The Vegetable Gardener's Container Bible: How to Grow a Bounty of Food in Pots, Tubs, and Other Containers

Plentiful, Organic Vegetables from Small Spaces

Put your garden containers to work this summer. On the deck, in the garden, or even on a sunny balcony, you can grow luscious tomatoes, gorgeous artichokes, juicy strawberries, and so much more. Ed Smith has chosen, planted, tested, and tasted dozens of vegetables in all kinds of containers, and he shows you how simple and rewarding it is to grow a backyard garden even without a backyard.

"With detailed, illustrated advice on selecting and retrofitting containers, cultivation, efficient maintenance, and design plans to pull it all together, Smith's latest guide provides everything needed to grow a bounty of home-grown vegetables." Publisher's Weekly

"Anyone can grow, harvest, and enjoy homegrown veggies, even without a yard, best-selling garden guru Smith persuasively argues as he presents his step-by-step approach to container gardening...Smith's practical, assuring, timely, and handsomely produced how-to will see brisk traffic." Booklist

"Big, delicious yields from small, unlikely spaces. This is just the book the world is hungering for and it couldn't come at a better time." Roger Doiron, Founder, Kitchen Gardeners International and Leader of the White House Kitchen Garden Campaign

"Garden writer Edward Smith shares his expert knowledge on the subject in this excellent manual for both novice and experienced gardeners." The National Gardener

By growing vegetables in containers, even novice gardeners can reap a bounty of organic food in very small spaces. Anyone can harvest tomatoes on a patio, produce a pumpkin in a planter, or grow broccoli on a balcony — it's easy! Ed Smith shows you how to choose the right plants, select containers and tools, care for plants throughout the growing season, control pests without chemicals, and much more. He even includes plans for small-space container gardens that are perfect for urban and suburban gardeners.

Edward C. Smith is the author of Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers. He tends a garden of over 1,500 square feet filled with raspberries, blueberries, flowers, herbs, and nearly 100 varieties of vegetables, including some heirlooms, in his home state of Vermont.

Contents

Part One: Get Growing in Containers

Introduction: A Vegetable Garden in Pots

Chapter One: The Right Pot for Every Plant

Chapter Two: What's in the Pot?

Chapter Three: Tools and Accessories

Part Two: Putting It All Together

Chapter Four: Getting Started

Chapter Five: Of Seeds and Six-Packs

Chapter Six: Designing for Containers

Chapter Seven: Caring for Your Container Gardens

Chapter Eight: Managing Pests and Diseases

Chapter Nine: Harvesting the Bounty

Chapter Ten: When Winter Draws Near

Part Three: Incredible Edibles

Chapter Eleven: The Best Vegetables

Chapter Twelve: Herbs for Every Pot

Chapter Thirteen: The Edible Bouquet

Acknowledgments

Photography Credits

Further Reading

Suppliers

Maps

Index