California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening


Book Description

California abounds with edible selections to grow in the diverse conditions of the state. California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening addresses the critical elements of climate, soil, sun, and water that affects growing success. More than sixty fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers are highlighted, and helpful charts and graphs for planning and planting the garden are included.




California Month-by-Month Gardening


Book Description

It may be the Golden State, but your garden can be any color you want it to be. California is already famous as one of the world's leading fruit and vegetable producers--but a glance at a valley oak or California buckwheat is just a small glimpse of the native plants the state has to offer the home gardener. Written by Alameda resident and longtime gardening journalist Claire Splan, California Month-by-Month Gardening is the sister manual to our California Getting Started Garden Guide. Inside, Splan dedicates a thoroughly detailed chapter to each month of the year, telling you what species you should consider planting, precisely when you should plant them, and how to care for them for maximum health. Within each month are recommendations for annuals, bulbs, lawns (and lawn alternatives), natives, perennials, roses, shrubs, trees, vines, and groundcovers. An introductory overview of California's microclimates and soil types, along with a primer on general gardening techniques and a color-coded USDA zone map, prepares you to make your best effort as a gardener in California. Splan's instructions go much further than just the basics, as you learn how to plan, plant, care for, water, fertilize, and troubleshoot your diverse garden spaces during every single month of the year. Fully illustrated with beautiful color photography of the "how to" steps and plants, California Month-by-Month Gardening keeps your garden prosperous through all types of California weather and terrain. For our full introduction to gardening in California, we also recommend companion books California Getting Started Garden Guide and California Fruit & Vegetable Gardening.




Northern California Gardening


Book Description

Beloved perennial of the green-thumbed in the golden state, and now revised and sporting a gorgeous new cover, Northern California Gardening is a comprehensive, illustrated guide for both novice and expert gardeners. San Francisco Chronicle garden columnist Katherine Grace Endicott maps out the rewards of reaping what you sow from flowers and fruits to herbs and vegetables throughout Northern California. The unique month-by-month format helps readers find answers when they need them, while detailed information on native and nonnative species and basic planting and pruning techniques make carefree gardening easier than ever. Add to that a completely new and updated source list, and finding just the right plants and seeds is as simple as watching them grow.




California Gardener's Handbook


Book Description

DIVWith over 100 years of combined gardening experience, renowned California horticulturalists Bruce and Sharon Asakawa bring you the perfect when-to, how-to, and what-to plant guide for gardening in the Golden State./divDIV/divDIVPerhaps you’ve always entertained the idea of cultivating a garden in your California landscape, but have never quite known where to begin. Perhaps you’ve stood helplessly by as your once-beautiful calico flowers withered beneath the persistent western sun. Don’t despair! Fortunately, there’s a specialized gardening guide to the rescue, tailored exclusively to the needs of California residents./divDIV/divDIVIn California Gardener’s Handbook, beloved California gardening duo Bruce and Sharon Asakawa walk you through 350 plant species destined to flourish amid the varied climates and environmental challenges of California. With the help of gorgeous photography and foolproof instructions, they’ll teach you how to plant, prune, water, control pests, and care for your personal outdoor oasis. Fifteen plant categories give you hundreds of choices, letting you find the flora that best fit your microclimate. Even better, the Asakawas provide twelve full months of when-to advice for each plant category, allowing you to successfully enjoy this peaceful pastime all year round. Whether you’re craving the sweetness of the dragon fruit or longing for the cheery visual splendor of the blue marguerite daisy, California Gardener’s Handbook will equip you to confidently awaken your inner gardening enthusiast./div




Los Angeles Times California Gardening


Book Description

Explains the fundamentals of gardening and offers practical advice on growing a variety of plants in the mild climate of California




The Drought-Defying California Garden


Book Description

A must-have for every gardener in California looking for a new way to garden in a changing climate In recent years California has been facing extreme drought, and in 2015 they passed state-wide water restrictions that affect home owners. Unfortunately the drought is only going to get worse, and gardeners who aren’t willing to abandon their beloved pastime entirely are going to have to learn how to garden with the absolute minimum of water. The Drought-Defying California Garden highlights the best 230 plants to grow, shares advice on how to get them established, and offers tips on how to maintain them with the minimum amount of water. All of the plants are native to California—making them uniquely adept at managing the harsh climate—and include perennials, annuals, shrubs, trees, and succulents.




California Master Gardener Handbook, 2nd Edition


Book Description

Since it was first published in 2002, the California Master Gardener Handbook has been the definitive guide to best practices and advice for gardeners throughout the West. Now the much-anticipated 2nd Edition to the Handbook is here—completely redesigned, with updated tables, graphics, and color photos throughout. Whether you're a beginner double digging your first bed or a University of California Master Gardener, this handbook will be your go-to source for the practical, science-based information you need to sustainably maintain your landscape and garden and become an effective problem solver. Chapters cover soil, fertilizer, and water management, plant propagation, plant physiology; weeds and pests; home vegetable gardening; specific garden crops including grapes, berries temperate fruits and nuts, citrus, and avocados. Also included is information on lawns, woody landscape plants, and landscape design. New to the 2nd Edition is information on invasive plants and principles of designing and maintaining landscapes for fire protection. Inside are updates to the technical information found in each chapter, reorganization of information for better ease of use, and new content on important emerging topics. Useful conversions for many units of measure found in the Handbook or needed in caring for gardens and landscapes are located in Appendix A. A glossary of important technical terms used and an extensive index round out the book.




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.







Mediterranean Kitchen Garden


Book Description

Now that growing your own food is back in fashion — for health, financial, and environmental reasons — Mariano Bueno gives full practical details on how to grow vegetables alongside fruit trees and a variety of aromatic, medicinal and ornamental plants and herbs. He gives the individual requirements of common garden vegetables and popular fruit trees and provides a calendar that describes how to care for the kitchen garden through the gardening year. Explaining how to meet the particular challenges of growing edible plants in a hot, dry climate, with advice on matters such as irrigation, the book will be useful for those who live in a Mediterranean area or find themselves gardening in ever-hotter, dry climates. But it is also abundant in expertise on gardening in other climatic conditions, too, and is available here to an English-speaking audience for the first time.