Hydroponics offers many advantages to traditional soil-based horticulture. These include greater control over many of the limiting factors, such as light, temperature, and pests, as well as the ability to grow plants in all seasons. With instruction from one of the top recognized authorities worldwide, Hydroponics for the Home Grower gives you step-by-step guidance on how to grow tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplant, lettuce, arugula, bok choy, and various herbs year-round within your home or in a backyard greenhouse. Read an Interview with Dr. Resh here With Dr. Howard Resh's help, you'll learn: Background information on how hydroponics evolved The nutritional and environmental demands of plants and how to control these factors How to provide formulations of nutrients optimal to the plants you wish to grow The many different hydroponic systems you can purchase or build for yourself Designs for different types of greenhouses with components to fit your personal taste and budget Crop selection and step-by-step procedures, including seeding, transplanting, training, pest and disease control, and harvesting-along with when to plant and when to change crops How you can grow microgreens on your kitchen counter The book includes an appendix with sources of seeds and other supplies, along with helpful websites and lists of books, articles, and conferences on growing hydroponically and caring for your crops. By following the guidelines in this book, you'll understand everything you need to know to get your home-growing operation up and running in no time.

Know, grow, and create beautiful bonsai Step-By-Step Bonsai is the ultimate introduction to bonsai trees, with illustrated step-by-step projects to make bonsai for beginners simple and achievable. With an A-Z directory of bonsai tree care, you'll learn the key techniques needed to create your own beautiful miniature landscapes. Author and internationally renowned bonsai artist Peter Warren has taught and worked all over the world and brings you the best of Japanese bonsai. His expertise will introduce you to the tools you'll need, tips for bonsai tree care, styling ideas and how to get the best from your bonsai plants. A complete 'how to' on planting, propagation, pruning and training techniques, plant care, and siting. Bonsai trees will bring serenity to your garden and make your landscape truly unique, even in an urban setting. With traditional techniques, display ideas and 20 contemporary projects for your miniature trees, Step-By-Step Bonsai uses photographic guides to make growing bonsai easy and approachable.

A polytunnel, high tunnel or hoop house, can be used as an affordable, low-carbon aid to growing your own food all year round, from crispy salads and fresh vegetables in the dead of winter to juicy melons and mouth-watering grapes in high summer. But once you've decided to invest in a polytunnel, there are many questions to be answered, including: * Do you need planning permission? * What are the different sizes and types you can buy? * Where should you put it, and how do you put it up? * What can you use it for, how do you look after it, and what are the likely problems? The Polytunnel Handbook looks at all aspects of using a polytunnel, from planning your purchase to harvesting the rewards, and includes a step-by-step guide detailing how polytunnels are put up and maintained. There are chapters on developing healthy soil and preventing pests, and a jargon-free guide to the range of often mystifying accessories that many tunnel retailers offer. For the DIY enthusiast there is a full set of instructions for building a polytunnel from scratch, and the authors explain how to keep your polytunnel productive in every season.

An indispensable and lavishly illustrated guide to creating a garden that attracts and sustains butterflies Butterfly gardening creates habitats that support butterflies, connecting us with some of the most beautiful creatures in the natural world and bringing new levels of excitement and joy to gardening. In this engaging and accessible guide, lavishly illustrated with more than two hundred color photographs and maps, accomplished butterfly gardener Jane Hurwitz presents essential information on how to choose and cultivate plants that will attract a range of butterflies to your garden and help sustain all the stages of their life cycles. An indispensable resource for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners alike, Butterfly Gardening is the most gardener-friendly source on the subject, covering all the practical details needed to create a vibrant garden habitat that fosters butterflies. It tells you which plants support which butterflies, depending on where you live; it describes what different butterflies require in the garden over the course of their lives; and it shows you how to become a butterfly watcher as well as a butterfly gardener. While predominantly recommending regionally native plants, the book includes information on non-native plants. It also features informative interviews with experienced butterfly gardeners from across the United States. These gardeners share a wealth of information on plants and practices to draw butterflies to all kinds of gardens--from small suburban gardens to community plots and larger expanses. Whether you are a gardener who wants to see more butterflies in your garden, a butterfly enthusiast who wants to bring that passion to the garden, or someone who simply wants to make their garden or yard friendlier to Monarchs or other butterflies, this is a must-have guide. An essential guide for aspiring and experienced butterfly gardeners Encourages readers to rethink gardening choices to support butterflies and other pollinators in their gardens and communities Introduces gardeners to butterfly watching Includes regional lists of plant species that are time-proven to help sustain butterflies and their caterpillars Features informative interviews with expert butterfly gardeners from across the United States

This beautiful guide to indoor plants is a comprehensive compendium of succulents, cacti, flowering and foliage plants, with detailed instructions on how to care for each, alongside stunning full-page watercolour illustrations of each plant. Whether you are looking to cultivate an entire indoor garden, or simply wish to know more about your single cactus, you can be sure to find the right information for you amongst the more than seventy plants in this stylish guide. And the best bit? All the plants are easy to maintain so even the most timid of gardeners can enjoy turning their hand to this green-fingered pastime. Driven by the beautiful artwork of the phenomenally talented Maaike Koster, alongside insightful text from Emma Sibley, co-founder of London Terrariums, each entry offers a concise but complete guide to these plants, telling you their origins, how to care for them and where in your home they will thrive. Each plant is rendered in considered detail, taking up a full double page spread, with half of this space allotted to the illustration, facing a paragraph on the plant itself, care tips and any information about fellow species. The accessible text and simple instructions make this book just as well suited to those with no gardening experience as to those with years of practice. These plants can be grown in any in-door space and are easy to maintain, so you no longer need a large garden or hours of free time to maintain a vibrant collection of greenery in your home. These plants add interest, tranquility and colour to every corner of our lives, so embark on a verdant adventure with this beautiful and comprehensive guide!

This step-by-step bonsai book shows you how to craft super mini bonsai--the smallest form of bonsai! Miniature Bonsai reveals the Japanese art of super-mini bonsai gardening. As rewarding as full-scale bonsai cultivation is, mini bonsai is affordable, straightforward to learn and kind to your busy schedule. It's a complete gardening experience--a plant raised from seed or cutting, carefully potted, grown and maintained over time--a world of green in a pot no bigger than a demitasse or a thimble. From mixing the right growing medium to choosing the perfect pot to displaying your mini bonsai, this Japanese gardening book gives you basic techniques and valuable tips to help you grow miniature: flowering trees pines maples oaks junipers and other varieties of tiny trees and potted plants that are readily available and last for years With Miniature Bonsai you'll learn how to: Select plants that thrive as mini bonsai Work with seeds and small cuttings Match the right plant to the right pot Buy and prepare the growing medium Maintain and drain your miniature bonsai Display and enjoy your prized bonsai plants And much more! A pleasant pastime, a perfect gift, a beautiful addition to spaces small and large--Miniature Bonsai will show you how to make it happen.

Master the art of growing miniature trees with this fun, jargon-free guide to bonsai. The Little Book of Bonsai will make you an instant expert in the art of growing miniature trees. It is packed with myth-busting surprises, the first of which is that growing bonsai really isn't as hard as most people think. In fact, they are no more difficult to look after than other pot plants, and easier than many. This book makes the job even easier by breaking down the subject into three clear sections: Getting Started, Ongoing Care and Species Profiles. Jargon-free text and dozens of photographs and diagrams make this the ideal guide for complete novices, as well as a handy companion for more experienced growers. Whether you want to grow from seed or source an established plant, everything you need to know is contained in this guide, which, like bonsai themselves, is small but perfectly formed.

Take an inspirational journey through the seasons with this beautifully illustrated RHS children's almanac. Created with the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), the UK's leading gardening charity, this stunning book is perfect for inspiring a love of nature. Watch the seasons unfold as you leaf through this gorgeously illustrated almanac. With stunning illustrations, each page introduces a magical moment in nature with enchanting poetry and stories. Meanwhile, gardening spreads, recipes, outdoor activities and fascinating nature facts help you discover more about the wonderful world around you, from amazing animal migrations to a close-up view of the animal world beneath the soil. The perfect gift to treasure, with sumptuous shiny foil finishes on the cover Stunning illustrations and nature poems and stories take you on a wonderful journey through nature This amazing book will inspire children and (grown-ups!) The perfect book to help you connect with nature.

Maximize your water harvesting potential with efficient, cost-effective earthworks In the face of drought and desertification, well-designed, water harvesting earthworks such as swales, ponds, and dams are the most effective way to channel water into productive use. The result can be increased food production, higher groundwater levels, reduced irrigation needs, and enhanced ecosystem resilience. Yet, due to a lack of knowledge, designers, and landowners often build earthworks that are costly, inappropriately sized and sited, or even dangerous. The Permaculture Earthworks Handbook is the first dedicated, detailed guide to the proper design and construction of water harvesting earthworks. It covers the function, design, and construction methods for nine main types of water harvesting earthworks across a full range of climates. Coverage includes: Swales, ponds, dams, hugelkultur, net-and-pan systems, spate irrigation, and more Cost versus benefit of different earthworks Assessing site needs and suitability Soil types and hydrology Designing for maximum efficiency and lowest cost Risk assessment and safe construction Stacking functions and integrating earthworks into a design This practical handbook is the essential resource for permaculture designers, teachers and students, landowners, farmers, homesteaders, landscape architects, and others involved in maximizing the water harvesting potential of any landscape at the lowest cost and impact. Douglas Barnes is a permaculture designer trained in Australia by Bill Mollison and Geoff Lawton. He has designed and built earthworks in North America, Japan, and Andra Pradesh, India. He lives in Tweed, Ontario in a passive solar house he designed and built, and he blogs at permaculturerelections.com.

Leading landscape architect Kim Wilkie is revered for his unusual vision and his acute grasp of how people have moulded their environment over the centuries. This updated version of his classic book, Led by the Land, has been expanded to include fresh thoughts on farming and settlement and new projects, both huge and intimate, from the designs for new cities in Oman and England to the Swansea Maggie's Centre, and from plans for London's Natural History Museum grounds to the sculptural setting of a furniture factory in Leamington Spa. Wilkie has taken his genius to many parts of the world - including the United States, Chile, Russia, Transylvania, Italy, the Middle East, the very edge of the Arctic Circle, as well as the British Isles - but to each undertaking he brings the same approach of reverence for the land and the creatures that inhabit it. He does not impose his inspiration on it but interacts with it. He allows the land to lead him. Led by the Land ruminates on our species' place in the environment, the way past masters have fashioned it and the hopes for our future fruitful connections and offers not only a rich account of an unusual talent, but also an optimistic vision for our future.

The Little Book of Crops in Small Spots introduces newbie gardeners to the art of growing successfully. Particularly focused on small space gardening, this book is the ideal modern guide for those with a compact urban gardens, courtyard, patio or even just a balcony. Including a handy directory of the best 40 fruit and vegetables to grow no matter how small your space, Jane will show you how to get started with her expert tips and indispensable gardening advice to becoming more self-sufficient. Discover how to maximise your growing power and enjoy getting stuck in as you produce crops to harvest all year round.

What if, one step at a time, we could make our gardens and landscapes more eco-friendly? Barbara W. Ellis's colorful, comprehensive guide shows homeowners, gardeners, garden designers, and landscapers how to do just that for the large and beautiful Chesapeake Bay watershed region. This area includes Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, Washington, D.C., and part of West Virginia (translating to portions of USDA Zones 6, 7, and 8). Here, mid-Atlantic gardeners, from beginners to advanced, will find the essential tools for taking steps to make their gardens part of the solution through long-term planning and planting. The guide is built from the ground up around six simple but powerful principles that anyone can use: Reduce lawn Build plant diversity Grow native plants Manage water runoff Welcome wildlife Garden wisely Included are detailed instructions for assessing and designing your particular garden or landscape site; choosing and caring for trees, shrubs, vines, ground covers, and flowers; and succeeding with such conditions as shade or poor soil. From rain gardens to woodland gardens, meadow gardens to wildlife gardens, and much more, this indispensable guide features more than 300 color photographs. Published in association with the Adkins Arboretum.

*** This easy Q&A format book is suited to both beginner and more experienced growers, and encompasses a wide range of subjects to take readers beyond the basics of fruit and vegetable growing. Taking into account the popularity for growing food from scratch among newbie gardeners, you'll find advice in this book whether you have a garden, an allotment, or even a balcony or other small space to work with-everyone can get involved with growing delicious edibles no matter what space they have available. Discover: - Which varieties to choose for gourmet home cooking, the most nutritious crops to grow, and how to grow unusual edibles like olives. - Techniques and tips to get the most out of each crop, from how to grow epic-size pumpkins to whether it's worth thinning beetroot. - Troubleshooting tips for pest problems: ways to work with wildlife rather than against it and providing an alternative viewpoint on traditional problems, such as eating the weeds as well! - How to make the most of your fruit and vegetable harvest, with information on the best time to pick produce and how to preserve it.

A must-read for anyone who wants to know how to grow their own zero-food miles, pesticide-free veg, while treading gently upon our planet. Dave Goulson, author of The Garden Jungle and Gardening for Bumblebees Whether you're an experienced gardener or have ambitious plans for your allotment, this A-Z, soil-to-table guide shows you how to reduce chemical inputs; naturally enrich your growing ecology; and create a hardy, nutrient-dense and delicious crop. In The Healthy Vegetable Garden, expert organic gardener Sally Morgan explains how to use natural approaches to cope with the challenges of a changing climate through principles from regenerative gardening, agroecology and permaculture - all to help your green space thrive. The Healthy Vegetable Garden shows you how to: Combat disease and keep pests at bay with natural predators, companion planting and trap and barrier crops Choose the right plants to attract pollinators and pest predators Build a healthy soil full of organic matter, earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi Regenerate soil through no-dig practices, composting, cover crops and mulching Boost biodiversity through the use of crop rotations and polyculture Rewild your garden by creating a range of habitats, making use of walls and fences, log piles, water features and wild corners Understand plant defences and use biocontrols Make natural barriers, traps and lures A healthy, productive garden should work in harmony with nature to produce and protect delicious fruits and vegetables as well as build a rich soil that is full of life. With The Healthy Vegetable Garden, growers of all levels will start reducing incidents of pests and diseases while creating a verdant habitat - all without the need for fertilizers, pesticides or weedkillers.