Organic gardening / Sustainable gardening Books

Book SynopsisBeans are easy to grow, easy to cook, delicious, nourishing and beneficial for us and the planet. Growing your own beans not only helps you build healthy soil in your garden, it also provides you with a nutrient-rich diet. Beans can play a role in reducing the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer – they are good sources of protein, fibre, folate, iron and potassium – and they can reduce your carbon footprint and food miles as well! This fascinating book brings together Susan Young’s 10 years of experimentation with multiple varieties of beans. She clearly explains how to sow, grow, harvest, dry, store and cook them, and shares her six ‘must grow’ varieties. Go on a tasty culinary journey around the world and discover a range of colourful and historic beans, from the pink ‘Fagiolo di Lamon’ of Italy to the black and white ‘Bosnian Pole’ bean. Learn which varieties are best for eating fresh from the pod and those that are best for drying and storing for later use. Beans offer year-round nutritious meals, and dried beans can be the star of the show with their fabulous diversity of flavours, colours and textures.

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Book SynopsisWhat are the amazing healing effects of trees and shrubs? How does tree bark effectively reduce inflammation? How can fruits and leaves help recovery and build resilience? Discover therapeutic benefits of trees and shrubs, ranging from forest bathing to soothing remedies, from painkillers to stressbusters. Anne Stobart draws on her direct experience as a medical herbalist, and shares how to recognise useful trees and shrubs and then harvest and create a range of herbal supplies, from fir needles to jujube fruits. Anne includes profiles of 80 trees and shrubs suited to temperate climates with recommendations on their uses. Learn the abundant and sustainable sources of healing available from trees and shrubs and how they can be safely used within a range of settings, from gardens and food forests to woodlands and permaculture projects. Ideal for foragers, gardeners and growers, walkers and wilderness lovers, agroforesters and forest schoolers, and anyone interested in herbal medicine. The book is laid out in two parts. Part One introduces the potential of the medicinal forest for therapeutic use, remedies for common complaints, medicines for repair and recovery from illness, and how these healing plants can be grown and used for the health of people and planet. Anne explains the importance of reconnecting with medicinal trees and shrubs through sustainable use and the benefits for environmental concerns. Part Two incorporates a directory of 80 woody species, from large trees to small shrubs, offering a range of plants for any sized growing space. Each profile comes with illustrated and accessible content on identification and habitat, medicinal parts and uses, safety advice, suggested preparations alongside a suggested recipe for each medicinal tree or shrub.Trade Review"Anne Stobart offers us another sumptuous insight into the majestic contribution trees make towards enabling healthy human life." Julian Barker, author, botanist and medical herbalist

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Book SynopsisAward winning author and self-sufficiency practitioner Liz Zorab takes readers on a highly entertaining and joyful celebration through the seasons. Following on from her hugely popular debut book, Grounded, Liz returns with The Seasoned Gardener, inviting you on a personal and yet totally relatable journey of growing and learning through the gardening year. Illustrated with a delicious selection of Liz's own photos, The Seasoned Gardener provides an abundance of friendly advice and hundreds of top tips on what to and what not to do as she inspires gardeners of all levels to have a go at growing tastier and healthier food for themselves and to benefit the natural world. The Seasoned Gardener inspires you to connect with your garden and surroundings and explains how the veg garden sits within the wider context of the landscape, highlighting the importance the seasons, weather, microclimates, water cycles and light levels play on growing successful and healthy crops. Liz's down-to-earth writing style has been likened to having a helpful neighbour chatting over the garden fence. Her enthusiasm is infectious, and every chapter is filled with plenty of advice on what to grow, when to seed and plant out, what pitfalls to avoid - having learned from her own mistakes - and how to be creative with what you have around you.

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Book SynopsisGrow your own beautiful multilayered food forest in your own backyard. Pippa Chapman is an RHS trained gardener who designs, plants and maintains abundant, biodiverse, edible and beautiful forest gardens. Here she shares her practical tips for realistically transforming your own plot, whatever its size, and with limited time, money and resources. A forest garden doesn't have to be big; you can grow a productive edible paradise in pots and containers too. Pippa explains how to create multiple layers on a small-scale to maximise your growing area, using polycultures and guilds for healthy, low-maintenance food. She shares how to use perennials for structure and for year-round food, and how to incorporate flowers for beauty, wildlife and for the kitchen. Chapters on permaculture design and forest gardening give practical advice on how to plan and plant your own garden, with guilds and plant profiles to give real-life examples to help you get started. Useful tips on propagation and seed saving help keep plant costs low and a handy chapter on the soil-food web will help you understand your own soil and how to keep it healthy.

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Book SynopsisA handy, accessible guide to creating your own paradise plot where you can forage throughout the year Anna Locke condenses years of hands-on experience to walk you through the skills and techniques you need to design and plant a delicious, useful, and thriving garden in town or country that is also a haven for wildlife as well as for humans. She encourages us to see our gardens as part of a bigger, local food strategy that can help to generate abundance, health and resilience. This book provides: An overview of organic gardening techniques-great for the beginner A basic, accessible guide to designing your garden Insights into how to plant guilds and choose what is right for your space Valuable information on how 'weeds' can become harvests A choice of nutritious, seasonal plants for any sized plot Techniques to grow maximum food with minimal work Practices that reconnect you with Nature and enhance well-being Money saving tips to make a forager's garden available to anyone! The Forager's Garden demonstrates one of the easiest and most enjoyable ways possible to grow and harvest food.

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Book SynopsisLearn how to create your own no dig, organic garden with permaculture design and techniques. Vera's 15 years of experience as a no dig gardener provides a vast amount of knowledge on growing fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers. The book is divided into two sections, container gardening and permaculture kitchen gardening. Part One shares knowledge especially useful to urban gardeners and those with little space. Part Two advises on starting and maintaining a garden. Vera's speciality is creating beautiful and delicious polycultures and she offers a range of examples to get you started and the knowledge to experiment. She also includes recipes for your fresh harvests. Chapters on making compost, building raised beds, and a monthly job guide make this useful for all levels of gardener. Vera demonstrates that gardens can look beautiful and be productive, and her advice and examples encourage us to look at our own growing spaces in a different light. We no longer need to hide our veggie patches; they can take centre stage. Why not incorporate cut flowers with herbs, brassicas and peas? Or plant a pottager garden? These examples will help people create edible paradises everywhere, like patios, balconies, windowsills, allotments, community and school gardens, front and back gardens and anywhere else we can grow.

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Book SynopsisThis comprehensive yet concise guide tells the gardener all he needs to know about organic cultivation. From the basics of climate, geology and soils, through an explanation of plants and their orders to the planning and planting of a variety of vegetables and edible plants, this book gives sound advice in a handy format.

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Book SynopsisGrapes are the most popular and widely grown fruit in the world. From the tropics to Alaska, grapes will grow successfully in almost every climate. Whether you raise them for fresh eating, or for making wine, juice, or jellies and preserves, the right grapes will reward you with abundant crops for a modest investment of time and effort. Now for the first time comes a book for grape growers who wish to use organic growing methods to raise healthy, thriving vineyards in the backyard or on a small commercial scale. The Grape Grower distills the broad knowledge and long-time personal experience of Lon Rombough, one of North America's foremost authorities on viticulture. From finding and preparing the right site for your vineyard to training, trellising, and pruning vines to growing new grapes from seeds and cuttings, The Grape Grower offers thorough and accessible information on all the basics. The chapters on grape species, varieties, and hybrids are alone worth the price of a college course in viticulture. Technical information on the major (and minor) insect pests and diseases that affect grapes, as well as their organic controls, makes this book an invaluable reference that readers will turn to again and again. Rombaugh also provides a wealth of information on hardy but little-known grapes that are native to North America, and on a wide range of topics, including: pruning neglected or overgrown vines growing grapes on arbors and in greenhouses controlling animal pests in the vineyard bunch grapes and muscadine grapes for the South winter protection, and how to increase the hardiness of grapes creating your own new varieties Trade Review"A great how-to book. The only reference you need if you want to raise a few grape vines."--Rocky Mountain News "It would be difficult to find a book covering any aspect of growing grapes that is not included here."--Gardening Newsletter "Packed with useful information, this book benefits from the author's personalized writing style. Immensely enjoyable."--Choice MagazineTable of ContentsForeword: Seed Matters / Roger B. Swain 1. Structure of the Vine 2. Getting Started: Site, Soil, and Planting 3. Pruning and Training 4. Growing Grapes Organically 5. Diseases of Grapes 6. Insects of Grapes 7. Animal and Bird Pests 8. Propagation 9. Rootstocks 10. Varieties 11. Grape Species 12. Grapes in Cold Climates and the Tropics 13. Breeding Grapes

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Book SynopsisMaria Thun, a pre-eminent expert in biodynamic cultivation methods - sometimes referred to as "premium organic" - has here compiled over 100 of her best gardening tips based on 50 years' research. Find out: * how to produce abundant and tasty crops; * how special preparations can transform your soil and produce; * how the moon affects planting and growth; * the difference between 'root', 'leaf', 'blossom' and 'fruit' plants; * what the best storage methods are; and much more. Accompany the author on a journey through the seasons and discover lots of new tips and suggestions. There is a wealth of advice here for gardeners seeking to manage nature responsibly and successfully.

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Book SynopsisAs the earth's neighbour, the moon affects not only ocean tides but also the growth and development of plants. In this finely illustrated, full-colour book - packed with practical tips for the novice as well as the advanced gardener - Peter Berg offers a clear summary of the basics of lunar and biodynamic gardening, together with in-depth sections on: activating and enlivening the soil; biodynamic preparations; making good compost; crop rotation and green manuring; cultivation work and care of the garden; practical plant protection; rich harvesting; saving your own seed. Building on the the intensive research of his mentor Maria Thun and the teachings of Rudolf Steiner, Berg explains how the subtle influences from the cosmos work on the plant world, distinguishing between 'root', 'leaf', 'blossom' and 'fruit' days in the working calendar. An understanding of such natural processes, in conjunction with the practical knowledge described in this book, can lead to productive, chemical-free gardening, with healthy plants and abundant harvests.

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Book SynopsisAre the creatures that visit and live in your garden friends or foes? How can you discourage the bad and nurture the good? And how does each animal fit into the essential garden ecosystem? You'll find the answers in the verdicts, evidence and treatments presented in this innovative new book. Including more than 50 common garden residents - from squirrels to starlings, from ladybirds to leatherjackets, and from frogs to flea beetles - it tells you how to encourage the forces for good and explains how best to deter or get rid of (ideally organically) those that bring damage, disease or even death to your precious plants. And vitally, it pieces together the key links in the garden food chain and shows how to maintain nature's delicate balance on your plot. As well as the key gardening information you need, you'll discover here the extraordinary ways in which garden wildlife is adapted for success, how to encourage vital pollinators and how to plan planting and cultivation to pre-empt problems. You'll see how to use pesticides safely if you must, and there are hints and tips on the best ways to deal with cats and dogs, chickens and geese in the garden. So whether you want your garden to be a haven for hedgehogs and honeybees, to have fewer slugs and snails, or to be know all the pros and cons of crows and cabbage white caterpillars, then these are the verdicts you need. Garden Wildlife on Trial is the sequel and companion volume to Ruth Binney's successful Weeds on Trial published in 2019 (ISBN 9781910821299).Table of Contents Introduction 6 Mammals and Other Vertebrates 10 Badgers 12 Deer 14 Foxes 16 Frogs 18 Grey Squirrels 20 Hedgehogs 22 Mice 24 Moles 26 Rabbits 28 Rats 30 Shrews 32 Toads 34 Voles 36 Birds 38 Blackbirds 40 Crows 42 Gulls 44 Herons 46 Jackdaws 48 Magpies 50 Pheasants 52 Pigeons 54 Sparrows 56 Starlings 58 Insects and Other Invertebrates 60 Ants 62 Aphids 64 Asparagus Beetles 66 Box Caterpillars 68 Bumblebees 70 Cabbage White Caterpillars 72 Carrot Flies 74 Codling Moths 76 Cutworms 78 Earthworms 80 Earwigs 82 Eelworms 84 Flea Beetles 86 Ground Beetles 88 Honeybees 90 Hoverflies 92 Lacewings 94 Ladybirds 96 Leaf-cutting Bees 98 Leatherjackets 100 Lily Beetles 102 Millipedes 104 Sawflies 106 Scale Insects 108 Slugs 110 Snails 112 Social Wasps 114 Spiders 116 Thrips or Thunder Flies 118 Vine Weevils 120 Wireworms 122 Woodlice 124 Dealing with Wildlife 126 Good gardening practice 126 Biological controls 129 Domesticated wildlife 130 Pesticides and how to use them 132 Wildlife and the law 136 Plants for wildlife 139 Index 142

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Book Synopsis ‘Garden Book of the Year’ – Garden Media Guild Awards 2022 Discover Britain’s most beautiful and inspiring wild gardens, and how you can make your own. Winner ‘Best Garden Book of the Year’ Garden Media Guild Awards 2022 Despite our best efforts, and no matter how much we prune, tidy and shape our gardens, they are inherently wild. In fact, it is often the most unrestrained and untamed areas that add drama and romance. In this glorious celebration of exuberant, naturalistic planting, we take a walk on the wild side. Be transported to lush valleys and tropical jungles with exotic gardens shaped by Victorian plant hunters. Wander through beautiful bluebell woods, blossoming orchards and magical wildflower meadows, and explore prairie-style gardens inspired by North American grasslands. Discover special places influenced by natural landscapes, and sustainably managed spaces designed with wildlife in mind. You’ll find out how wild play areas can help children to connect with nature and how immersing yourself in quiet woodland can immediately benefit your sense of well-being. A helpful guide also offers advice and tips on how to create and manage your own wildlife-friendly garden so that you can attract birds, bees, bats, bugs and many other wild and wonderful creatures.Trade ReviewFrom the orchid-studded wild flower meadows of Stowe and the artful gardens that Dan Pearson recently designed around the picturesque ruins of Lowther Castle, to the tree fern glades of Trengwainton in Cornwall, the exotic “jungle” of Glendurgan (also in Cornwall), and the “nature on steroids, visual suckerpunch” that is Bodnant, Mahon paints a vivid, immersive picture of these “wild” gardens and how they support a complex, biodiverse range of vulnerable habitats. The Irish Times

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Book SynopsisWelcome to your essential guide for creating healthy, sustainable, water-wise gardens and landscapes. Futureproof Your Garden is a go-to resource for anyone who wants expert advice on how to use, capture and store water efficiently in times of drought or deluge. Angus and Emma help you to choose plants that not only suit your personal style, but that can adapt to changing environments. A photographic plant directory is packed with information on what to plant where, and the pair share design know-how that's adaptable to outdoor spaces of all sizes. Soil care is considered in comprehensive detail, and photo essays offer step-by-step garden DIY how-tos - including wicking beds, capillary watering, deep irrigation and ollas.Make the most of a guide to plant selection that equips you to create landscapes that are functional, beautiful and resilient, covering techniques for ornamental, habitat and edible gardens. Filled with knowledge and wisdom from two generations of widely respected horticulturalists, this is a must-have for any gardener looking to the future of what to plant and grow.Angus Stewart is a Hobart-based horticulturalist who has spent a lifetime working with plants. He was a long-time presenter on Gardening Australia, and Futureproof Your Garden is his sixth book. Sydney-based horticulturalist Emma Stewart inherited her father's passion and is dedicated to a sustainable gardening future.

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Book SynopsisFor readers of Milkwood, Grown & Gathered, Joel Salatin and Michael Pollan, comes a joyful and practical guide to looking after the earth wherever you call home. Futuresteading is a practical and inspirational guide to living in a way that values tomorrow: a slower, simpler, steadier existence that is healthier for you, your home, and the environment. Whether you live in a city apartment, in the suburbs or on twenty acres, the principles of futuresteading offer easy-to-understand information and hands-on ideas. Learn to grow delicious food and medicinal plants; share rituals with loved ones through the seasons; feast on healthy home-cooked food for the family; nourish body and soul with outdoor expeditions and moments of rest; and create wonders with your hands. This welcoming handbook begins by showing how futuresteading works in an accessible and practical explainer, before venturing through six seasonal chapters - Awakening, Alive, High Heat, Harvest, The Turning, and Deep Chill - filled with inspiration for the garden, including making fences and wicking beds, along with 30+ rewarding recipes for slow, nourishing and easy meals. Grow, store, eat, preserve and share food that deepens the connections you have with your household, your soil, and those around you.Table of ContentsPreface: On fire ... time for change Part One: The Why Introduction Futuresteading pillars: - Meet Mother Nature - Celebrate simple - Make your place - Seek ritual - Create your clans - Salute the seasons - Love local Make it a family affair Beating your seasonal drum Part Two: The How, Season by Season Awakening Alive High heat Harvest The turning Deep chill It's a wrap Thanks Home library Index

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Book SynopsisDiana Yates shares her guide to creating a flower and veg garden from scratch, and how it turned out to be larder, source of home decoration and a place of restoration and healing, too. From planting for pollinators to growing a pumpkin patch and storing your homegrown produce, Diana takes us through the growing year at her home, Greenfields. Growing at Greenfields follows a year with Diana Yates in her garden in the picturesque Scottish Borders. She shows that anyone can raise their own veg, create a plant theatre, cook seasonally and decorate their home using home-grown dried or fresh flowers. You don’t need a grand house or huge plot, by the way – her veg are all grown in a raised bed, her potatoes are in sacks, and her plant theatre created using pots. Guided by the seasons, there are helpful checklists of essential garden tasks, advice on seeds and cuttings, how to store your precious produce, planting for wildlife and more. Also included are projects for indoors and out, such as making a potager, crafting an autumn wreath, growing peas in guttering and making your own calendula balm. Diana also shares her favourite garden-to-table family recipes so you can show off your produce, from Garlic Scape Pesto to Comforting Cauliflower Soup. By growing, crafting and cooking, make a place that you can truly call home. Contents include:SpringSeed-sowing guideHow to Grow: Peas in gutteringRecipe: Caper linguineSpring garden tasks SummerKitchen garden careHow to Grow: PumpkinsRecipe: Creamy new potato saladHarvesting, curing and storing AutumnBulbs, glorious bulbsRecipe: Butternut and prosciutto saladHow to make: Calendula balmCreating an autumn porch display WinterHow to grow: Sweet peasRecipe: Immune-boosting chickenThe winter cutting gardenLate winter garden tasks

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Book SynopsisWhether you love growing, love creating, or just want to liven up your outdoor space, a container garden is just the answer. So many of us nowadays are crammed into our homes and a garden is a luxury that few can afford. But there is always room for a bit of greenery; whether it's herbs and spices to add fresh flavour to your food, or putting a jungle on your windowsill, a container can enable growers to bring nature to the most inhospitable and smallest spaces. Frances Tophill covers the sustainable, crafty and culinary aspects of container gardening. From urns and troughs to chimney stacks and hanging baskets alongside what to grow inside them - bonsai to annuals, bulbs, grasses and bamboos, tumbling and creeping plants and flowers - there are also 40 ideas on how to pair plants and pots, including upcycling existing items and creating your own containers.

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Book SynopsisWhat if your habits could create a more meaningful life for you and a better world? The Milkwood Permaculture Living Handbook is your guide to improving your home, health and happiness - and the planet - one simple step at a time. Packed with practical skills and projects, it's regenerative living for busy people who want to make a positive impact in a world out of balance.Discover how simple changes to your every day can make a big difference. Maybe it's decluttering your home, growing sprouts on your windowsill, connecting with your community or taking on a locavore mini-challenge. Maybe it's going waste-free or falling in love with compost. Inspired by the life-affirming principles of permaculture, all 60 habits will help you reconnect with your ecosystem, save money and celebrate sustainable living.Wherever you start, this book will help you change your lifestyle in small but significant ways - one powerful, practical habit at a time - towards a resilient, abundant life and a hopeful future for all.Trade ReviewThis book is all about a passion for sharing skills, igniting the can-do, cultivating the possible, calming the chaos, delivering the doable. And, above all else, connecting and caring for the community. It's a home, a safe place to come and grow hope in what is a challenging world. -Costa GeorgiadisOverflowing with information for our times - one of the best permaculture books ever! -Hannah MoloneyKirsten Bradley shows us that it is never one big action, but rather a life of small, intentional, daily actions that truly make a difference. This is how we empower ourselves, our families and our communities to create a world in which we want to live. -Paul WestThe time is right for this volume and it is very welcome. -Rosemary Morrow, permaculture elderAs author and activist, Kirsten Bradley walks her talk applying the deep and ethical thinking behind permaculture to everyday habits that she and her family have tested and documented through the very successful Milkwood Permaculture Living Course. This book distils the lessons learnt from helping so many others make positive changes in their own lives. In the process it is an accessible introduction to permaculture as powerful thinking tools for regeneration and resilience. -Dr David Holmgren, co-originator of permacultureTable of ContentsWelcome to MilkwoodIntroductionHabit Zero: Learn whose country you're onPrinciple 1 - Observe and interactHabit 1: Identify five useful wild plantHabit 2: Research the life cycle of something you use dailyHabit 3: Pay the rentHabit 4: Regulate your household's temperatureHabit 5: Learn about your local waterwaysPrinciple 2 - Catch and store energyHabit 6: Store the season by preserving foodHabit 7: Harvest rainwaterHabit 8: Build a mini greenhouseHabit 9: Create a budget and start savingHabit 10: Grow a storage cropPrinciple 3 - Obtain a yieldHabit 11: Grow sprouts and microgreensHabit 12: Use what you haveHabit 13: Start a herb gardenHabit 14: Do a life/work time auditHabit 15: Pest-proof your gardenPrinciple 4 - Apply self-regulation and accept feedbackHabit 16: Locavore challengeHabit 17: Rehome all that stuffHabit 18: Use your privilege for purposeHabit 19: Learn how to communicate wellHabit 20: Get water wisePrinciple 5 - Use and value renewable resources and servicesHabit 21: Make natural home cleanersHabit 22: Start a worm farmHabit 23: Cook with sticksHabit 24: Reuse your weeHabit 25: Reuse your packagingPrinciple 6 - Produce no wasteHabit 26: Commit to a five-day no-waste challengeHabit 27: Learn to mend: Habit 28: Eat real foodHabit 29: Learn to love second-hand thingsHabit 30: Compost everythingPrinciple 7 - Design from patterns to detailsHabit 31: Make a base mapHabit 32: Start a garden or nature diaryHabit 33: Write a Will - and talk about itHabit 34: Learn about your local climateHabit 35: Get to know the soil beneath your feetPrinciple 8 - Integrate rather than segregateHabit 36: Reuse your household greywaterHabit 37: Keep chickensHabit 38: Engage with the commonsHabit 39: Support a local person in needHabit 40: Eat with friends and familyPrinciple 9 - Use small and slow solutionsHabit 41: Start a home seed bankHabit 42: Make your own sourdoughHabit 43: Walk or ride thereHabit 44: Take your lunchHabit 45: Plant a tree and take care of itPrinciple 10 - Use and value diversityHabit 46: Support your local pollinatorsHabit 47: Make your own probiotic drinksHabit 48: Install a gate in your side fenceHabit 49: Make a lizard hotelHabit 50: Share a gardenPrinciple 11 - Use edges and value the marginalHabit 51: Get to know your local fungiHabit 52: Cook a meal outdoorsHabit 53: Join your local food co-opHabit 54: Learn to identify and use local seaweedsHabit 55: Explore your local gift economyPrinciple 12 - Creatively use and respond to change: Habit 56: Raise your voice on the climate crisisHabit 57: Make an emergency planHabit 58: Do a first-aid courseHabit 59: Engage in mutual aidHabit 60: Revisit your personal goalResourcesReferencesThank youIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Compost Coach is a colourful, comprehensive and accessible guide to creating the very best compost AKA garden gold. Kate is on a mission to empower readers to understand the small steps they can take every day to look after the environment and live more sustainability.The book is pitched at the home composter, including people who live in apartments and houses with or without gardens (yes, you can compost without a garden!). Kate helps the reader to rethink their waste management and teaches them how easy it is to divert food scraps and household carbon away from landfill. She unravels the technicalities of soil science, talks through the building blocks of a robust compost system and busts a few myths along the way. Charming illustrations, how-to photos, and Kate's warm, entertaining voice complete the package.Trade Review'Kate's approach is as honest as it is loving. Every practical, relatable page will inspire you to get down and dirty with compost.'Costa Georgiadis, Gardening Australia host'This book will help grow a new generation of composters.'Charles Dowding, No Dig Gardening'Best book for beginners like me.'Holly Wainwright, Executive editor, Mamamia'A wonderful resource for anyone who cares about their garden and the planet.' Phil Dudman, Organic Gardener'A beautiful, detailed and well-organised guide to everything about composting.' Gardening Australia'A book worth picking up!' Tiffany Dunk, Australian Women's Weekly'Learn exactly how to create your own garden gold.' Country Style'A brilliant new book on everything to make composting easy and accessible.' Helen Young, Weekend Australian Magazine'A fascinating peek into the mysteries of soil science. A feast for the mind as well as the garden!'People's Friend magazine'For a clear explanation of the C:N ratio, as well as everything else you've ever wanted to know about compost, I highly recommend The Compost Coach, by Kate Flood.Fiona Ogilvie, The Land'Pitched at the home gardener, The Compost Coach explains the techniques, dispels the myths, and is accompanied by plenty of how-to images and illustrations.'Roger Fox, Starts at 60Table of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: The WhatChapter 2: The WhyChapter 3: The HowAlessandro Vitale: the urban composterCosta Georgiadis: the community composterChapter 4: The KitCharles Dowding: the large-scale composterChapter 5: The WormsChapter 6: The WhoChapter 7: The ScrapsHannah Moloney: the permaculture composterChapter 8: The SoilFinal thoughtsNotesThank youIndex

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Book SynopsisWhile there have been numerous developments and advances in biodynamic agriculture methods since Ehrenfried Pfeiffer first introduced readers to its foundational principles and practices, the key elements remain. Even though this book was originally published in 1938, it remains a foundational text for biodynamic farmers and gardeners. Pfeiffer outlines the basic practices for successfully operating a biodynamic farm, including the principles behind each technique and practice. These methods are backed up by scientific research and data, as well as his own experience as a farmer and researcher, describing what works and what doesn't. Pfeiffer covers soil qualities, making compost, crop rotation, best planting practices, using biodynamic preparations and sprays, and much more -- all with the goal of growing the highest-quality foods by using sustainable methods, working with nature and caring for the earth. A classic resource for all biodynamic farmers and gardeners.

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Book SynopsisRadionics treatments have been recognised for their ability to rebalance the soil to produce quality crops and to treat pests and disease. Dowsing can enable gardeners to identify the best planting locations by considering the influence of the moon and underground water patterns. Together, these procedures can be combined with traditional biodynamic approaches to help boost the growth of crops and plants. Drawing on his decades of experience in sustainable and organic farming and gardening, George Kuepper describes practical methods for implementing these practices in this helpful and clear guidebook. With numerous illustrations, photographs, tables and examples this is a useful and practical resource for gardeners and farmers looking to improve the quality of their crops and plants.

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Book SynopsisIn the first aquaponic book to provide information on lawns, gardens, and vertical gardens, self-sufficiency expert Caleb Warnock shows us how fish, plants, a flower bed, water, and a drain combine to create a masterful ecosystem that can sustain your family. Aquaponic gardening mimics nature. In her simplest form, Mother Nature creates a self-sustaining system in which water, animals, and plants combine to help each other. Creating your own aquaponic garden using this natural cycle is simple, cost-effective, and sustainable.In an aquaponic garden, fish live in the water and produce waste; when this "fish water" is used to water the garden, the soil (along with your garden) is naturally enriched and fertilized. Meanwhile, the water is effectively filtered by the soil. When the filtered water returns to the fish pond, the fish continue to eat and grow, and the cycle continues. The advantages are endless. Aquaponic gardens: ·use far less water because water returns from the garden to the pond in a cycle; ·need no purchased fertilizer; ·create naturally rich, sustainable, chemical-free soil; ·grow larger, healthier plants, which produce more food; ·can produce harvestable fish; ·dramatically reduce the need to weed with no-till methods (see the No-Till Gardening book in this series); ·provide a peaceful, meditative water feature for the backyard; ·and bring the joy of having fish to the backyard garden.

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Book SynopsisFlower growing, once used to be a gardener's activity has today transformed into an astounding business. In India also, being an integral part of our rich heritage and culture, flower crops have become source of income as highly remunerative crops. Concerted efforts are being made in the country to boost the productivity, quality and export worthiness of several floricultural crops. With the changing trends and constant urge for new innovative products, this is imperative to have information about new potential crops with novel developed varieties and improved production technology. The worldwide interest in floriculture has also forced the agriculture universities and colleges for their perusal on teaching the emerging stream floriculture. Hence, the present book is a result of good compilation of recent advances in floriculture by the author. The publication entitled "Flower Crops: Cultivation and Management" specifies the practices and problems in growing flower crops along with entire description of crops and potential varieties.Table of ContentsSection I- Avenues and Scope of Floriculture Industry: Section II- Crops: 01. Alstroemeria 02. Anthurium 03. Bird of Paradise Strlitizia 04. Carnation 05. China Aster 06. Chrysanthemum 07. Crossandra 08. Dhalia 09. Freesia 10. Gerbera 11. Gladiolus 12. Gloriosa 13. Iris 14. Jasmine 15. Liatris 16. Lily 17. Lotus 18. Marigold 19. Narcissus 20. Orchids 21. Rose 22. Snapdragon 23. Stock 24. Tuberose 25. Tulip 26. Zantedeschia Calla Lily 27. Zinnia Section III: Emerging Issues in Floriculture 28. Organic Floriculture 29. Biotechnology in Floriculture 30. Role of Information Technology in Floriculture 31. Floriculture in The Era of WTO

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