Synopses & Reviews
If you want to harvest fresh, delicious vegetables from your own backyard garden, this is the book for you.
The Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening covers everything you need to know about starting and maintaining a healthy, productive vegetable garden, whether you have a small urban lot or a large country yard.Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson, a brother-sister book-writing team from northern Wisconsin, are 4-H alumni who have written several books on raising livestock and other aspects of rural living. Here they condense their extensive gardening experience and full-color photography into one easy-to-use guidebook. This book was created as a practical, illustrated resource for FFA members ages twelve and up, but it is useful for any beginning gardener. From picking a site and amending the soil to watering and harvesting, this book lays out simple steps to gardening success. In addition to detailed growing information on common vegetables,
The Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening includes a bonus section on popular herbs and fruits for the home garden. The Johnsons describe useful tips and techniques that will help a novice gardener bring in a bumper crop. And they don’t leave you hanging with the harvest: they include advice for preserving, storing, and exhibiting your vegetables, and even offer a few recipes for making treats from your fall bounty. Buy this guide and learn how to: Choose the right garden siteStart from seeds or seedlingsPick the right toolsPrepare the soil properlyMake compostKeep weeds under controlExtend the growing seasonRotate your cropsSave seedsExhibit your harvest at the county fairMake dinner from your garden About the authors:
Samantha Johnson and Daniel Johnson have collaborated on several rural living guidebooks, including The Field Guide to Horses (2009) and How to Raise Rabbits (2009). Both are 4-H alumni and live on the family farm, Fox Hill Farm, in far northern Wisconsin. Samantha is also a certified horse show judge and raises purebred Welsh Mountain ponies and Dutch, Holland Lop, and Netherland Dwarf rabbits. Daniel Johnson is a professional photographer whose work can be seen at www.foxhillphoto.com.
Synopsis
If you want to harvest produce from your own backyard garden,
The Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening has everything you need to know about growing healthy veggies, herbs, and popular fruits such as strawberries and raspberries. Tips and techniques are described in easy-to-follow advice that a gardener of any skill or age will be able to follow and master. The information in the book includes the following: * Understanding your climate and growing season* Choosing and constructing a garden space* Starting from seeds or seedlings* Preparing the soil properly* Weeding, watering, and other daily garden care
About the Author
Daniel Johnson is a professional photographer who specializes in imagery of farm life. He is the author of the
4-H Guide to Digital Photography and the coauthor of
The Field Guide to Horses. He lives on a family-owned horse farm in Phelps, Wisconsin, called Fox Hill Farm (www.foxhillphoto.com).
Samantha Johnson (Phelps, Wisconsin) and her brother, Daniel, have collaborated on a number of rural-living guidebooks, including How to Raise Rabbits and Beginner's Guide to Beekeeping. Both are 4-H alumni and live on the family farm, Fox Hill Farm, in far northern Wisconsin. Samantha is a certified horse show judge and raises purebred Welsh Mountain ponies and Dutch, Holland Lop, and Netherland Dwarf rabbits.
Table of Contents
INTRODUCTIONWelcome to Vegetable GardeningCHAPTER 1Planning Your GardenCHAPTER 2 Getting StartedCHAPTER 3 Digging InCHAPTER 4 Daily Garden CareCHAPTER 5 All About VegetablesAsparagusBeansBeetsBroccoliBrussels SproutsCabbageCarrotsCauliflowerCeleryCornCucumbersEggplantGarlicGourdsKaleKohlrabiLeeksLettuceOkraOnionsParsnipsPeasPeppersPotatoesPumpkinsRadishesRhubarbSpinachSquash (Summer)Squash (Winter)TomatoesCHAPTER 6 Veggie Sidekicks: Herbs and FruitsHerbsBasilBee BalmChivesLavenderOregano
ParselyPeppermintRosemarySageTarragonThymeFruitsApplesBlueberriesGrapesPearsRaspberries and BlackberriesStrawberriesWatermelonCHAPTER 7 Exhibiting Your ProduceCHAPTER 8 Preserving Your HarvestCHAPTER 9 Enjoying Your HarvestAPPENDIX 1: GLOSSARYAPPENDIX 2: HARDINESS ZONESAPPENDIX 3: RESOURCESINDEXABOUT THE AUTHORS