Even though this book was written over 25 years ago, composting is experiencing a renaissance - and this revised edition includes all the latest in new techniques, technology, equipment. Gardeners know it's the best way to feed the soil and turn food scraps into fresh produce, but even urbanites can get on board thanks to programs like compost pickup and citywide food waste initiatives. There's no better way to reduce landfill waste (and subsequent emissions) and dependence on fossil fuels while nourishing the earth. The Rodale Book of Composting offers easy-to-follow instructions for making and using compost, helpful tips for apartment dwellers to suburbanites, farmers and community leaders, and ecologically sound solutions to growing waste-disposal problems.

First published in 1977, this book--from one of America's most famous and prolific agricultural writers--became an almost instant classic among homestead gardeners and small farmers. Now fully updated and available once more, Small-Scale Grain Raising offers a entirely new generation of readers the best introduction to a wide range of both common and lesser-known specialty grains and related field crops, from corn, wheat, and rye to buckwheat, millet, rice, spelt, flax, and even beans and sunflowers.

More and more Americans are seeking out locally grown foods, yet one of the real stumbling blocks to their efforts has been finding local sources for grains, which are grown mainly on large, distant corporate farms. At the same time, commodity prices for grains--and the products made from them--have skyrocketed due to rising energy costs and increased demand. In this book, Gene Logsdon proves that anyone who has access to a large garden or small farm can (and should) think outside the agribusiness box and learn to grow healthy whole grains or beans--the base of our culinary food pyramid--alongside their fruits and vegetables.

Starting from the simple but revolutionary concept of the garden "pancake patch," Logsdon opens up our eyes to a whole world of plants that we wrongly assume only the agricultural "big boys" can grow. He succinctly covers all the basics, from planting and dealing with pests, weeds, and diseases to harvesting, processing, storing, and using whole grains. There are even a few recipes sprinkled throughout, along with more than a little wit and wisdom.

Never has there been a better time, or a more receptive audience, for this book. Localvores, serious home gardeners, CSA farmers, and whole-foods advocates--in fact, all people who value fresh, high-quality foods--will find a field full of information and ideas in this once and future classic.

Patiently nurturing a bonsai and watching it come to resemble a venerable old tree is what bonsai growers love best. Most bonsai hobbyists will be content simply to raise such a tree, but bonsai's greatest satisfaction actually lies one step beyond: in displaying the tree indoors to be viewed and appreciated. Patiently nurturing a bonsai and watching it come to resemble a venerable old tree is what bonsai growers love best. Most bonsai hobbyists will be content simply to raise such a tree, but bonsai's greatest satisfaction actually lies one step beyond: in

"A simple, down-to-earth introduction to the method of biodynamic gardening especially written for the backyard gardener." Long out of print, this classic introduction to biodynamic gardening introduces the gardener to an obvious, often forgotten principle: gardening is about living things, life forces, and life as such. In his introduction, John Philbrick talks of how each morning he was in the habit of meditating and communing in his garden at sunrise, until he gradually realized that the important things at work were "the forces of life"-"life is the key to existence on this planet." He also realized that most gardeners were more concerned with death, with getting rid of things -bugs, weeds, fungi -than with life. Biodynamics is based on the interrelatedness, or the dynamics, of life forces. As Philbrick says: When you become aware of biodynamics, you become aware that everything that is alive is dependent upon everything else that's alive, and it's all a marvelous network of living things which are constantly changing. This book provides a simple and practical guide for the beginning gardener. It deals with planning a vegetable garden: how, when, and where to plant seeds and tools and compost making raised beds crop rotation, mulching, and companion plants harvesting, cooking, and preserving There are also sections on flowers, lawns, and home orchards. GARDENING FOR HEALTH & NUTRITION concludes with a useful chapter on "most frequently asked questions." If you are planning a garden-or need a few tips for the one you have, this is the book for you.

The story of how Francis Pryor created a haven for people, plants and wildlife in a remote corner of the fens. A Fenland Garden is the story of the creation of a garden in a complex and fragile English landscape - the Fens of southern Lincolnshire - by a writer who has a very particular relationship with landscape and the soil, thanks to his distinguished career as an archaeologist and discoverer of some of England's earliest field systems. It describes the imagining, planning and building of a garden in an unfamiliar and sometimes hostile place, and the challenges, setbacks and joys these processes entail. This is a narrative of the making of a garden, but it is also about reclaiming a patch of ground for nature and wildlife - of repairing the damage done to a small slice of Fenland landscape by decades of intensive farming. A Fenland Garden is informed by the empirical wisdom of a practising gardener (and archaeologist) and by his deep understanding of the soil, landscape and weather of the region; Francis's account of the development of the garden is counterpointed by fascinating nuggets of Fenland lore and history, as well as by vignettes of the plantsman's trials and tribulations as he works an exceptionally demanding plot of land. Above all, this is the story of bringing something beautiful into being; of embedding a garden in the local landscape; and thereby of deepening and broadening the idea of home.

The essential elements of a dry Japanese garden are few: rocks, gravel, moss. Simultaneously a sensual matrix, a symbolic form and a memory theatre, these gardens exhibit beautiful miniaturization and precise craftsmanship. However, their apparent minimalism belies a deeper complexity. In Zen Landscapes, Allen S. Weiss takes readers on a journey through these exquisite sites, explaining how Japanese gardens must be approached according to the play of scale, surroundings and seasons, as well as in relation to other arts, thus revealing them as living landscapes rather than abstract designs. These gardens are inspired by the Zen aesthetics of the tea ceremony, manifested in poetry, painting, calligraphy, architecture, cuisine and ceramics. Japanese art favours suggestion and allusion, valuing the threshold between the distinct and the inchoate, between figuration and abstraction, and Weiss argues that ceramics play a crucial role here, relating as much to the site-specificity of landscape as to the ritualized codes of the tea ceremony and the everyday gestures of the culinary table. With more than 100 stunning colour photographs, Zen Landscapes is the first in-depth study in the West to examine the correspondences between gardens and ceramics. A fascinating look at landscape art and its relation to the customs and craftsmanship of the Japanese arts, it will appeal to readers interested in landscape design and Japan's art and culture.

Forage is a beautifully illustrated celebration of edible plants that can be found throughout the world. Anybody can enjoy the increasingly popular back-to-nature activity of foraging. In some countries these plants are now forgotten as food, but in others they are still celebrated for their value as nutritious, delicious ingredients and cooking with wild plants is increasingly being adopted by mainstream restaurants. Journeying through 50 globally populated edible plants, Forage explores the culture and history of our wild food. Stunning botanical illustrations by artist Rachel Pedder-Smith accompany each plant, alongside recipes inspired by the regions of the world where they are most celebrated.