeners! Think you don't have a green thumb? Think again! No matter your gardening woes, Gardening Hacks has the solution. Perfect for all gardening skill levels whether you're starting your first garden, looking to expand your crop, or simply searching for ways to make it easier to care for your extensive plant collection, you'll find everything you need to know to make your garden grow. Gardening Hacks includes helpful tips like: -Saving your eggshells, which can serve as everything from an organic seed starter to a natural snail and slug repellent. -Adding a pinch of cinnamon to help prevent fungal diseases that might prevent your plants from maturing. -Using the newspaper to help deter weeds from sprouting. -Creating your own DIY seed packet catalog to help keep your seeds organized as your garden grows. -And many more! No matter the size of your garden-from a small herb collection to an extensive variety of fruits and vegetables to any indoor plant that needs some perking up-Gardening Hacks will make your plants flourish!

Fancy having a go at growing your own produce? How do you improve your chances of getting an allotment? How do you plan what to grow? And what exactly is a cold frame? Find the answer to all these questions and more inside The Allotment Pocket Bible, the perfect gardening gift full of indispensible tips on how to grow your own herbs and veg all year round on an allotment. Full of practical advice on cultivating and enjoying your plot - whether you've got an allotment in the city, a patch in your garden or an area of farmland, The Allotment Pocket Bible gives gardeners tips from how to find and get different types of allotment to how to organise and manage your allotment space. There's also valuable advice on what to grow (as well as a growing calendar to help you decide when to grow it), tips on edible flowers and fighting pests and diseases. As well as learning the many benefits of allotment gardening, you can also pick up time-saving tips and techniques from pruning to storing your produce. From greenhouses to polytunnels, all the essential information you need to know about allotment gardening can be found in this handy, easy-to-read and durable guide, helping you grow your own produce all year round. Inside The Allotment Pocket Bible you can discover the rising popularity of allotment gardening, as well as how to turn your allotment into a productive venture. Dip in to great ideas for fruit, vegetable and herb recipes made from your hard-earned produce, learn how you can get kids involved with your allotment projects and make sure you've got all the right tools and equipment to make looking after your allotment as easy as possible. From clearing your new allotment and planting raised beds to building compost bins and when to sow, plant and harvest your crops, you'll find all the handy, easy-to-follow advice you need in The Allotment Pocket Bible. Want to start gardening organically and grow your own organic food? The Allotment Pocket Bible will help you grow your own organic produce: organic vegetables, organic fruit and organic herbs. Wondering how to make money from your allotment produce? Planning an allotment competition? Find tips on all the rules and regulations you need to know, as well as how to engage with the allotment community and maintain relations with allotment neighbours.. Small and durable and perfectly designed to be used 'on the job', The Allotment Pocket Bible is sure to be your trusty companion on your next visit to the potting shed. "An hour's hard digging is a good way of getting one's mind back in the right perspective."Richard Briers "Cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves." Robert Louis Stevenson "All my hurts my garden spade can heal" Ralph Waldo Emerson "The man who has planted a garden feels that he has done something for the good of the world." Vita Sackville-West "Gardening is the purest of human pleasures" Francis Bacon This beautiful hardback edition has both dust-cover and gold embossing on the spine making it the perfect gift. Every Pocket Bible is lovingly crafted to give you a unique mix of useful references, handy tips and fascinating trivia that will enlighten and entertain you at every page. There is a Pocket Bible for everyone... Other titles in the series: The Allotment Pocket Bible, The Baking Pocket Bible, The Cook's Pocket Bible, The Mum's Pocket Bible and The Outdoor Pocket Bible.

DK brings you an all-encompassing horticultural handbook to fulfil your every leaf and legume! Get your gardening gloves on, as best-selling author Huw Richards takes you on a green-fingered journey to be an undefeated veg-grower! A recent study suggests 38% of British adults use their gardens to grow herbs and vegetables. But with the ever-growing pressure of balancing family life with a career, a lot of today's green-fingered gardeners simply lack time for vegetable growing. Huw is on a mission to change that! Whatever your horticultural hopes may be, Huw Richards brings you a veg-growing guide that is sure to shape the next generation of green-fingered gardeners like never before, full of top tips on smart gardening, without compromising on time, effort or money. With passion in every page, you can enjoy: -Tons of tips and tricks to maximise efficiency of your vegetable gardens -Skillful and solid information to disparage the common myth that gardening requires too much time and effort -Easy to follow step-by-step instructions of fundamental gardening techniques -Visual representations of Huw's innovative ideas to easily apply to your own vegetable garden After the immeasurable success of his first two gardening books 'Veg in One Bed' and 'Grow Food for Free', Huw brings you a riveting third release, full of simple yet effective strategies to leave you with a patch to be proud of! By applying a strategic approach to your veggie patch, from choosing the right compost to using the correct cultivation tools, Huw assures that even the most hapless of gardeners can unearth the endless potential that all gardens possess, no matter the shape or size! Why not stand out from the crowd with this fully-illustrated veggie handbook, and start your intuitive gardening journey today to reap the benefits of a more bountiful harvest. An ideal gift for the green-fingered gardener or budding botanist in your life! With over 500,000 subscribers on YouTube, Huw Richards is keen to share his 17 years' experience on maximising productivity of vegetable patches, so get those gloves on, and join the journey today! Ready, set, let's grow!

David and Stephen Flynn, a.k.a the Happy Pear twins, are back with their simplest cookbook yet! The perfect collection for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone looking to eat more plant-based recipes - 'This book is awesome' Chris Evans AUBERGINE - BEETROOT - BROCCOLI - CABBAGE - CARROT - CAULIFLOWER - COURGETTE - LEEK - MUSHROOMS - POTATOES Ten vegetables, ten ways, The Veg Box makes cooking veg easier and tastier than ever before! This vibrant book is packed with over 100 new recipes that use just ten ingredients or less and showcase the delicious and diverse ways you can enjoy each vegetable. Take carrots for example. Learn how to transform this simple produce into: Carrot and Sesame Burgers Roasted Carrot Tagine Chewy Flapjacks with Carrot and Pistachio Or how about courgettes? Watch them become: Easy One-Pan Courgette Pizza Courgette Crepes with Spinach and Ricotta Courgette and Lemon Loaf Cake with a Lemon Curd Building tips on eating more sustainably into family-friendly meals, quick weeknight dinners and sweet treats, this is healthy eating for our planet, our bodies and our tastebuds. 'Proper good food, less waste and very simple, delicious plant-based recipes' Joe Wicks 'Super practical and full of great recipes for eating more plants and reducing food waste' Fearne Cotton 'The lads have done it again! A great concept and a beautiful book to help us all cook more delicious veg' BOSH! 'A delicious celebration of plants and all that they have to offer' Megan Rossi 'Their recipes are fantastic and you will love this book' Dr Rupy Aujla 'Delicious, sustainable meals everyone will enjoy' Dr Gemma Newman

Enter a world of tents, tea, and terrifically good jam with RHS Great British Village Show. Written by Thane Prince and Matthew Biggs, and with a foreword by Alan Titchmarsh, this is the ultimate illustrated guide to a unique British tradition. Every year, hundreds of country shows and village fairs take place across the UK. Celebrate this tradition and step behind the scenes of the British country show with insider facts and beautiful photographs that show you every aspect of preparing, presenting, and prize-winning on the big day. Discover how judges reach their nail-biting decisions by using official RHS guidelines for over 100 fruit, vegetable, and flower categories. Learn the secrets behind growing perfect produce, preparing show-quality preserves and bakes with tips from the experts. RHS Great British Village Show tells you exactly what the judges are looking for - and what to avoid. Packed with staging tips, expert guides, photo diaries, and prize-winning recipes, RHS Great British Village Show is a unique insider's look behind the scenes of a wonderful British tradition.

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.

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.

A kitchen garden, or potager, is a celebration of the seasons: brimming with vegetables, herbs, flowers, and even fruit trees, it's our link with nature and a source for fresh produce. The kitchen garden has always been an important part of life in the rural south, at times meaning the difference between being well-fed or going to bed hungry. In recent times, the kitchen garden has become fashionable, and now more and more homeowners (in cities, suburbs, as well as the country) are reaping the delicious rewards of growing their own food. A kitchen garden needs little more than a small raised bed, so an aspiring gardener with only a modest backyard will have plenty of room to get started. Have a sprawling yard and an appetitie for an agricultural adventure? The kitchen gardener can try his hand at some produce requiring a little more space: fruit trees, corn, or pumpkins. Starting with location and soil preparation (where most gardens thrive or fail), authors William D. Adams and Thomas R. LeRoy will take you ste-by-step into the world of the southern kitchen garden. Planting guides for each fruit and vegetable, useful information on propogation and pest-control, recipes scattered throughout, and Adams' own beautiful photography make The Southern Kitchen Garden truly essential reading for all gardeners ready to bring along their produce from seed to the supper table.

Washington and Oregon are ideal places to grow a huge variety of vegetables, and there are plenty of healthful and economic benefits to having your own garden. Whether you have a traditional backyard space or several containers on a high-rise balcony, you can grow a season-long supply of tasty produce. Best-selling garden writers Marianne Binetti and Laura Peters provide all you need to know to dig in: Basics such as light, soil, exposure and frost tolerance; Almost infinite garden styles, including raised beds and containers; Preparing the garden and selecting which vegetables to grow where; Recommended varieties, including new, traditional, heirloom and unusual selections; Seasonal care, including mulching, weeding and watering; Tips throughout, including how to extend the growing season and what to do with your harvest; Organic approaches to management of pests and diseases; An appendix featuring companion plants and relationships; Helpful hardiness maps, and delicious colour photos throughout. From A to Z -- yummy artichokes, arugula and asparagus, through to healthy kale and peculiar kohlrabi, leeks and okra, all the way to colourful peppers, potatoes and zucchini -- it is all here in this informative gardening guide.

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.

Growing fruit at home is a delicious and altogether more enjoyable alternative to buying it in the shops. Mark Diacono offers a practical and accessible guide to making the most of your garden and what it has to offer.The first part of the book is an A-Z of the different varieties of fruit, with old favourites like apples, cherries, plums, blackcurrants, white currants, redcurrants, strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries and rhubarb as well as more exotic species like figs, grapes, cranberries, Japanese wine berries and apricots. Each is accompanied by a photograph, with detailed advice on when and how to grow and harvest.In the second part of the book, Mark gives straightforward guidelines on techniques like pruning and training, as well as how to deal with problems or pests. There is a section dedicated to growing under covers and in containers.Introduced by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and with 30 delicious recipes, beautiful, full-colour photographs and a directory of useful addresses, this is the ideal reference for any aspiring fruit grower.

As the earth's neighbour, the moon affects not only ocean tides but also the growth and development of plants. In this finely illustrated, full-colour book - packed with practical tips for the novice as well as the advanced gardener - Peter Berg offers a clear summary of the basics of lunar and biodynamic gardening, together with in-depth sections on: activating and enlivening the soil; biodynamic preparations; making good compost; crop rotation and green manuring; cultivation work and care of the garden; practical plant protection; rich harvesting; saving your own seed. Building on the the intensive research of his mentor Maria Thun and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, Berg explains how the subtle influences from the cosmos work on the plant world, distinguishing between 'root', 'leaf', 'blossom' and 'fruit' days in the working calendar. An understanding of such natural processes, in conjunction with the practical knowledge described in this book, can lead to productive, chemical-free gardening, with healthy plants and abundant harvests.

This book provides all the skills and techniques you need to grow your own crops. There is advice on designing your garden, selecting the right tools, understanding your soil, crop rotation, propagating, pruning, harvesting and storage. A section on common problems explains how to deal with bad weather, pests and diseases. A plant directory covers a wide range of vegetables, herbs and fruit, with information on cultivation, harvesting, sowing, planting and harvesting times, crop varieties, and photographs of growing and mature plants. With its beautiful images and clear practical advice, this is the perfect reference guide for every kitchen gardener