“A comprehensive guide for growing vegetables and herbs filled with hands on advice and time-tested techniques.” —The American Gardener You can grow beautiful, healthy, delicious veggies and herbs right from the start—just follow the trustworthy advice found in The Beginner’s Guide to Growing Great Vegetables. Expert gardener Lorene Edwards Forkner shares all the information you need to create a thriving garden, from facts about soil and sun to tips on fertilizing, mulching, and watering. Regional planting charts show what to plant when, and a month-by-month planner takes you from January through December. Profiles of popular edibles explain exactly how to plant, care for, and harvest your bounty. Whether your garden grows in the ground, on a balcony, or in containers on a sunny patio, this is your guide to grow-your-own success. Your backyard bounty awaits!

Gardens are extensions of our homes, places in which we get outside to relax, entertain, and get some physical exercise. But our gardens are also extensions of the natural world. Through our gardens, as well as other neighborhood greenspaces, we can help counter some of the woes faced by larger environments: rampant development, loss of plant and animal habitat, spread of invasive species, exploitation of natural resources, air and water pollution, and the impacts of global warming. Yes, even small urban backyard landscapes can combat such man-made strains on our local environment—and it’s easy to do! In his new book, The Northwest Garden Manifesto, scientist and gardener John J. Albers provides a comprehensive guide to encourage and enable homeowners to consider the local ecosystem in their own gardens, and in their larger communities. The ideas and concepts in this book reflect the most up-to-date thinking on urban ecology and how to best make our yards reflect the natural world around us. The key to Albers’s approach is for gardeners to first assess the current state of their property and then focus on the following key principles: 1. Protect, conserve, and create healthy soil 2. Maintain healthy plants and create a sustainable landscape 3. Conserve water and other natural resources 4. Protect water and air quality 5. Protect and enhance wildlife habitat 6. Conserve energy 7. Use sustainable methods and materials Through clear explanation, practical examples, and full-color photos, Albers shows how to evaluate any yard in terms of these principles and then challenges the reader to improve each element, one step at a time. From creating better soil to starting a compost pile, attracting pollinators to adding more native plants, or creating a simple circulating water feature to building a fence from recycled wood—gardeners will ultimately turn their backyards into beautiful, healthy, and happy habitat for all.

Growing vegetables requires regionally specific information—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Southeast tackles this need head on, with regionally specific growing information written by local gardening expert, Ira Wallace. This region includes Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Monthly planting guides show exactly what you can do in the garden from January through December. The skill sets go beyond the basics with tutorials on seed saving, worm bins, and more.

The ultimate bible for organic vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest, featuring extensive updates and new material on soil health, natural pest control, and more Now in its seventh edition, this complete guide to organic vegetable, herb, and flower gardening addresses issues of soil, seeds, compost, and watering. Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades has evolved from a self-published pamphlet into the master guide to organic gardening over the past thirty-five years. Steve Solomon, who founded the Territorial Seed Company, was one of the early proponents of organic gardening, and the first to codify and refine the best practices of small-plot vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest. The approaches to understanding and preparing soils, composting, chemical-free fertilizers, efficient uses of water, and garden planning are universal to any climate or region. Solomon gets specific in his extensive advice on growing specific crops—from tomatoes and beans to kale and turnips—in the gentle maritime Northwest climate. This new and updated edition includes: • A new formula for complete organic fertilizer and how to tweak it for different soil conditions • How-to sections for herbs and ornamental plants • New organization for better usability • Updated sources for appropriate seed suppliers • Information about natural pest controls

A beautiful guide to growing delicious fruit in Pacific Northwest climates, complete with selection, planting, and organic care for more than 75 cultivars of berries and fruit trees, as well as 10+ master recipes with variations for preserving your bountiful harvest. This complete guide to backyard fruit growing covers recommended varieties and climate info for the Pacific Northwest both west and east of the Cascades, ideal climates for growing berries and fruit trees. Also includes sidebars showcasing historical orchards, fruit enthusiast societies, gleaning organizations, and more. Includes several recommended cultivars of each of the following types of fruit: -Berries: strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, kiwi berries, plus less common berries such as lingonberries, elderberries, currants, gooseberries, jostaberries, and a section on wild berries. -Fruit trees: apples, pears, Asian pears, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, plums, plus less common fruit trees such as figs, persimmons, and quince.

The Earth in Her Hands celebrates the important contributions women make to the wide world of plants—in the fields of horticulture, environmental science, botany, floral design, farming, landscape architecture, herbalism, food justice, and more.

The complete guide to select, plan, plant, maintain, and problem-solve for gardeners living in the Northwest (including Oregon, Washington, northern California and British Columbia). The Northwest Gardener's Handbook is filled with all the need-to-know information to make your Northwestern garden a success. This book is the when-to, how-to, and what-to of gardening for the more experienced gardener. "When to" information assists gardeners with the proper care and timing for everything from planting to watering. "How to" gives you the best methods needed for your garden. "What-to" covers the climate and topography of the region and the best way to manage and choose annuals, perennials, bulbs, edibles, groundcover, roses, shrubs, trees, vines, native plants and many more types of plants and situations. A section devoted to water-wise gardening offers insight into a key component of every garden which is especially in this region. Save water, money and time with Pat's tips! Gorgeous, full-color photographs provide at-a-glance information on the best plants to use in any situation. Create the best garden possible, using information designed for your specific needs. Whether you're designing a garden from scratch or maintaining one that you've had for years, this is the book for you!

How to grow your own food in the Rockies! Growing vegetables requires regionally specific information—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Mountain States tackles this need head on, with regionally specific growing information written by local gardening expert, Mary Ann Newcomer. Monthly planting guides show exactly what you can do in the garden from January through December. The skill sets go beyond the basics with tutorials on seed saving, worm bins, and more. For home gardeners in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, eastern Washington and Oregon, northern Nevada, and the southernmost parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Many gardeners can supply a significant amount of their own food during the plentiful summer harvest. But the key to substantial savings on your food bill is putting fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year. And in the mild, forgiving climate of the maritime Pacific Northwest, it can be easier than you might think. In Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest, Binda Colebrook provides a complete guide to cool-season crops and how to raise them. Gardeners from Southeastern Alaska to southern Oregon will benefit from her clear, practical advice on: Selecting and preparing the ideal winter gardening site Maximizing production and minimizing pests with cloches, cold frames, mulches and companion planting Choosing the best strains and hardiest varieties for a year-round growing season. An excellent companion volume to The Winter Harvest Cookbook, this revised and updated edition of the classic text will have you serving up fabulous alternatives to bland, expensive and tasteless imported supermarket vegetables in no time. Whether your favorite meals include hearty roots or succulent greens, Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest will help you maximize your food production year-round.