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Books > Gardening > Gardening: plants > Fruit & vegetables
Discover the joy of growing and using plants indoors and outdoors,
no matter how limited your space. This beautifully illustrated book
is a modern, fresh take on gardening that shows how anyone can grow
their own vegetables, create a mini wildflower meadow or learn how
to make the most of their houseplants. And you don't need your own
garden to get started. Creating a thriving window box, choosing
suitable plant pots for a desktop oasis or joining a local
community garden are perfect ways to experience the joys of
gardening. Learn which plants will encourage wildlife, discover
what works best for your space (no matter how small), find
inspiration, experiment with colour, texture and techniques.
Whatever you choose to grow, you'll be doing one of the best
activities there is to enhance your sense of well-being and improve
your physical health - so grab those seeds, pick up the watering
can and get growing!
Start growing your own food at home! Whether you're an urban
gardener, a first-time vegetable grower, or have your own
allotment, this illustrated guide takes the uncertainty out of your
harvest with clear, reliable gardening advice for every month of
the year. This gardening reference guide is filled with gardening
tips on growing everything from herbs and kale to strawberries and
rhubarb. Inside, you'll find: - Month-by-month chapters that break
down what to do through the year, with instructions on what to sow
and plant and the gardening tasks to focus on - Visual galleries
accompany every chapter that showcases the products that can be
harvested during that month - Crop planners that provide a
catalogue of more than 60 fruits, vegetables, and herbs that can be
grown in an allotment or kitchen garden - "Allotment know-how"
chapter that offers detailed, accessible advice on preparing your
allotment, choosing the correct tools and equipment, and making the
most of your plot with crop rotation - "Troubleshooter" chapter
that breaks down the warning signs of pests, diseases, and
disorders, with detailed advice on preventing and/or treating these
issues Wondering how to grow your own fruits and vegetables or how
to make the most out of your existing allotment? Allotment Month by
Month has everything you need to know about how to grow your own
fruit and vegetables: when to sow, how to cultivate, advice on
pesticide use - and step-by-step garden projects like making a
compost bin. With more than 60 fruit and vegetable crop planners,
this gardening book is your go-to guide to growing fresh, seasonal
produce in your kitchen garden, on your plot or in smaller city
spaces. Month-by-month alerts help you guard against the season's
garden pests and diseases to ensure a top-quality harvest. This new
edition has updated recommendations for the best varieties to grow
and all the latest expert gardening advice.
About two-thirds of Britain's small, traditional orchards have been
lost since 1960. This is a loss in ecological diversity, in
community knowledge and the intricacy of local distinctiveness. In
2007 the pomologist Liz Copas and cidermaker Nick Poole began a
quest to find and identify old varieties of cider apple trees
around Dorset. The search lasted more than a decade, taking them
across the county, searching in forgotten orchards, hedgerows and
the corners of gardens. The Lost Orchards follows the journey they
took to find, propagate and make cider with Dorset's forgotten
apple varieties: Golden Ball, Kings Favourite, Yaffle, Dewbit,
Golly Knapp, Tom Legg, Best Bearer and Symes Seedlings. The book is
also an illustrated guide to the apple varieties they discovered
and an important history of West Country Orchards. This hopeful
story will resonate far beyond Dorset and will encourage readers to
look closely at their surroundings and conserve their local
orchards.
Helpful hints on how to avoid pests and diseases, and what to do
when problems occur.
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. Â 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.
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.
You don't need a garden to grow your own food! This book is the
perfect beginner's guide to micro-gardening, featuring tips on how
to start, what to choose and how to grow over 20 types of plant for
your kitchen. Have you ever been curious about growing your own
food? Do you lack a garden? Have you got limited space in your
home? Then this book is for you! Whether you want to produce fresh
herbs for your cooking, save money on your food bill, reduce your
carbon footprint or enjoy the simple pleasure of watching something
grow, My Tiny Kitchen Garden is bursting with tips and ideas to
help you get started, including: The basics of micro-gardening
Troubleshooting tips Plant profiles to help you choose what to grow
Craft ideas to help you style your plants Advice on growing food
from scraps How to save and store seeds Whether you're a budding
gardener or a seasoned expert looking for seeds of inspiration,
dive into this book to hone your green fingers and cultivate your
very own tiny kitchen garden.
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.
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.
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.
The UK's leading gardening publisher brings you a horticultural
handbook to fulfil your every need and seed! Get your gardening
gloves on and join the green-fingered journey to growing fruit
successfully at home. A must-have volume for first-time gardeners,
Grow Fruit has tons of tips and tricks to sow, grow, plant and
propagate a diverse range of fruit, from plums to persimmons,
blackcurrants to blueberries, this grower's guide truly has it all!
Try your hand at more than 40 different varieties of fruit trees,
bushes, canes and vines, including allotment plot staples such as
damsons and blackcurrants, as well as lesser-grown options like
kiwis and pineapple guavas. With passion in every page, you can
enjoy: - A jargon-free practical guide to harvesting home-grown
fruits. - Easy to follow step-by-step instructions of fundamental
gardening techniques. - Exploration of popular fruits as well as
lesser-known options. In today's society, the ever-growing pressure
of balancing family life with a career suggests a lot of today's
green-fingered gardeners simply lack time for growing fruit and
vegetables at home. We believe it's time to change that! Whatever
your horticultural hopes may be, author and gardener Holly Farrell
brings you a fantastic fruit-growing guide that is sure to shape
first-time gardeners like never before, full of top tips to help
your garden thrive! An ideal gift for first-time gardeners, budding
botanists or the green-fingered lover in your life, make sure to
get those gardening gloves on, and join the journey today! At DK,
we believe in the power of discovery. If you like Grow Fruit why
not try the other titles in our Grow series? Learn how to brighten
your garden all year round with Grow Bulbs, enjoy a no-fuss guide
to container gardening with Grow Containers or minimise garden
waste with Grow Eco-Gardening. Ready, set, let's grow!
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
Beans are easy to grow, easy to cook, delicious, nourishing and
beneficial for us and the planet. Growing your own beans not only
helps you build healthy soil in your garden, it also provides you
with a nutrient-rich diet. Beans can play a role in reducing the
risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer - they are good
sources of protein, fibre, folate, iron and potassium - and they
can reduce your carbon footprint and food miles as well! This
fascinating book brings together Susan Young's 10 years of
experimentation with multiple varieties of beans. She clearly
explains how to sow, grow, harvest, dry, store and cook them, and
shares her six 'must grow' varieties. Go on a tasty culinary
journey around the world and discover a range of colourful and
historic beans, from the pink 'Fagiolo di Lamon' of Italy to the
black and white 'Bosnian Pole' bean. Learn which varieties are best
for eating fresh from the pod and those that are best for drying
and storing for later use. Beans offer year-round nutritious meals,
and dried beans can be the star of the show with their fabulous
diversity of flavours, colours and textures.
Zero-Waste Gardening is your essential go-to guide to growing your
own food for maximum taste and minimum waste. Organic gardening
expert, Ben Raskin, shares over 60 unique planning-for-yield guides
for key crops. Work out how to make the most of the green space you
have got, what to grow easily in it, and how much you will harvest
seasonally for zero waste. Learn about the roots of organic
gardening, and unearth how to plant waste-free for any size plot,
from balcony containers to 5-metre-square yards. Peppered with
root-to-stalk cooking techniques, and edibility tips including
which crops you can eat straight away, this is a plot-to-plate
handbook for everyone with a green-thumb. Perfect for new and
experienced growers, zero-food waste followers, city gardeners, and
the ecologically minded, this is the only gardening book you will
ever need!
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!
"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.
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.
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