You Grow Girl


Book Description

This is not your grandmother's gardening book. You Grow Girl is a hip, humorous how-to for crafty gals everywhere who are discovering a passion for gardening but lack the know-how to turn their dreams of homegrown tomatoes and fresh-cut flowers into a reality. Gayla Trail, creator of YouGrowGirl.com, provides guidance for both beginning and intermediate gardeners with engaging tips, projects, and recipes -- whether you have access to a small backyard or merely to a fire escape. You Grow Girl eliminates the intimidation factor and reveals how easy and enjoyable it can be to cultivate plants and flowers even when resources and space are limited. Divided into accessible sections like Plan, Plant, and Grow, You Grow Girl takes readers through the entire gardening experience: Preparing soil Nurturing seedlings Fending off critters Reaping the bounty Readying plants for winter Preparing for the seasons ahead Gayla also includes a wealth of ingenious and creative projects, such as: Transforming your garden's harvest into lush bath and beauty products Converting household junk into canny containers Growing and bagging herbal tea Concocting homemade pest repellents ...and much, much more. Witty, wise, and as practical as it is stylish, You Grow Girl is guaranteed to show you how to get your garden on. All you need is a windowsill and a dream!




North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook


Book Description

This national award winning book, now in its second edition, was developed especially for Master Gardener volunteers and home gardeners and is a primary source for research-based information on gardening and landscaping successfully in North Carolina and the Southeast. A fundamental reference for any seasoned gardener, the North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook is also written to appeal to beginners just getting their hands dirty. It explains the "why and how" basics of gardening from soils and composting to vegetable gardening and wildlife management. Advice on garden design, preparation, and maintenance covers all types of plantings including lawns, ornamentals, fruits, trees, and containers. This handbook provides color images, detailed graphics, diagnostic tables, case studies, frequently asked questions, and specific management strategies for insects, diseases, weeds, and other pests. Written by a team of the state's leading horticulture experts, it contains a wealth of information to support you in creating and managing thriving gardens, lawns, and landscapes. The North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook is an essential book for serious gardeners in North Carolina and the Southeast. Want to learn more? * Visit go.ncsu.edu/eg-handbook to view information contained in this book in an open access format. * Access free gardening resources from NC State Extension by visiting gardening.ces.ncsu.edu. * Find the Extension center in your county to speak with local experts by visiting www.ces.ncsu.edu/directory. * Become a Master Gardener volunteer and join an outstanding group of life-long learners working together to change the world. Learn how at ncemgv.org.




Organic Gardening for Everyone


Book Description

If you want to grow healthy vegetables at home, but have hesitated because it seems too hard and time consuming, Organic Gardening for Everyone is your perfect hands-on guide—an “if I can do it, you can do it” case study that addresses your concerns and gets you started. Loaded with practical advice and step-by-step guidance, Organic Gardening for Everyone takes a very personal and friendly approach to a subject that can be intimidating. It is a first-class primer on organic vegetable gardening, and an inspirational story about how anyone can balance the rigors of gardening with the demands of a modern, family-oriented lifestyle. In 2012, a California mom decided to start an organic vegetable garden. But she went about it in an unusual way: she crowdsourced it by launching a YouTube channel under the name "CaliKim" and asking for help. And then she started planting. As questions came up, she turned to her viewers and subscribers and they replied with answers and advice. As she learned, her garden grew successfully—even in the hot, harsh California climate. Her expertise also grew, and now she answers many more questions than she asks and has become a very accomplished home gardener. And CaliKim has a great story to tell: growing healthy organic vegetables for your family is not difficult, even for today’s time-challenged lifestyles. She provides complete step-by-step information on growing the most popular edibles organically, and also gives sound advice on how to take on the challenges of balancing a hectic lifestyle with successful growing—and how to involve the whole family in the process. You'll be rewarded for your effort every time you place a plate of natural, organic vegetables on the family dinner table knowing exactly what they are, what is in them, and where they came from.




Tiny Plants


Book Description

Longing to nurture your houseplant addiction without cramping your space or style? If you can't squeeze another giant leafy friend onto your plant shelf, author Leslie Halleck is here to inform you that tiny is the new BIG! In Tiny Plants, you’ll discover a fascinating array of perfectly petite houseplants you can collect and grow—in a minimal amount of space. Yes, tiny plants are the ideal solution for plant keepers who don’t have much space, but even if you’ve got all the room in the world, their adorableness is reason alone to grow these mini wonders. These are the eternal puppies, kittens, and babies of the plant world—they never grow out of their cuteness because their genetics keep them itty-bitty for their entire lives. Beyond a few small succulents, most houseplant parents aren’t aware of the extensive array of tiny plants they can collect and display on windowsills, on tables and desks, and in terrariums. Prepare for cuteness overload with: Profiles of dozens of miniature houseplants, including aquatic, carnivorous, flowering, succulent, and tropical varieties Detailed growing information and tips for success A fascinating look at the botany of miniature houseplant varieties Advice on how to stylishly display your tiny plant collection How-to lessons on the basics of propagating mini houseplants to share with friends Details on the best tiny houseplants for terrarium growing From the sweet blooms of micro orchids and the soft, smooth texture of lithops, to the frog foot–shaped foliage of the creeping oak fig and the tiny orbs of the string-of-pearls, you'll fall in love with these little curiosities before you can say #plantnerd.




Complete Container Herb Gardening


Book Description

Capitalizing on the popular trends of edible, container, and small-space gardening, Complete Container Herb Gardening offers all the info needed to grow fresh herbs on balconies, patios, rooftops, decks, and even on the kitchen counter.




Apartment Gardening


Book Description

Forget the 100-mile eat-local diet; try the 300-square-foot-diet &— grow squash on the windowsill, flowers in the planter box, or corn in a parking strip. Apartment Gardening details how to start a garden in the heart of the city. From building a window box to planting seeds in jars on the counter, every space is plantable, and this book reveals that the DIY future is now by providing hands-on, accessible advice. Amy Pennington's friendly voice paired with Kate Bingham-Burt's crafty illustrations make greener living an accessible reality, even if readers have only a few hundred square feet and two windowsills. Save money by planting the same things available at the grocery store, and create an eccentric garden right in the heart of any living space.




Designing with Succulents


Book Description

Lavishly illustrated with over 300 photographs, Designing with Succulents gives design and cultivation basics for paths, borders, slopes, and containers; hundreds of succulent plant recommendations; and descriptions of 90 easy-care, drought-tolerant companion plants. Beginners and experienced designers, landscapers, and collectors alike will find what they need to visualize, create, and nurture the three-dimensional work of art that is the succulent garden.




Kitchen Garden Revival


Book Description

Elevate your backyard veggie patch into a work of sophisticated and stylish art. Kitchen Garden Revival guides you through every aspect of kitchen gardening, from design to harvesting—with expert advice from author Nicole Johnsey Burke, founder of Rooted Garden, one of the leading US culinary landscape companies, and Gardenary, an online kitchen gardening education and resource company. Participating in the grow-your-own movement is important to both reduce your food miles and control what makes it onto your family’s table. If you’ve hesitated to take part because installing and caring for a traditional vegetable garden doesn’t seem to suit your life or your sense of style, Kitchen Garden Revival is here to show you there’s a better, more beautiful way to grow food. Instead of row after row of cabbage and pepper plants plunked into a patch of dirt in the middle of the yard, kitchen gardens are attractive, highly tailored food gardens consisting of easy-to-maintain raised planting beds laid out in an organized geometric pattern. Offering both four seasons of ornamental interest and plenty of fresh, homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs, kitchen gardens are the way to grow your own food in a fashionable, modern, and practical way. Kitchen gardens were once popular features of the European and early American landscape, but they fell out of favor when our agrarian roots were displaced by industrialization. With this accessible and inspirational guide, Nicole aims to return the kitchen garden to its rightful place just outside of every backdoor. Learn the art of kitchen gardening as you discover: What characteristics all kitchen gardens have in common How to design and install gorgeous kitchen garden beds using metal, wood, or stone Why raised beds mean reduced maintenance What crops are best for your kitchen garden A planting, tending, and harvesting plan developed by a pro Season-by-season growing guides It's time to join the Kitchen Garden Revival and start growing your own delicious, organic food.




Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots


Book Description

Expert planting advice for growing fruit and vegetables in pots from the acclaimed English garden - with 50 delicious recipes Beautifully illustrated, Grow Fruit & Vegetables in Pots provides clear, practical information on growing fruit and vegetables in containers, whether that be a window box or a terracotta pot on a balcony. Aaron Bertelsen of the acclaimed English garden at Great Dixter will guide you through what to grow, which pots to use, give personal tips on varieties to choose, and advice on cultivation and care. Featuring more than 50 delicious recipes, Bertelsen shows that lack of space is no barrier to growing what you want to eat, and proves that harvesting and cooking food you have grown yourself is a total pleasure, with dishes that showcase a few perfectly chosen - and personally grown - ingredients.




Grow Vegetables in Pots


Book Description

"This colorful guide shows the almost endless possibilities of growing homegrown produce in pots, from raising fresh salads in a matter of days and growing your own salsa mix, to harvesting juicy exotic fruits to savor. Packed with creative ideas and easy to follow techniques, this book offers expert growing advice for every crop--from arugula to zucchini."--