This wonderfully readable book by premier gardening writer and photographer Derek Fell presents invaluable information on every element of gardening from design and planting to maintaining and harvesting. Full color throughout.

Solid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this book perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike. Full color throughout.

What gardeners want most is a bigger and better return on their investment of time and money—maximum yields and superior flavor for edibles, long-lasting blooms for flowers. Derek Fell's Grow This! features expert advice for choosing and growing the top-performing plants (and avoiding the ones that disappoint). Derek Fell has grown hundreds of varieties and annually visits gardens and test plots across America, so he's qualified to guide gardeners to the best of the best—more than 600 vegetable, flower, herb, and lawn grass all-stars. He offers honest feedback about plant performance, even when it contradicts favorable public opinion or a grower's claims. Seed racks may be filled with ‘Kentucky Wonder' snap beans, but he dismisses that variety as too fibrous and needy and instead recommends ‘Blue Lake' beans for tenderness and high yields. Fell's firsthand experience means the difference between choosing plant winners and losers. Packed with insider evaluations from seedsmen, growers, and nursery retailers that readers won't find elsewhere, Derek Fell's Grow This! explains industry lingo and debunks marketing hype to help gardeners select the best-performing plants for all garden conditions and goals.

This wonderfully readable series by premier gardening writer and photographer Derek Fell presents invaluable information on every element of gardening from design and planting to maintaining and harvesting. Each information-packed volume includes: -- A discussion of Fell's gardening principles, including site evaluation, soil testing and conditioning, selection of appropriate plants, and tips on care and maintenance -- The basics of garden design, with tips on creating striking color harmonies and special theme gardens, complete with sample garden plants that detail effective designs -- An A-to-Z listing of Fell's recommendations for truly superior plants -- each entry includes a full-color photograph, a complete description of the plant, cultivation information and propagation methods, the season of bloom, disease and pest resistance, and the plant's best usesSolid advice from one of the world's foremost gardening authorities and a focus on results that are both beautiful and achievable makes this series perfect for beginners and experienced gardeners alike.

A guide to growing an organic herb garden that requires a minimum of maintenance includes more than fifty recipes and instructions for a range of herb projects.

Perhaps it's because of the uncertainty that surrounds the safety of produce purchased in the grocery store these days. Perhaps it's because people are looking for fun, inexpensive hobbies to dive into. Or perhaps it's because there's nothing like the taste of fresh fruits and veggies grown in the backyard. But whatever the reason, readers need advice on gardening now more than ever before. And The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vegetable Gardening is just the place to turn. In this book, expert authors Daria Price Bowman and Carl A. Price provide information on: Expert techniques for planning and plotting a gardenUnderstanding what's necessary for soil nourishmentPlanting seeds and seedlingsGrowing fruits, vegetables, berries, and moreCultivating medicinal and healing herbsRecognizing and preventing the most common plant diseasesIdentifying and eliminating weedsPruning and trimming plantsKnowing when to harvestDeciding whether to can, dry, or freeze A comprehensive, easy-to-read book, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vegetable Gardening is an excellent resource for anyone interested in growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs.