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.

Many of us want to increase our self-sufficiency, but few have access to the ideal five sunny, gently sloping acres of rich, loamy, well-drained soil. Jenni Blackmore presents a highly entertaining, personal account of how permaculture can be practiced in adverse conditions, allowing anyone to learn to live more sustainably in a less-than-perfect world. With a rallying cry of "If we can do it, you can too," she distills the wisdom of twenty years of trial and error into a valuable teaching tool. The perfect antidote to dense, high-level technical manuals, Permaculture for the Rest of Us presents the fundamental principles of this sometimes confusing concept in a humorous, reader-friendly way. Each chapter focuses on a specific method or technique, interspersing straightforward explanations with the author's own experiences. Learn how to successfully retrofit even the smallest homestead using skills such as: No-till vs. till gardening, composting, and soil-building Natural pest control and integrating small livestock Basic greenhouse construction Harvesting, preservation, and more Ideal for urban dreamers, suburbanites and country-dwellers alike, this inspirational and instructional "encouragement manual" is packed with vibrant photographs documenting the author's journey from adversity to abundance. Jenni Blackmore is a farmer, artist, writer and certified Permaculture Design Consultant who built her house on a rocky, windswept island off the coast of Nova Scotia almost twenty-five years ago and has been stumbling along the road to self-sufficient living ever since. A successful micro-farmer, she produces most of her family's meat, eggs, fruit, and vegetables, in spite of often-challenging conditions.

Shrubs can form the backbone of a garden and add year-round interest in so many ways. This practical book covers all you need for the successful growth, maintenance and propagation of these versatile plants, including advice on selecting species to make the most of their different habits and forms, and utilizing their architectural qualities to best effect. The diverse range of foliage shape and hue and the many colourful flowers, berries and fruits give you the freedom to create a stunning garden that carries its beauty through every season. A fully illustrated directory lists popular species from 70 genera, including camelia, daphne, garrya, magnolia, potentilla, senecio and yucca. Notes on average height, flower type, flowering time, and cultural requirements help you choose the right plants for your garden to achieve colour and interest throughout the year.

Learn how to make stylish dried floral designs that will last longer than freshly cut bouquets. Do you adore having flowers around the house but they always seem to wilt and fall to pieces as soon as you place them in water? No longer! Join the trend of DIY drying and create stunning bouquets that will outlast fresh cuts while still adding that soft, romantic floral touch. Expert florist Carolyn Dunster breathes new life into the age-old art of growing, drying, and displaying blooms in ways that will bring a chic, natural vibe to any room. Whether you are looking for elegant DIY bridal arrangements or trying to add a little bohemian flair to a room's decor, there are dried designs that will complement every aesthetic and occasion. Written for a new, younger audience that is just discovering the art of drying flowers and from a popular British botanical stylist with a penchant for urban gardening, this book is a modern spin on a classic craft. For those who are concerned with environmental impact, dried flowers are also gaining popularity as a more sustainable approach to floristry. Dried flowers are perfect for: DIY bridal bouquets and table arrangements Stylish home decor Sprucing up your place of business in an affordable, low maintenance way This book is an ideal purchase for anyone wanting to get started with the art of growing and drying flowers. Learn how to grow your own stems and the best combinations of colour and texture to create floral sculptures that breathe new life into any space in any season.

Originally published in the 1930s. This comprehensive book will provide under one head and at a glance all that vast amount of essential information required by the ever increasing numbers of enthusiasts who wish to derive pleasure or profit by living off the land. The illustrated contents include advice on: Poultry - Vegetable Culture - Fruit Growing - Flower Culture - Holding and Farm - Pigs - Cattle - Sheep - Land - Rabbit Keeping - Bee Keeping - Organic Methods etc. Many of the earliest farming 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.

WINNER OF THE ANDRE SIMON FOOD BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2014 'Otter Farm is all about flavour. It starts and ends with the question: What do I really want to eat?' The taste of a perfectly ripe mulberry was Mark Diacono's inspiration for creating Otter Farm, a unique smallholding in Devon with every inch dedicated to extraordinary produce. Sprouting broccoli, asparagus, artichokes, borlotti beans and chard flourish in the vegetable patch; quince and Chilean guava grow in the edible forest; and pigs and chickens roam freely. Here Mark shares his colourful, beautiful recipes, all brimming with flavour and with fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit - including a warm salad of Padron peppers, cherries and halloumi, a stew made from chicken, pork and borlotti beans, a curried squash and mussel soup, and cucumber ice cream, quince doughnuts and fennel toffee apples. He charts the seasonal challenges and excitements of rural living, and offers practical advice for cultivating the best of the familiar, unusual and forgotten varieties at home. With luminous photography that captures life in the kitchen and outdoors, this ground-breaking book reveals how even the most exotic and exciting tastes can have their roots in British soil.

This inspirational book from Kew Gardens' cacti and succulents expert is the perfect guide to growing and maintaining a wide variety of these fascinating plants. Indoors or outside, in the smallest spaces or as features in large gardens, succulents and cacti are popular in homes and gardens all across the world, regardless of climate. They're resilient, beautiful and easy to care for as long as you're armed with the right knowledge. Packed with information and inspiration, and with the guiding authority and expertise of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, this book teaches you everything you need to know about 50 speciments of succulents and cacti, from ideal humidity, light and temperature, to maintenance instructions so that your plants can thrive. This book also contains 12 easy-to-follow projects for you to carry out at home, so you can grow a vibrant array of succulents and cacti for your home, whether you are a complete beginner or a keen enthusiast. Combining beautiful botanical illustrations and practical advice, The Kew Gardener's Guide to Growing Succulents and Cacti is the definitive introduction to growing these wonderful plants. This book is from the Kew Experts series, in which the top gardeners and botanical scientists from Royal Botanic Kew Gardens offer up advice and information as well as suggesting handy projects on a range of gardening topics. Other titles include: Companion to Medicinal Plants, Guide to Growing Bulbs, Guide to Growing Fruit, Guide to Growing Orchids, Guide to Growing Herbs, Guide to Growing Roses, Guide to Growing Trees, Guide to Growing Vegetables and Guide to Growing House Plants.

Finally: a book that addresses the unique challenges of gardening in the coastal South. Master Gardener Barbara Sullivan provides an authoritative guide for gardeners from Tidewater Virginia to Florida and all along the Gulf Coast from Florida to Texas, an area taking in USDA Zones 7b, 8, 9, and 10. Combining helpful gardening advice with an A-to-Z plant guide that describes more than 1,000 plant varieties and cultivars, Garden Perennials for the Coastal South will become an essential reference for both experienced and novice gardeners in this region. The book is organized to allow planning a year-round garden or focusing on a particular season. Sections separate subtropical plants, vines, herbs, groundcovers, ferns, heat- and drought-tolerant plants, shade plants, bulbs, ornamental grasses, and annuals, as well as address disease-resistant roses for the region. More than 200 color photographs illustrate individual plants and provide examples of beautiful landscape design. Rounding out the book's usefulness is information on the basics of landscaping, soil preparation, plant care, propagation, diseases, and pests. Whether you are new to the coastal South or a lifelong resident, you will find Garden Perennials for the Coastal South an indispensable addition to your gardening bookshelf. |The first book of its kind to deal solely with the unique challenges and opportunities for growing perennials and other plants in the coastal South, from Tidewater Virginia to Jacksonville, Fla., and across the Gulf Coast to Houston, Tex. Barbara Sullivan, a Certified Master Gardener, combines expert advice with a comprehensive A-to-Z plant guide for more than 1,000 plant varieties. Her book is organized to allow experienced or novice gardeners to plan a year-round garden or to focus on a particular season.

What would a greengrocer say if you were to ask for half a dozen Grenadiers and a couple of Catsheads? In the course of the past century we have lost much of our rich heritage of orchard fruits, but with taste once again triumphing over shelf-life and a renewed interest in local varieties, we are rediscovering the delights of that most delicious and adaptable fruit: the apple. This book features apples from the Herefordshire Pomona that are still cultivated today. The Pomona - an exquisitely illustrated book of apples and pears - was published at the height of the Victorian era by a small rural naturalists' club. Its beautiful illustrations and authoritative text are treasured by book collectors and apple experts alike. From the familiar Blenheim Orange and Worcester Pearmain to the less feted yet scrumptious Ribston Pippin, Margil and Pitmaston Pine Apple, Heritage Apples is illustrated with the Pomona's stunning paintings and tells the intriguing stories behind each variety, how they acquired their names, and their merits for eating, cooking or making cider. Also including practical advice on how to choose and grow your own trees, this is the perfect book for apple-lovers and growers.

Making the most of Indigenous Trees is undoubtedly the most significant, useful and practical book ever to be published on this subject in South Africa. This third and revised edition contains 22 more tree species. The 163 tree species are alphabetically arranged according to the botanical name, illustrated with more than 850 photographs in full colour and discussed in detail. The following information is provided: An introduction section on tree propagation by seed, cuttings and truncheons. A detailed species description, diagnostic features, natural distribution and habitat. The ecological role and utilisation by mammals, birds and insects. Economic value and use by people, including use in gardens and on the farm, as a source of food for humans and animals, fibre and medicine. Properties of the wood and its utilisation by people. Specific guidelines on propagation and cultivation of each species. A map indicating the distribution of each species. More than 850 carefully selected colour photographs complement and illustrate the text. A table on the utilisation of indigenous trees by wildlife, references for further reading and an index to the common and botanical names are included. This valuable guide to indigenous trees should be within reach of every gardener, farmer, naturalist, nurseryman, forester and conservationist - in fact, anyone with a love and appreciation of trees.

This scientifically accurate guide is aimed at assisting gardeners and horticulturalists to identify commonly used succulent and rockery species from all over the world. Introductory chapters on waterwise gardening, uses, conservation, cultivation and propagation of succulents, together with a section on gardening with succulents, which gives useful hints.

Tuberous begonias are sensational flowers--their abundant blooms capture everyone's heart and eye. This authoritative guide introduces the best varieties and celebrates the great range of colors grown. Written by Jack Larter, who has devoted many years of love and toil to the plants, it covers everything that both novice and veteran need to know to grow blooms for the home, garden, and show bench.

This ingenious and informative new illustrated book reveals the inside stories of more than 50 common and successful weeds, including cultivated `thugs' which gardeners plant at their peril, and presents its findings as evidence for the prosecution and defence. It then explores the ways in which the weeds are so successful, whether annual, biennial or perennial, and suggests effective ways of removing or controlling them, and for using them wisely. Where important, as with weeds such as Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, it includes your legal obligations as a gardener to stop these most pernicious weeds from spreading. A useful reference section tells you all you need to know about weeding tools, weedkillers, composting weeds and using mulches to stop them spreading, plus specific details on weeds in lawns and ponds and weeds and the law. So whether you're worried by groundsel or ground elder, nettles or knotweed, bamboo or brambles, or would like to encourage dandelions or clovers to grow exactly where you want them, then these are the verdicts you need.

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.

A guide to hardy, easy-to-grow plants that provide interest over more than one season. There is advice on selecting and maintaining the right plants, and an illustrated A to Z directory of those plants for easy reference, photographs, information, and a glossary of terms and related Websites.

The main characteristics of each of the 39 genera of bulbs covered in this text are described in the introduction. An account of the characteristics of early flowering enables the reader to understand what the plant needs to do well in the garden. An A-Z of species and cultivars provides descriptions of recommended plants and includes coverage of more unusual groups. Information on where to grow the plants includes advice on borders, naturalizing in grass, raised beds, rock gardens, bulb frames, containers and forcing for early flowering. A chapter on propagation encourages all enthusiasts to multiply their collection by following recommended techniques.

A book for crafters and gardeners alike, from hugely popular author Kerry Lord. Thirty super-cute yarn flowers are yours to crochet, complete with step-by-step instructions and tips on all the techniques you need to make and finish off. ‘Cro’ your own garden from winter Snowdrop to summer Rose.

Well known for her crocheted animals, Kerry now takes to the garden and turns your favourite flowers into adorable yarn creatures to give as gifts or display at home. With no watering required, they are low maintenance and always in bloom! The 30 patterns include Snowdrop, Primrose, Daffodil, Hyacinth, Tulip, Allium, Chrysanthemum, Rose, Fuchsia, Sunflower, Gerbera, Marigold and Dahlia, and suggestions for alternative colours give you many variations, too.

All the projects are based on a simple bulb shape, allowing you to get started easily. Kerry includes step-by-step instructions and charts for each flower, including how to assemble and finish, plus a guide to all the basic crochet and sewing techniques needed, so this book is perfect for all skill levels. With inspirational photography of the crocheted flowers in the garden with their friends in the soil, it’s a fun must-have for any crochet fan.

Is your monstera getting monstrous? Snake plant looking sickly? Fiddle-leaf fading? Devil's ivy dropping leaves? Dr. Houseplant is your key to a thriving indoor home garden. Build your confidence and plant collection with this guide and learn to give your favourite houseplants the best care. Packed with information from choosing healthy plants to creating space for them to flourish in your home, Dr. Houseplant is the go-to for any plant enthusiast, whether you're just starting out or a seasoned green thumb. The book includes features on 42 of the most popular houseplants, including monsteras, ferns and cacti. Each feature provides you with the knowledge to provide the ideal conditions for each variety, from watering, feeding and temperature control, and will show you how to identify and treat common issues, such as pests and fungal diseases, with tailored solutions to suit every plant and home. With photography that illustrates the beauty and life plants can bring to your home, Dr. Houseplant will inspire and help you cultivate your own indoor garden.

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.