Synopses & Reviews
At last, homegrown food doesn't have to be humble. In fact, it can be downright exotic. A cup of coffee brewed from beans grown in the kitchen. Juice from an orange harvested from the living room. A salad sprinkled with pomegranate seeds or olives plucked from a tree in the dining room.
It's now possible in any climate, thanks to Growing Tasty Tropical Plants in Any Home, Anywhere, the breakthrough book by Laurelynn Martin and Byron Martin. In this practical guide the owners of the acclaimed Logee's Tropical Plants draw on a century's worth of family secrets for lush, exotic edibles, all grown in containers indoors.
The book covers 47 varieties of fruiting plants -- from chocolate to cherries, from papaya to passion fruit, from grapefruit to guava. For each plant the Martins provide everything an enthusiast needs to know, including information on plant selection, planting, pruning, maintenance, and harvesting. They also provide guidelines for caring for container-grown fruit trees -- watering, pest control, pruning, fertilizers, and troubleshooting.
The book will have instant appeal to the ever-growing number of consumers interested in growing their own food, as well as houseplant enthusiasts looking for new and unusual (and productive!) plants. The Martins observed a 40 percent increase in fruiting plant sales from 2007 to 2008 alone, and their hotline is bombarded with questions about growing exotic fruits. There are simply no other books devoted to growing tropical edible plants indoors. This book, truly the first of its kind, is sure to be both an immediate hit and a long-term classic.
Now anyone can enjoy the challenge and satisfaction of growing tropical fruit...as close to home as it gets.
Review
"A must-have resource for anyone interested in growing edible tropical plants. This is straightforward, easy-to-use book provides all the information needed for the home gardener to be successful growing a tantalizing array of tasty exotics."
Sean Conway, author of Cultivating Life and host of WGN-TV - ' - s Cultivating Life
Synopsis
Fresh * Fragrant * Flavorful
Houseplants You Can Taste
Imagine sweet lemons in your sunroom and bananas in your breakfast nook. You don't have to live in the tropics to grow and enjoy exotic edibles; properly chosen tropical plants will thrive in containers set in sunny indoor locations, no matter what the temperature is outdoors. Laurelynn Martin and Byron Martin share decades of experience and family secrets in this practical guide to selecting, caring for, and pruning 47 tropical plants that bring beautiful foliage, lovely fragrances, and most -- appealing of all -- luscious fruits to every climate.
Synopsis
Enjoy fresh java brewed from your own coffee beans or juice from the orange tree growing in a sunny corner of your living room. Laurelynn G. Martin and Byron E. Martin show you how to successfully plant, grow, and harvest 47 varieties of tropical fruiting plants -- in any climate This straightforward, easy-to-use guide brings papaya, passionfruit, pepper, pineapples, and more out of the tropics and into your home. With plenty of gorgeous foliage, entrancing fragrances, and luscious fruits, local food has never been more exotic.
Synopsis
Imagine a cup of coffee brewed from beans grown right in your own kitchen. Or juice from an orange harvested from the living room. A salad sprinkled with olives plucked from a tree in the dining room. It's now possible in any climate, with Growing Tasty Tropical Plants in Any Home, Anywhere. This book covers 47 varieties of fruiting plants -- from chocolate to cherries, papaya to passion fruit, grapefruit to guava -- providing everything a gardener needs to know, including information on selecting plants, planting, pruning, maintenance, and harvesting. It's easy! Anyone, anywhere can enjoy the satisfaction of growing tropical fruit at home.
About the Author
Laurelynn Martin is vice-president and co-owner of Logee"s Greenhouses, and has worked there since 1991. She is the author of
Logee"s Spectacular Container Plants, which won the Independent Publisher"s Book Award in 2005, and she has received the MGA Green Thumb Award for Plant Photography and Copy in both 2005 and 2008.
Byron Martin, president and co-owner of Logee"s Greenhouses, literally grew up with plants. His family-owned business, in operation since 1892, was his hands-on education. His career includes 35 years as a key manager at Logee"s. He has expertise in all critical departments including greenhouse growing, worldwide plant sourcing, lab tissue culture for cloning plants, catalog marketing, plant photography, and integrated pest management, but is mostly known as a renowned expert in growing tropical container plants. Byron gives national lectures and seminars on growing tropical plants.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Enjoying an Indoor Edible Oasis
Part 1: Citrus Fruits
Australian Finger Lime, Calamondin Orange, Citron, Citrumelo, Grapefruit, Kumquat, Lemon, Lime, Myrtle-Leaf Orange, Orange, Sunquat, Sweet Lemon, Tahitian Orange, Tangerine, Temple Orange
Part 2: The Rest of the Tropical Fruit Basket
Acerola, Australian Beach Cherry, Avocado, Banana, Dragon Fruit, Dwarf Pomegranate, Fig, Guava, June Plum, Miracle Berry, Naranjilla, Noni, Olive, Orangeberry, Papaya, Passion Fruit, Peanut Butter Fruit, Pineapple, Pineapple Guava, Rose Apple, Sapodilla, Star Fruit, Tree Tomato
Part 3: Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate
Chocolate, Coffee, Tea, Yerba Mate
Part 4: Sugar and Spices
Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Sugarcane, Vanilla
Part 5: Plant Care
Getting Started from the Bottom Up, Maintaining Your Plants, Propagation, Pests and Diseases, Troubleshooting Guide
Glossary - Resources - Acknowledgments - Index