Eco gardening can lessen our overconsumption of natural resources, reduce waste, cut energy use, and make a positive contribution to reducing our carbon footprint. Each page of this planet-friendly book is bursting with ideas for creating your own eco garden on any scale from a small courtyard to a large garden or allotment. Find out how to make soil-building compost from kitchen and household waste, how to save energy by harvesting rainwater, and how to utilise sunlight in your garden. Discover organic techniques that improve biodiversity and attract pest- eating animals and insects. Learn the value of using recycled and reclaimed materials for landscaping. Six eco garden `greenprints' are packed with environmentally friendly ideas. Simple projects include making a pond and a wildlife hotel, turning a lawn into a wild ower meadow, and planting a `fedge'. Packed with practical advice and 500 photographs, this book is for everyone who wants a beautiful, productive backyard that won't cost the earth.

The perfect season-led book to help you grow the best organic vegetables, fruit and herbs in a small urban space Many of us are trying to be more mindful in our approach to eating by choosing seasonal ingredients, and growing our own fruit and vegetables can benefit our health, the environment and even our wallet. Written over a year, City Veg is the candid account of an urban grower from her productive city plot - the size of two classic 1970s VW camper vans - with all the triumphs and minor woes that come with a small, suburban location. From planning and designing the garden in January to harvesting and using home-grown produce throughout the growing season, Cinead McTernan takes you on a personal journey that will entertain experienced growers and share plenty of practical information with newbie gardeners. With helpful growing advice, harvesting guides, tips and inspiration for garden projects, City Veg also includes quick and easy recipe ideas to help make the most of your bountiful yield.

This is the organic cookbook that includes over 140 imaginative and inspiring recipes. It is the organic gardening book that is an essential reference guide to natural techniques, with advice on applying organic principles to all aspects of garden planning, design and maintenance. It is an expert and practical guide for the home cook on understanding the issues around organic food and drink. It features a comprehensive survey of organic ingredients, from fabulous fruit and vegetables to tender meat and poultry, hearty breads and handy storecupboard items. It is packed with practical advice and clear, step-by-step sequences to show you how to achieve the best results in ornamental, wildlife and kitchen gardens. Reflecting our growing interest in producing and eating healthy organic food, this boxed book set is perfect for those who love cooking and gardening. There is advice on all aspects of organic gardening, from growing, watering and feeding to pruning and propagation. The cookbook provides tips on storing and using organic ingredients, as well as 140 recipes for all types of meals, from light lunches to dinner parties. Try seasonal dishes such as Asparagus with Lemon Sauce or Summer Berries in a Sabayon Glaze. A directory of vegetables, herbs and fruit provides clear information on growing and cooking healthy produce, with handy hints for gardeners and cooks.

Herbert Koepf was a pioneer of biodynamics in Germany, the USA and in the UK. He was an expert teacher, and drew on his own practical background in farming. This book is a collection of some of Koepf's writings on key aspects of biodynamics. It includes practical guidance on building soil structure, preparing and applying biodynamic sprays, crop rotation, compost and composting methods. He also considers ways of researching the effectiveness of biodynamic methods, and measuring results. This is an invaluable guide for anyone working with biodynamic methods, offering Koepf's unique insights and wisdom on practical issues. This overview of Koepf's work is a newly-edited combination of four pamphlets: Compost, Biodynamic Sprays, Three Lectures on Biodynamics, and Research in Biodynamic Agriculture. Published in association with the Biodynamic Association.

What would it take to grow mushrooms in space? How can mushroom cultivation help us manage, or at least make use of, invasive species such as kudzu and water hyacinth and thereby reduce dependence on herbicides? Is it possible to develop a low-cost and easy-to-implement mushroom-growing kit that would provide high-quality edible protein and bioremediation in the wake of a natural disaster? How can we advance our understanding of morel cultivation so that growers stand a better chance of success?For more than twenty years, mycology expert Tradd Cotter has been pondering these questions and conducting trials in search of the answers. In Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation, Cotter not only offers readers an in-depth exploration of best organic mushroom cultivation practices; he shares the results of his groundbreaking research and offers myriad ways to apply your cultivation skills and further incorporate mushrooms into your life whether your goal is to help your community clean up industrial pollution or simply to settle down at the end of the day with a cold Reishi-infused homebrew ale.The book first guides readers through an in-depth exploration of indoor and outdoor cultivation. Covered skills range from integrating wood-chip beds spawned with king stropharia into your garden and building a trenched raft of hardwood logs plugged with shiitake spawn to producing oysters indoors on spent coffee grounds in a 4x4 space or on pasteurized sawdust in vertical plastic columns. For those who aspire to the self-sufficiency gained by generating and expanding spawn rather than purchasing it, Cotter offers in-depth coverage of lab techniques, including low-cost alternatives that make use of existing infrastructure and materials.Cotter also reports his groundbreaking research cultivating morels both indoors and out, training mycelium to respond to specific contaminants, and perpetuating spawn on cardboard without the use of electricity. Readers will discover information on making tinctures, powders, and mushroom-infused honey; making an antibacterial mushroom cutting board; and growing mushrooms on your old denim jeans.Geared toward readers who want to grow mushrooms without the use of pesticides, Cotter takes organic one step further by introducing an entirely new way of thinking one that looks at the potential to grow mushrooms on just about anything, just about anywhere, and by anyone."

Learn how to create your own no dig, organic garden with permaculture design and techniques. Vera's 15 years of experience as a no dig gardener provides a vast amount of knowledge on growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. The book is divided into two sections, container gardening and permaculture kitchen gardening. Part One shares knowledge especially useful to urban gardeners and those with little space. Part Two advises on starting and maintaining a garden. Vera's speciality is creating beautiful and delicious polycultures and she offers a range of examples to get you started and the knowledge to experiment. She also includes recipes for your fresh harvests. Chapters on making compost, building raised beds, and a monthly job guide make this useful for all levels of gardener. Vera demonstrates that gardens can look beautiful and be productive, and her advice and examples encourage us to look at our own growing spaces in a different light. We no longer need to hide our veggie patches; they can take centre stage. Why not incorporate cut flowers with herbs, brassicas and peas? Or plant a pottager garden? These examples will help people create edible paradises everywhere, like patios, balconies, windowsills, allotments, community and school gardens, front and back gardens and anywhere else we can grow.

Smart gardeners know that soil is anything but an inert substance. Healthy soil is teeming with life not just earthworms and insects, but a staggering multitude of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms. When we use chemical fertilizers, we injure the microbial life that sustains healthy plants, and thus become increasingly dependent on an arsenal of artificial, often toxic, substances. But there is an alternative to this vicious cycle. We can garden in a way that strengthens the soil food web the complex world of soil-dwelling organisms whose interactions create a nurturing environment for plants. "Teaming with Microbes" extols the benefits of cultivating the soil food web. First, it clearly explains the activities and organisms that make up the web. Next, it explains how gardeners can cultivate the life of the soil through the use of compost, mulches, and compost tea. The revised edition updates the original text and includes two completely new chapters on mycorrhizae (beneficial associations fungi form with green-leaved plants) and archaea (single-celled organisms once thought to be allied to bacteria). With Jeff Lowenfels' help, everyone from devotees of organic gardening techniques to weekend gardeners who simply want to grow healthy, vigorous plants without resorting to chemicals can create rich, nurturing, living soil.

Engaging and quirky; full of ideas and inspiration for garden projects that you'll be itching to try for yourself. Dave Goulson, author of The Garden Jungle A thoughtful and practical guide Country Life Design a garden for the future - because what we grow matters. Transform your garden into a self-sustaining haven for nature and wildlife. Ecological garden designer Matt Rees-Warren shares inspirational design ideas and practical projects to help you create a garden that is both beautiful today and sustainable tomorrow. The Ecological Gardener will give you the tools to create an abundant, healthy garden from the soil up - a garden that welcomes birds and bees and allows native planting and wild flowers to flourish, with minimal carbon impact or need for fresh water. This book can guide both novice and experienced gardeners alike in their journey to a more ecological approach, and is full of practical projects and information, including: Finding the right design for your space Creating a wildflower meadow Building rainwater catchments and other tips for water conservation Making compost from kitchen waste, leafmould, compost tea and more Creating a space for wildlife such as hedgehogs, bees and other pollinators Finding beauty in your garden during the winter Matt will show you how to reimagine how you garden, working with nature instead of controlling it, to create a space that promotes both wildlife and beauty.

All the things consumers can do with Diatomaceous Earth: Over 101 easy ways to go green with this amazing food grade Diatomaceous Earth (DE) that originates from ancient fossilized algae provided by Mother Nature. * Safer natural insecticide for homes, gardens, animals, birds, barns, farms, kennels, grains, crops, schools, parks, etc. * Learn what DE is, where it comes from, & how to use it. * Learn tools, application methods & recipes for applying DE. * Learn how to read labels correctly to choose the right kind of DE. * Learn how to identify and distinguish from unsuitable industrial filtering grades. * Learn about health risks linked to toxic chemical pesticides. * Discover eco-stories & anecdotal comments from all kinds of successful users of DE. * Find healthier & more contented birds & animals: DE rids fleas, ticks, lice & parasites. * Use DE as an animal feed additive for improved nutrition & health. * Use DE in animal feed as an anti-caking agent for anti-clumping, easy flow & mixing. * Use DE as a deodorizer on manure for drier mangers, barns, & stables for less flies. * Use DE as a soil amender for clay soils for more porosity & supply 14 trace minerals. * Use DE for protecting & storing grains & seeds. * Use DE to clean up oil spills. * Use DE to clean & polish tarnished silver & copper. * Use DE to dry leaves & flowers for arrangements. * Use DE as a non-scratching soft scrub. * Use DE to remove light scratches from vehicles. * Use DE as a deodorizer in shoes, kitty litter, refrigerator, vacuum bags & garbage cans, etc.

Discover how to keep your garden in the best of health. Ideal for first-time gardeners, Grow Pests & Diseases contains everything you need to know to prevent and treat a wide range of plant pests, diseases, disorders, and more. Far more than a simple list of treatments, this book shows you how to keep plants in top condition, recognise the signs of ill-health, and decide whether or not intervention is needed, while the fully illustrated ailment directory is organised by symptom and plant type for quick and easy identification. Packed with practical, jargon-free know-how, this easy-to-use guide has everything you need to know to help your garden Grow.

Ecological gardening with ease and simplicity. Gardening Naturally offers a wealth of information and practical advice for growing indoor and outdoor plants based on sustainability, a rejection of artificial chemicals, and respect for biodiversity and the natural world. From advice on planning your garden and dealing with disease, insects, and the arrival of cold weather, to tips for starting your own compost, repotting effectively, and choosing which local and native flowers to best attract pollinators, Gardening Naturally will interest anyone who wants to add flowers, edibles, and greenery to their daily life, no matter the size of their balcony or the extent of their garden.

Even though technology makes us more "connected" than ever, we still hunger for authentic relationships-with the natural world, our creator, and one another. But how do we find them, especially when we've lost touch with many of the foundational rhythms that draw us together? The Kindred Life is a rallying cry for real connection in a time when we need to re capture what's been lost. In this collection of stories, photos, and recipes from her home on Kindred Farm in Santa Fe, Tennessee, sustainable farmer Christine Bailey shares both the beautiful and gritty moments as she grew from a hopeful urban gardener to co-owner of a farm full of produce, bees, chickens, and flowers that provides meaningful experiences for friends, family, and hundreds of guests each year. Kindred means "tribe" or "family," and at the center of The Kindred Life is an invita tion to pursue the experiences that unite us, like spending time in the dirt, slowing down, and joining in a simple meal under the stars. We were all created with the ability to carve out a life of connection, and it's worth every bit of sweat it takes to get there. We can slow down. We can step forward in bravery to do hard things well. And we can be intentional about gathering with and investing in others. Discover the beauty of community, the magic of coming together around the table, and the lessons the land can teach you as you unearth your very own Kindred Life-right where you are.

Gardener's Planner and Logbook for Every Garden"Anyone wanting to get started with a flower garden will find plenty of expert guidance here." -Publishers Weekly, praise for Growing Flowers by author Niki Irving Companion Logbook for Growing Flowers, a #1 Best Seller in Annual Flowers Gardening, Bulb Flower Gardening, and Perennial Gardening Perfectly suited to gardeners of all levels, this gorgeous gardener's planner gathers the flower gardening essentials in Niki Irving's Growing Flowers into one functional place to plan, organize and log all things gardening. A gardening logbook and tracker is just what every avid planter needs. This flower gardening planner includes places to chart the amount of sun each part of your garden receives to help you choose the ideal plants; to note the date plants are planted, the type of soil used, and the amount of water they need to flourish; and everything else you need to remember along the way. Cultivate your creativity with this helpful gardener's planner. With a variety of tracking and planning pages, you no longer have to worry about keeping all of those small, easy-to-forget flower gardening essentials and details in your head. Instead, you can take advantage of the blank space included for drawing and diagramming your ideal landscape layout-or your snug, sunny balcony. Inside Growing Flowers Gardening Logbook, you'll find helpful gardening tips and tools, such as: Instructions on how to handle and treat for garden pests A Plant-to-Harvest and Seed-to-Bloom plant tracker A Seed Starting Log for those who like to start from scratch If you're looking for a flower gardening gift for mom and dad-or if you liked The Gardener's Logbook, The Family Garden Planner, or Growing Flowers-you'll love the Growing Flowers Gardening Logbook.

Drip irrigation is the best way to help any plant flourish and survive tough times, especially short or long droughts. Pick the wrong "stuff " and you easily can feel overwhelmed. Robert Kourik's Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates clearly explains how to use less water yet increase the yields of vegetables and promote the growth and flowering of all plants--trees, shrubs, and container plants--in any climate, even where it rains irregularly.

In the tradition of the original groundbreaking book, this fully revised edition incorporates new information essential for gardeners, including how to manage limited water supplies with precision and efficiency, without the clutter of hundreds of widgets and gizmos, and the knowledge is shared in Kourik's inimitable, friendly, down-to-earth, and easy-to-understand style.

Drip Irrigation for Every Landscape and All Climates, reveals how to:

Utilize drip irrigation for everything you grow--trees, shrubs, hanging plants, container plants, and vegetable and flower gardens --and save up to 50 percent of your water compared to sprinklers.

Use a streamlined configuration of hardware and tubing.

Choose the best, sturdiest hardware that will last for decades in your home landscape and vegetable garden.

Pick tubing that has no emitters punched on the outside--these have a tendency to break off--and use this tubing buried beneath the surface to irrigate without losing any water to wind or evaporation.

Roll out a drip system in a very short period of time, avoiding tedious hours punching in emitters or adding smaller tubing to reach each plant.

Capture and reuse gray water and cistern water for irrigation.

Construct a system in which the main parts are effectively hidden or can be simply attached to an existing garden faucet.

Individual projects are carefully detailed and include: how anyone can construct a system by attaching it to an existing garden faucet or the main water supply, constructing larger assemblies for big gardens, irrigating all sizes of potted plants, easy ways to irrigate a vegetable garden, and how to lay out tubing for the best health of trees and shrubs.

Discover everything you need to know to kick-start your composting journey! Dig into compost basics and get to grips with the many benefits of composting and the tools you'll need to get the job done. It's time to let your garden grow! You don't have to be a horticulture expert to get started, this indispensable compost gardening book for beginners will take you through every single step! It includes: - Gardening tips on how to make compost at home - Packed with practical, jargon-free advice, and simple DIY composting techniques - Easy-to-follow format to help grow your gardening knowledge Perfect for first-time gardeners, this is your no-fuss guide to composting! From making your own fertiliser for plants to building your own compost bin, this sustainable gardening book will help you give your vegetable and flower garden a boost. Gorgeous, full-colour photography provides plenty of inspiration to get you started! Expert tips and step-by-step instructions on every page help make sure that you care for your garden in the right way for them to flourish. Make your green-fingered dreams a reality with the Grow Series from DK. Learn how to brighten up even the trickiest areas in Grow Containers, or discover how to garden more sustainably in Grow Eco-Gardening. Alternatively, there are more titles to explore such as Grow Pruning & Training and Grow Houseplants.

If you love the joys of eating home-garden vegetables but always thought those joys had to stop at the end of summer, this book is for you. Eliot Coleman introduces the surprising fact that most of the United States has more winter sunshine than the south of France. He shows how North American gardeners can successfully use that sun to raise a wide variety of traditional winter vegetables in backyard cold frames and plastic covered tunnel greenhouses without supplementary heat. Coleman expands upon his own experiences with new ideas learned on a winter-vegetable pilgrimage across the ocean to the acknowledged kingdom of vegetable cuisine, the southern part of France, which lies on the 44th parallel, the same latitude as his farm in Maine. This story of sunshine, weather patterns, old limitations and expectations, and new realities is delightfully innovative in the best gardening tradition. Four-Season Harvest will have you feasting on fresh produce from your garden all through the winter. To learn more about the possibility of a four-season farm, please visit Coleman's website www.fourseasonfarm.com.

Choosing locally grown organic food is a sustainable living trend that's taken hold throughout North America. Celebrated farming expert Eliot Coleman helped start this movement with The New Organic Grower published 20 years ago. He continues to lead the way, pushing the limits of the harvest season while working his world-renowned organic farm in Harborside, Maine.

Now, with his long-awaited new book, The Winter Harvest Handbook, anyone can have access to his hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters.

Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest, this new book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses.

Coleman offers clear, concise details on greenhouse construction and maintenance, planting schedules, crop management, harvesting practices, and even marketing methods in this complete, meticulous, and illustrated guide. Readers have access to all the techniques that have proven to produce higher-quality crops on Coleman's own farm.

His painstaking research and experimentation with more than 30 different crops will be valuable to small farmers, homesteaders, and experienced home gardeners who seek to expand their production seasons.

A passionate advocate for the revival of small-scale sustainable farming, Coleman provides a practical model for supplying fresh, locally grown produce during the winter season, even in climates where conventional wisdom says it "just can't be done."

This book will teach you everything you need to know about feeding your garden, orchard or smallholding with homemade and chemical-free `teas'. It is packed with recipes for creating nutrient-rich, healthy soil, to give you healthy plants and ecosystems. Author, Eric Fisher, provides an in depth history of organic agriculture and the rise in chemical inputs. He then goes on to explore the importance of nutrients, their cycles and the structure of soil. This enables the reader to truly understand their soil and own ecosystem, so they can manage it properly. Once we understand how soil and nutrients work, it is easier to diagnose the problems and find a natural remedy. Eric provides recipes for a wide range of compost teas that can remedy many different problems, as well as for natural pesticides and insecticides. Eric shows the reader how to use the plants growing around them to create these `teas', using aerobic and anaerobic processes, as well as how to grow specific plants to encourage beneficial insects for healthy ecosystems. Eric's aim is for growers to feel confident in diagnosing plant disease and pest problems, and then be able to create the right remedy for the problem. If we can care for the health of our plants and soil without using chemicals, we can save money, encourage others to do the same, and show agri-business that their chemical inputs are not necessary.

In his insightful new book, Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind, contrary farmer Gene Logsdon provides the inside story of manure-our greatest, yet most misunderstood, natural resource. He begins by lamenting a modern society that not only throws away both animal and human manure-worth billions of dollars in fertilizer value-but that spends a staggering amount of money to do so. This wastefulness makes even less sense as the supply of mined or chemically synthesized fertilizers dwindles and their cost skyrockets. In fact, he argues, if we do not learn how to turn our manures into fertilizer to keep food production in line with increasing population, our civilization, like so many that went before it, will inevitably decline.

With his trademark humor, his years of experience writing about both farming and waste management, and his uncanny eye for the small but important details, Logsdon artfully describes how to manage farm manure, pet manure and human manure to make fertilizer and humus. He covers the field, so to speak, discussing topics like:

How to select the right pitchfork for the job and use it correctly

How to operate a small manure spreader

How to build a barn manure pack with farm animal manure

How to compost cat and dog waste

How to recycle toilet water for irrigation purposes, and

How to get rid ourselves of our irrational paranoia about feces and urine.

Gene Logsdon does not mince words. This fresh, fascinating and entertaining look at an earthy, but absolutely crucial subject, is a small gem and is destined to become a classic of our agricultural literature.

Barbara Pleasant and Deborah L. Martin turn the compost bin upside down with their liberating system of keeping compost heaps right in the garden, rather than in some dark corner behind the garage. The compost and the plants live together from the beginning in a nourishing, organic environment. The authors' bountiful, compost-rich gardens require less digging, weeding, mulching, and even less planting. And here's one of the best parts -- no more backbreaking slogs from compost bin to garden. The authors even identify the plants that benefit most from compost and how the elements of a composted garden work together.
A natural Six-Way Compost Gardening System provides the ruling principles for successfully improving every garden with healthy compost. Readers will learn how to:
1. Choose labor-saving sites that keep gardens and compost piles as close to one another as possible.
2. Work with the compostable riches produced at home. Every yard and kitchen produces plenty of material -- easily identified with at-a-glance charts -- for a great start.
3. Help composting critters do their work by balancing ingredients, adding high-nitrogen meals when needed, and keeping the compost moist.
4. Reuse recycling bin items, such as large plastic buckets and cardboard boxes, as composting equipment.
5. Keep diversity in the mix. The magic is in the variety of the components and how they work together to create "gardener's gold."
6. Customize composting to suit specific garden needs, always concentrating first on soil care.
Adhering to these guidelines, Pleasant and Martin bring readers on a thorough, informative tour of materials and innovative techniques, leading the way to an efficient and rewarding home gardening system. Their methods are sure to help gardeners turn average vegetable plots into rich incubators of healthy produce, bursting with fresh flavor, and flower beds into rich tapestries of bountiful blooms all season long.