|
How to Grow the Best Food
Home Grown Harvest (Mitchell Beasley 2010) an American Horticultural Society book edited by Rita Pelzcar, is a handy guide for the beginner vegetable gardener and anyone interested in growing their own fruits.
These days, there are many reasons to grow your own food:
• Skyrocketing costs of supermarket produce
• Produce from other countries (Who knows what’s on it?)
• The GMO threat of purchased produce
• The danger of obesity and disease caused by substituting cheaper processed food for more costly fresh, albeit questionable, produce
But the best reason for growing your own food is watching and helping your garden grow from seeds and transplants to full-fledged mature veggies ready for the pickin'.
It is the pure joy and peace of puttering in the garden and, as the sun rises, picking a perfect yellow summer squash to savor with your favorite breakfast protein or, mid day, slicing a long-awaited summer tomato for a luscious sandwich and, come evening, stretching the bod to reach for the sweetest Spanish Musica beans for dinner. And don’t forget grazing on the freshest berries right in your garden and relishing the fragrance and flavor of your own juicy melons.
The 304-page volume opens to general “how-to” information such as testing the soil yourself, container gardening, micro-climate effects, cover crops, composting, planning, design and much more. Further research is often needed and the authors always point you in the right direction.
Twelve chapters (three per season-one per month) cover what to do in the garden at the appropriate time. Chapters are broken down by region and begin with general advice for the month for all regions. Each chapter describes when to sow and when to reap. Mid-Atlantic gardens (Zones 5-7) straddle the Mid Temperate and Cold Winter regions in the book. Tree and soft fruits make up the second half of each chapter with details for type of fruit for region and maintenance issues, such as when and how to prune.
Each chapter contains expanded detail and lots of graphics and photos of time-appropriate topics such as building raised beds in early spring.
Charts on pests, diseases, and sowing and harvesting vegetables and fruits, plus a glossary, information resources, and sources for seeds, plants, supplies and tools make this book the perfect accompaniment for neophyte and intermediate veggie gardeners and anyone who wants to grow their own fruits. it makes a great gift, too!
....................
More goodies
Print this story:
Printer-friendly page
published February 21, 2012
|
Click Here for Site Map | Privacy Policy | Web site developed by SHiNYMACHiNE web development