Described here are the techniques and fundamental concepts underlying the production and marketing of vegetable crops, particularly those crops that contribute to the commercial vitality of the vegetable industry in the western hemisphere. Those resources which are fundamental to successful crop production, natural, biological and economic, are covered, as well as the vegetable management systems that integrate these resources. Also included is specific information on each of the major vegetable crops, such as history, botanical characteristics, production techniques, pests, harvesting and marketing. In addition, discussions are provided of social conflicts and problems that arise from water and land use practices, pesticide application and conservation.

Ever since she was old enough to help her grandmother in the garden, Sharon Lovejoy has spent her life working with plants--and along the way, through "trowel and error," she's accumulated hundreds and hundreds of remedies, tips, short-cuts, and cure-alls. Now Ms. Lovejoy--author of "Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots" and the award-winning "Sunflower Houses"--does for the garden what Heloise or the Queen of Clean does for the household. "Trowel and Error" collects all of her homespun garden advice into an inviting, environmentally friendly, whimsically illustrated yet dead-on helpful book that will benefit every gardener, beginner or experienced.
Cure plant viruses with spoiled milk. Steep a natural and effective insecticide out of fresh basil. Place flat stones under squash or melons to hasten ripening. Recycle an old apple corer as the perfect dibber for muscari and other small bulbs. Start rosemary cuttings in a green glass bottle. Sprinkle baby powder over seedlings to discourage rabbits. Crush a garlic clove and apply it to your skin as an insect repellent. From urging the reader to take an occasional shower with the houseplants to giving all-natural gardenside first aid, "Trowel and Error" is a direct line to the kind of practical wisdom that comes only after a lifetime of experience. The book is indexed by problem, plant, pest, and solution, and includes a list of tools and common household items--borax, cornmeal, vinegar--that completes the gardener's arsenal.

The Science of Compost: Life Death and Decay in the Garden takes you on a journey into the underworld of composting. Doberski explains the science of what goes on but also promotes interest in the living organisms who provide the 'hard graft' of transforming waste organic matter. It can be hard to envisage the hundreds, thousands or millions of different organisms involved but The Science of Compost reveals the secrets of this hidden world. Gardeners are familiar with the magic of compost and it is easy to see what goes in - organic waste - and what comes out - wonderful, friable and fertile compost - but what magic causes that to happen? Doberski explains what kind of 'mysterious' and complex chemical, physical and biological processes contribute to make composting effective. He covers the structural nature of decaying and dead plant material, the micro-organisms and invertebrates contributing to decomposition, and the combination of chemical, physical and biological factors which determine rates of decay. Although not a practical manual of composting, by explaining the science of what goes on in composting Doberski provides pointers to gardeners for getting composting right.