The Everything Grow Your Own Vegetables Book: Your Complete Guide to planting, tending, and harvesting vegetables

by Catherine Abbott, Meghan Shinn (Foreword by)

Overview

Vine-ripened tomatoes. Succulent squash. Plump cucumbers. Growing vegetables is a rewarding-and cost-effective-way to eat better for less. But it can be overwhelming if you're just starting out. The Everything® Grow Your Own Vegetables Book is just what you need to water and weed your way to success!

Complete with step-by-step instructions for planting, cultivating, harvesting, and storing more than thirty common vegetables, you'll find tips on everything from fertilizing to troubleshooting and learn how to plant and harvest your favorite veggies. This book has everything you need to enjoy fresh, delicious veggies in any climate, any time of year!

Experienced farmer Catherine Abbott offers easy-to-understand advice on how to:

Maximize your garden space

Grow enough food to sustain your family

Keep your plants indoors

Know when your vegetables are ready to harvest

Plan for future seasons

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440500145
Publisher:	Adams Media
Publication date:	01/01/2010
Series:	Everything
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
File size:	4 MB

About the Author

Catherine Abbott (British Columbia, Canada) grew up on a farm in Northern Alberta. She grew vegetables in her suburban backyard until 2000, when she and her husband decided to make a lifestyle change and started a small-scale vegetable farm. She now grows fabulous vegetables that she sells in her local community. She also teaches gardening classes, and has developed a popular website called www.your-vegetable-gardening-helper.com.

Meghan Shinn (Cincinnati, OH) is the editor of Horticulture, a national magazine for avid home gardeners. Currently her plant-related pursuits are limited to container gardening, as she and her husband have only an apartment patio for outdoor space. They make the most of it with pots full of annuals and veggies.

Table of Contents

Ten Steps to a Bountiful Vegetable Garden x

Foreword xi

Introduction xiii

01 Choosing a Garden Site 1

Why Do You Want to Grow Vegetables? 2

What Do You Want to Grow? 3

Consider Your Climate 4

The Importance of Sunlight 7

The Water Source 8

From Lawn to Garden 9

City Gardening 11

02 Your Garden Layout 13

What Is Your Style? 14

Design Decisions 15

Pathways 17

Choosing the Right Vegetables 19

Consider What the Veggies Need 21

Placement of the Plants 22

03 The Garden Soil 29

What Is Soil? 30

What Is Your Soil Type? 31

Soil Testing: Is It Important? 33

Soil Nutrients 34

Do You Fertilize? 36

What Are Soil Amendments? 37

Soil Preparation 39

04 Veggies in Containers 43

The Advantages 44

Disadvantages to Container Growing 45

The Best Veggies for Containers 46

The Containers 48

Container Soil 50

Watering and Fertilizing 51

05 Raised Beds 55

The Benefits 56

What to Consider 57

Your Design 58

Building Your Raised Bed 59

Square Foot Gardening 61

Gardening with a Physical Disability 63

06 Greenhouse Gardening 65

Extend Your Growing Season 66

Protect Your Plants 67

Cold Frames 68

Plastic Tunnels 70

Glass Greenhouses 72

Greenhouse Maintenance 73

Best Veggies for the Greenhouse 74

07 Vegetable Seeds 77

Choosing Seeds 78

Starting Seeds Outdoors 79

Transplants: Buy or Start Your Own? 81

Caring for Your Seedlings 83

Saving Seeds 85

08 Salad Stuff 89

Lettuce 90

Celery 91

Oriental Vegetables 93

Salad Greens 94

Spinach 95

Swiss Chard 97

09 Brassicas 99

Broccoli 100

Brussels Sprouts 101

Cabbage 102

Cauliflower 104

Collards 105

Kale 107

10 Beans, Peas, and PerennialVegetables 109

Beans 110

Peas 112

Artichokes 114

Sun Chokes 115

Asparagus 116

11 The Root Veggies 119

Beets 120

Carrots 121

Potatoes 123

Radishes 125

Rutabagas and Turnips 126

Garlic 128

Leeks 130

Onions 132

12 Heat-Loving Veggies 135

Corn 136

Cucumbers 137

Eggplants 139

Okra 141

Peppers 142

Squash 144

Tomatoes 146

13 Tips for Raising Happy, Healthy Veggies 149

Crop Rotation 150

Companion Planting 151

Protecting Your Plants 153

Trellis and Staking 155

Compost and Manure Teas 157

Green Manures and Cover Crops 159

14 Composting Basics 161

The Benefits of Composting 162

Choosing a Bin 163

Composting Materials 164

Making Compost 167

Composting with Earthworms 168

Problem Solving 170

15 Easy Ways to Water 173

Hand Watering 174

Overhead Watering 175

Drip Irrigation 176

Signs of Underwatering 178

Signs of Overwatering 179

Combating Drainage Problems 180

16 Controlling the Weeds 183

Know Your Weeds 184

What Weeds Can Tell You 185

Weed Your Garden 187

Mulch: Does It Work? 188

Other Ways to Control Weeds 189

The Benefits of Weeds 191

17 Pests and Diseases: What Do I Do? 193

Find the Problem 194

Start with Healthy Soil 195

Good Gardening Practices 196

Keep Your Plants Healthy 198

Use Natural Controls 199

Harmful Pests Versus Beneficial Insects and Animals 200

Common Diseases 202

18 Harvesting Your Bounty 205

Harvesting Tips 206

Knowing When to Pick Vegetables 208

Storage Tips 211

Freezing Veggies 213

Canning Veggies 215

19 Top Gardening Tools 217

Choosing the Right Tool 218

Shovels 219

Garden Fork 219

Rake 220

Hoe 221

Trowel 221

Wheelbarrow 222

Garden Hose 222

Sharp Knife 223

Garden Gloves 223

Garden Journal 224

Cleaning and Sharpening Your Tools 225

20 Troubleshooting 227

Identify the Problem 228

Garden Concerns 229

Signs of Nutrient Deficiency in the Soil 231

What's Wrong with My Plants? 232

Specific Veggie Concerns 233

Vegetable Pest and Disease Identification 235

21 Organic Versus Nonorganic Vegetable Gardening 239

What is Organic Gardening? 240

The Organic Principles 241

The Benefits of Eating Organic 243

The Transition 244

22 Plan for Next Season 249

Did You Choose a Good Garden Site? 250

Did Your Plants Get Enough Sunlight and Rainfall? 250

Was the Garden Too Large or Too Small? 251

Did You Have Too Many or Too Few Vegetables? 252

Did You Have Pest Problems? 253

Were Certain Diseases a Problem? 254

Did You Have the Tools You Needed? 255

What Do You Want to Try Next Season? 255

Did You Have Fun? 256

Appendix A Web and Book Resources 257

Appendix B Glossary of Terms 261

Appendix C Vegetable Garden Recipes 269

Index 283