Organic gardening / Sustainable gardening Books

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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 SynopsisConvert your unproductive lawn and landscape areas into fruitful edible gardens with this practical guide overflowing with ideas, plans, designs, and know-how.Out with the lawn and in with the food! That’s the battle cry of millions of modern gardeners who are not only looking to reduce the amount of time and energy they have to spend tending a lawn, but they’re also looking to improve the lives of their family, friends, and neighbors by supplying them with fresh, homegrown food. In the United States alone, 46 million acres of land are covered in turfgrass (that’s more acreage than corn and soybeans combined!). Imagine all the good that would come if that land were dedicated to growing food instead! Converting unused areas of the landscape into food gardens helps mitigate the effects of climate change, reduces food miles, improves food security, and allows us to be a better steward of our little slicTable of ContentsIntroduction: It’s All about Perspective Chapter 1 The Case for Less Lawn and More Food Chapter 2 Exploring and Transforming Your Landscape Chapter 3 Garden Designs for Edible Yards Chapter 4 Planning and Growing for Your Conditions Chapter 5 Common and Uncommon Edible Plants Chapter 6 Garden Plans and Menus Chapter 7 Planting and Tending Your Gardens Chapter 8 Changing the Landscape and Cultivating Community Conclusion Resources About the Authors Author Acknowledgments Photo Credits Index

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Book SynopsisNo dig organic gardening saves time and work. It requires an annual dressing of compost to help accelerate the improvement in soil structure and leads to higher fertility and less weeds. No dig experts, Charles Dowding and Stephanie Hafferty, explain how to set up a no dig garden. They describe how to: Make compost, enrich soil, harvest and prepare food and make natural beauty and clean ing products and garden preparations. These approaches work as well in small spaces as in large gardens. The Authors' combined experience gives you ways of growing, preparing and storing the plants you grow for many uses, including delicious vegetable feasts and many recipes and ideas for increasing self reliance, saving money, living sustainably and enjoying the pleasure of growing your own food, year round. Charles' advice is distilled from 35 years of growing vegetables intensively and efficiently; he is the acknowledged no dig guru and salad expert both in the UK and internationally. Stephanie, a kitchen gardener, grows in her small, productive home garden and allotment, and creates no dig gardens for restaurants and private estates.She presents truly delicious seasonal recipes, made from the vegetables anyone can grow. She also explains how to use common plants you can grow and forage for to make handmade preparation for the home and garden.

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Book SynopsisA practical book to take you through the stages of creating a new vegetable garden from scratch - using any plot of land. Filled with useful advice and and guidance, it will help you to realise the full potential of your garden.Trade ReviewAnother inspiring yet practical book from Charles Dowding. -- Rozie Apps * Permaculture Magazine *It is impossible not to feel inspired by the unique combination of helpful guidance and enthusiastic encouragement of experimentation. As Charles proves, there is no plot of land too wild to tame, a building site too overgrown with weeds or an unwanted lawn that can't be turned into a productive and beautiful garden area. -- Chris Allen * Gardening TImes *This is yet another book that will, as a manual, be on my bookshelf, but it will sure spend more in my hand than on the shelf. -- Michael Smith * Green (Living) Review *How to Create a New Vegetable Garden is the best vegetable gardening book I have read for a long time. -- ThePottingShed.co.ukIf this doesn't encourage more of us to turn our gardens into productive and beautiful spaces, I don't know what will. -- Anne Swithinbank, broadcaster and gardening writerWhether you're a dedicated gardener or a newcomer to the word of growing, take a look: Charles's methods work beautifully. -- Mark Diacono, gardener, food writer and broadcasterHow to clear weeds and grow great plants: Charles explains from a wealth of experience. -- Sarah Raven, journalist and garden writerTable of ContentsForeword by Steve Mercer Introduction Part One: Clearing ground and preparing soil 1. Starting points 2. Beauty in the food garden 3. The setting 4. Clearing ground 5. Mulching 6. Building beds 7. Dig versus no-dig (with compost) 8. Dig versus no-dig (without compost) Part Two: Sowing and growing 9. Raising plants under cover 10. Early sowing and plantings 11. Successional sowings and plantings 12. One bed, one year 13. Growing under cover 14. Hot beds 15. Perennial vegetables Appendix: Seasons and climate zones Glossary Resources Index

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Book Synopsis Elevate your backyard veggie patch into a work of sophisticated and stylish art. Kitchen Garden Revival guides you through every aspect of kitchen gardening, from design to harvesting.Author Nicole Johnsey Burke, founder of Rooted Garden, one of the leading US culinary landscape companies, and Gardenary, an online kitchen gardening education and resource company, leads the way with expert advice.Participating in the grow-your-own movement is important to both reduce your food miles and control what makes it onto your family’s table. If you’ve hesitated to take part because installing and caring for a traditional vegetable garden doesn’t seem to suit your life or your sense of style, Kitchen Garden Revival is here to show you there’s a better, more beautiful way to grow food.Instead of row after row of cabbage and pepper plants plunked into a patch of dirt in the middle of the yard, kitTrade Review“One of the other things I really loved about Kitchen Garden Revival is Nicole’s new takes on established garden ideas.” * The Kitchen Garten *“Whether the reader is a novice or experienced gardener, Kitchen Garden Revival offers information that is practical and helpful. Eric Kelley’s 230 color photos add clarity and beauty to the written word.” * OregonLive.com *“Burke’s book is filled with witty, easily-read information. The facts are intermixed with humorous stories of her mistakes while attaining her self-taught expertise.” * Triangle Garden *Not only will you learn about what crops to grow and when, but the book also guides readers through the process of building a garden and its benefits. * LifeSavvy.com *Table of ContentsPREFACE INTRODUCTION What’s a Kitchen Garden and Why It’s Time for a Revival Part One: Creating the Kitchen Garden CHAPTER 1: SITE Find the Perfect Kitchen Garden Spot CHAPTER 2: GATHER Select Your Kitchen Garden Elements CHAPTER 3: FRAME Install the Kitchen Garden Structures CHAPTER 4: FILL Add Soil and Water Part Two: Growing the Kitchen Garden CHAPTER 5: PLAN Create Your Kitchen Garden Calendar CHAPTER 6: PLANT Begin to Grow In Your Kitchen Garden CHAPTER 7: TEND How to Care for Your Kitchen Garden CHAPTER 8: HARVEST Ways to Enjoy Kitchen Garden Growth Appendix One: How to Take the Next Step in the Kitchen Garden Revival Appendix Two: Garden Listing Appendix Three: Celebrate Local Resources About the Author About the Photographer Acknowledgments Index

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Book SynopsisLiving With The Earth is a three volume series bringing together years of hands-on organic growing experience and research from the world-renowned Bec Hellouin Farm in France. In 2006, Perrine and Charles Herve-Gruyer set out on a mission to discover a new form of agriculture that provides organic crops, creates healthy soil and brings meaningful employment to the local community. A combination of biointensive methods and permaculture design, which they have named 'ecoculture', and backed by scientific research, has resulted in a highly abundant market garden that sequesters carbon and frees up land for Nature. This beautifully illustrated, comprehensive first volume shows you how natural systems work, and explains how a wide range of simple and effective techniques can create ecologically diverse gardens or highly productive farms. The in-depth chapters on weather patterns, soil types and ecosystem services, give the reader a sound understanding of the environment they are growing in. The book covers everything you need to design a farm and implement a high-yielding food system from scratch, from understanding permaculture and its tools to the full design process, using the successful systems at Bec Hellouin as examples. Chapters on composting, mulching, fertilisers, green manures and working with beneficial microorganisms offer the reader a selection of tools for creating healthy soil within the farm ecosystem. This is a unique, groundbreaking book for gardeners, homesteaders, farmers, agronomists and permaculture designers.Trade Review"Goodness, this book sings! Living With The Earth braids ecological farming, scientific rigor and ancient wisdom with all the practicalities of a manual that actually helps you do the work. The immense beauty of this book, with its lyrical writing, photos and illustrations, pulls you into the world of miracles ... our world tended with loving hands in a simple, effective and regenerative way. This is ecological farming at its best." Erik Ohlsen, Author of The Regenerative Landscaper

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Book SynopsisScientist/gardener Carol Deppe combines her passion for organic gardening with newly emerging scientific information from many fields — resilience science, climatology, climate change, ecology, anthropology, paleontology, sustainable agriculture, nutrition, health, and medicine. In the last half of The Resilient Gardener, Deppe extends and illustrates these principles with detailed information about growing and using five key crops: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs. In this book you’ll learn how to: •Garden in an era of unpredictable weather and climate change •Grow, store, and use more of your own staple crops •Garden efficiently and comfortably (even if you have a bad back) •Grow, store, and cook different varieties of potatoes and save your own potato seed •Grow the right varieties of corn to make your own gourmet-quality fast-cooking polenta, cornbread, parched corn, corn cakes, pancakes and even savory corn gravy •Make whole-grain, corn-based breads and cakes using the author’s original gluten-free recipes involving no other grains, artificial binders, or dairy products •Grow and use popbeans and other grain legumes •Grow, store, and use summer, winter, and drying squash •Keep a home laying flock of ducks or chickens; integrate them with your gardening, and grow most of their feed. The Resilient Gardener is both a conceptual and a hands-on organic gardening book, and is suitable for vegetable gardeners at all levels of experience. Resilience here is broadly conceived and encompasses a full range of problems, from personal hard times such as injuries, family crises, financial problems, health problems, and special dietary needs (gluten intolerance, food allergies, carbohydrate sensitivity, and a need for weight control) to serious regional and global disasters and climate change. It is a supremely optimistic as well as realistic book about how resilient gardeners and their vegetable gardens can flourish even in challenging times and help their communities to survive and thrive through everything that comes their way — from tomorrow through the next thousand years. Organic gardening, vegetable gardening, self-sufficiency, subsistence gardening, gluten-free living.Trade ReviewLibrary Journal- "Resilient" gardeners adapt to challenging health, dietary, weather, or financial situations to produce food that can sustain a family through adverse times. In this guide to becoming such a gardener, plant breeder Deppe (Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties) details her methods for safe and reliable food production-and covers more than strictly gardening-no matter your state of health or what climate you are in. She focuses on five crops with calorie, nutrient, and storage values: potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and, yes, duck eggs. In each chapter, Deppe describes her experiences with specific varieties of crops (with particular reference to her own climate in coastal Oregon), specific techniques for success, and unusual recipes suited to the varieties she grows (all are designed for those with gluten intolerance). VERDICT Deppe's idiosyncratic personality shines through her writing-this is as much a series of personal anecdotes by a lifelong expert gardener as a gardening book that will appeal to readers of a similar bent. Ideal for dedicated, independent gardeners who want to focus on food production despite dietary challenges, poor health, or other issuesForeWord Reviews- In The Resilient Gardener, scientist and author Carol Deppe offers readers an inspiring approach to gardening. For many, gardening is a hobby-a source of solace and an experiment in self-sufficiency. Gardens are designed to offer up good things during good times-handfuls of bulbous tomatoes after weeks of careful watering, weeding, and monitoring for invading insects, for example. But what happens when gardeners-along with the rest of society-face uncertain times? Uncertain times, caused by an unstable economy, changing weather patterns, or personal injury, result in an expanse of time when the "garden suffers because people have other priorities." With this premise in mind, Deppe introduces the concept of resilient gardening. In Deppe's world, gardening transcends the world of leisurely pursuit and transforms into an act of empowerment. In twelve intensely detailed chapters, The Resilient Gardener empowers readers with the knowledge they need to design, build, and maintain gardens that can withstand intense hardship and thrive despite periods of complete neglect. The first half of the book marries the practice of gardening with emerging global issues, such as climate change, increasing attention to weight control, and the rise of food allergies. Readers must first achieve a firm grasp of how these issues intersect with the process of gardening in order to fully benefit from the hands-on guidelines provided later in the book. Deppe's analysis is thorough; her research delves deep. By discussing the interaction between gardening and prevalent world issues, she establishes gardeners as hubs of sustainability and survival, their individual efforts producing movements of resilience that can benefit society as a whole. One of the major strengths of this book-and what sets it apart from the deluge of gardening books currently on bookstore shelves-is the union of Deppe's scientific knowledge with her personal gardening experience. The second half of the book details the five essential crops of self-reliance-potatoes, corn, beans, squash, and eggs-and how to grow them. Though these sections are largely "dip and skip" depending on the reader's level of knowledge, they are expressed in crisp, detailed, and incredibly fluid prose. Deppe is able to transmit the nitty-gritty of gardening through invaluable parcels of personal anecdotes that make the material relatable and a pleasure to read. Deppe's unique approach to her topic makes The Resilient Gardener an appealing selection for both experienced and beginner gardeners, as well as readers interested in issues of sustainability and global reform.Permaculture Activist- "This book presents an in-depth seed-to-table understanding of five culturally significant and life-sustaining crops: corn, beans, squash, potatoes, and eggs. Its power and promise are rooted in Deppe's lived experience and revealed in the careful detail by which she shares it. This book is frank, plainspoken, and intimate. The basis for the author's diet is her intolerance for grain. She has celiac disease and cannot digest wheat or any of its near relatives in the grass family: rye, barley, oats, or triticale, and so has learned from much difficult experience to exclude completely from her table the foods most people depend upon for their daily bread. The basis of the book, however, is her determination to provide a reliable supply of staple food for her kitchen and to be responsible for every aspect of that from breeding and selecting the crops she uses to stabilizing and sharing the seed, to understanding the genetics, to exploring, cooking, and relishing the palate of flavors she nurtures and the rich and deeply satisfying foods that in turn nurture her, It is this quality of determination and careful empirical and practical work that recommends The Resilient Gardener to serious gardeners and home economists. Deppe is doing what many of us aspire to do.” "The Resilient Gardener is so essential, timely and important, and I will recommend it to everyone I know. It doesn't matter if you garden or if you don't-this is practical wisdom good for humans to know, passed on by a careful student who has deeply studied her life. Carol Deppe's lens is the garden-which is great for gardeners, but really, she speaks clearly to all of us. If you try to think like Deppe, you will find you have a new view of your life no matter who you are. This is a wise and intelligent book. Hats off to Carol Deppe!"--Deborah Madison, Author of Local Flavors and Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone "In the years since Carol Deppe wrote the classic Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties, she has continued to grow in deep wisdom and experience. The Resilient Gardener is brilliantly timely, and shows us how to create gardens that can survive our increasingly erratic weather, while supplying key nutrition lacking in most vegetable gardens. This book fills a critical niche, and I recommend it unreservedly."--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture "The Resilient Gardener is the most comprehensive and detailed book about gardening that I have read to date, and I could not find one sentence that I would quibble with. Not only does Deppe discuss all the immediate, nose- to- the- grindstone kind of information about producing and using homegrown food, but also all the surrounding environmental and cultural aspects of gardening that are so vital to success. A must read for beginning gardeners, and full of details even the most experienced will find invaluable."--Gene Logsdon, author of Small-Scale Grain Raising and Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind "The Resilient Gardener gives concrete examples of how to deal with diet, climate, and economic changes before the need arises. Deppe challenges us to experiment with and practice all aspects of gardening, seed saving and food storage, and advises on the growing need to meet special food and climate requirements in the face of our food system's fragility. This book is an invaluable tool for gardeners and farmers as we experience more and more volatility in our food systems."--Suzanne Ashworth, author of Seed to Seed "Carol Deppe is informative, funny, and intriguing as she guides us through every phase of gardening--dispelling myths while also orienting us to the technical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of growing food. The Resilient Gardener is the quintessential guide to gardening from an authority who also knows how to enjoy herself."--Didi Emmons, author of Vegetarian Planet "Carol Deppe's celiac-friendly approach to gardening and nutrition provides a wealth of information on how to overcome food intolerances many are confronted with each day. If you struggle with food allergies or sensitivities--or want to use natural resources to create a healthy world for you and your family--this book is for you."--Peter H.R. Green, MD, Director, Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University "Growing food is among the most positive changes anyone can make in the face of uncertainty about the future. The Resilient Gardener is an information-packed resource for people starting or expanding a garden practice. This book empowers readers with skills and understanding, as did Deppe's previous book, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties."--Sandor Ellix Katz, author, Wild Fermentation and The Revolution Will Not Be MicrowavedTable of Contents1. Gardening and resilience 2. The plant-gardener covenant: 33 golden gardening rules 3. Gardening in an era of wild weather and climate change 4. Diet and food resilience 5. Labor and exercise 6. Water and watering 7. Soil and fertility 8. Potatoes 9. The laying flock 10. Squash and pumpkins 11. Beans 12. Corn

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Book SynopsisGardening for Everyone is a sustainable guide to growing vegetables in five simple steps: planning, building, planting, tending and harvesting. With the same wisdom and stunning aesthetic as Simply Living Well, Julia''s beautiful new book is a guide to creating and growing a garden simply and sustainably with profiles of essential vegetables and herbs, ecological tips, and fun and creative projects.Growing food in your backyard (or even on a porch or windowsill!) is one of the simplest and most rewarding ways to nourish yourself, be self-sufficient and connect with nature in a hands-on way. Here sustainability expert Julia Watkins shares everything you need to know to grow your own vegetables, fruits and herbs, as well as wildflowers and other beneficial companion plants.The book covers all the nuts and bolts of creating and caring for your garden - planning, building, planting, tending and harvesting - followed by a deeper dive into the plants Trade ReviewJam-packed with beautiful colourful photographs and helpful tips, this is just right for aspiring eco-friendly gardeners * Publishers Weekly *

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Book SynopsisFirst published in 1977, this book—from one of America’s most famous and prolific agricultural writers—became an almost instant classic among homestead gardeners and small farmers. Now fully updated and available once more, Small-Scale Grain Raising offers a entirely new generation of readers the best introduction to a wide range of both common and lesser-known specialty grains and related field crops, from corn, wheat, and rye to buckwheat, millet, rice, spelt, flax, and even beans and sunflowers. More and more Americans are seeking out locally grown foods, yet one of the real stumbling blocks to their efforts has been finding local sources for grains, which are grown mainly on large, distant corporate farms. At the same time, commodity prices for grains—and the products made from them—have skyrocketed due to rising energy costs and increased demand. In this book, Gene Logsdon proves that anyone who has access to a large garden or small farm can (and should) think outside the agribusiness box and learn to grow healthy whole grains or beans—the base of our culinary food pyramid—alongside their fruits and vegetables. Starting from the simple but revolutionary concept of the garden “pancake patch,” Logsdon opens up our eyes to a whole world of plants that we wrongly assume only the agricultural “big boys” can grow. He succinctly covers all the basics, from planting and dealing with pests, weeds, and diseases to harvesting, processing, storing, and using whole grains. There are even a few recipes sprinkled throughout, along with more than a little wit and wisdom. Never has there been a better time, or a more receptive audience, for this book. Localvores, serious home gardeners, CSA farmers, and whole-foods advocates—in fact, all people who value fresh, high-quality foods—will find a field full of information and ideas in this once and future classic.Trade ReviewThe Ethicurean- In Small-Scale Grain Raising, Logsdon lays out clearly just how easy it can be to grow grains for your family and your livestock, from his beloved "pancake patch" up to acre-sized plots. Interspersed with good-humored vintage anecdotes and his usual Contrary Farmer commentary, this primer elevates the status of grain-growing on farms of all sizes (from the backyard on up) to a happy essential. As he states repeatedly, there's nothing so delicious -- or so economical -- as home-baked goods made with fresh grains you grew and milled yourself. And when those same home-grown grains can also feed your animals and build soil fertility… well, what's stopping you?Logsdon's book covers all of the well-known grains and several of the lesser ones: barley, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, rice, spelt, sorghum, triticale, wheat, and others. He also devotes a chapter to soybeans and dried beans, despite their classification as legumes, because they partner so well with grains both in growing and in eating. For at least the major grains he discusses varieties, yields, nutritional value, and uses (both for human and animal consumption as well as other farm uses). He describes how to prepare the soil, how to plant the grain seeds (including optimal space requirements), what diseases and pests to watch for and how to deal with them, how to harvest and dry the grains, how to store them, and, finally, how to turn those seeds into food for your family.Drawing on his personal experience growing almost all of the major grains, Logsdon describes "how we do it" even when it contrasts with conventional wisdom. He touts the value of open-pollinated seed, despite advances in hybrids, because of their superior taste and the satisfaction of not being beholden to agribusiness. He also demonstrates that old hand tools and techniques can sometimes be the most efficient when growing on a small scale. For example, though corn may be harvested by machine, he outlines how to bundle corn stalks into shocks for easy, inexpensive drying and storage (and aesthetic value). He claims to keep a basket full of old socks to slip over ripening ears of corn to prevent wild animals from dining on his crops. (I'd like to see that!) And for his money, the best weed control -- the one to which pests never develop resistance -- is the hoe."Gene Logsdon could just say, 'I told you so.' Instead, he has revitalized Small-Scale Grain Raising with bushels of new information, thirty additional years of insight, and the welcome leavening of his wonderful and cranky (with a wink and a nod) voice. He makes sowing sexy, and shifts the food revolution from his back 40 to your back yard."--Michael Perry, author of COOP: A Year of Poultry, Pigs and Parenting"Small-Scale Grain Raising, 2nd ed., is the definitive book on how to grow, thresh, process, and use grains in the amounts that matter to a family--from enough wheat for a single batch of pancakes up to an acre or two--all the grain needed for a family with a cow, a pig, a few sheep, and a flock of chickens. The first edition has long been a cult classic, decades out of print, decades before its time, eagerly begged, borrowed, and handed around in bootleg copies. The second edition is updated and expanded to include virtually every grain grown in North America. Particularly useful is the state-of-the-art information about threshing and dehulling of various grains for those without access to specialized equipment. Even more useful than the specific information, however, is the portrayal of the overall pattern--the full integration of appropriate grain-growing, appropriate cover-cropping, appropriate livestock keeping, appropriate economics, and appropriate philosophy, all woven together into a powerful model of a coherent framework for gardening, farming, and living. This book is the Small is Beautiful of grain growing, by Gene Logsdon, one of the founding curmudgeons of modern garden farming and sustainable agriculture."--Carol Deppe, author of Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's and Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding and Seed Saving "Home bakers rejoice! Gene's book is back just in time to help you grow those flavorful, old, heirloom grain varieties you have always wanted to try. Bon appétit!"--Eliot Coleman, author of The Winter Harvest Handbook and The New Organic Grower "Interspersed with good-humored vintage anecdotes and his usual 'Contrary Farmer' commentary, this primer elevates the status of grain-growing on farms of all sizes (from the backyard on up) to a happy essential."--Jennifer McMullen, reviewed in The EthicureanTable of Contents1. Homegrown grains: the key to food security 2. Corn: America's amazing maize 3. Wheat: the main source of the staff of life 4. The sorghum family 5. Oats: the high-protein cereal grain 6. Dry beans: the "poor man's meat" 7. Rye and barley 8. Buckwheat and millet 9. Rice: the oldest garden grain 10. Some uncommon grains, old and new 11. Legumes: the overlooked partner in small-scale grain raising 12. Feeding grain to animals

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Book Synopsis“An invaluable resource” Huw Richards If you want to grow your own food, become more self sufficient, zero waste or eco friendly, or even go fully off grid, Liz Zorab is the perfect guide to help you explore the world of green living and permaculture. Grounded is the story of her gardening journey: from bare field to bountiful feast; from poor soil to fertile abundance; from rookie errors to successful sustainability. Liz and her husband, Mr J, transformed a tired 0.8 acre field into a fertile homestead that provides 80% of their food and drink – with enough left over to stock a community veggie box scheme! An inspiring blend of practical tips and ideas with personal narrative and a good smattering of humour, Grounded will show you how to: ` Fill your garden without emptying your pocket ` Make the most of the space you have ` Be creative with resources ` Achieve more without exhausting yourself ` Become more resilient ` Enjoy the process as much as the results This is a tale of courage and imagination that will inspire you to grow your own productive paradise and live your dreams.

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Book SynopsisFrom the author of The Humanure Handbook, an expert guide to compost toilets you can build yourself The Compost Toilet Handbook is an illustrated instructional manual explaining how to make, use, and manage compost toilets, which are waste-free toilets that rely on the biological process of composting to recycle toilet material. It is based on the author’s 40+ years of first-hand experience with “composting as a sanitation alternative.” The 254-page indexed book has 161 pages of color photos including 203 photos or illustrations from 13 countries where compost toilet systems are in use. The 2nd half of the book includes case study reviews of compost toilet projects in African prisons and schools; Haitian schools, orphanages, and villages; schools in Mozambique; neighborhoods in Mongolia; a school and village in Nicaragua; and an ecovillage in the US. Along with the nuts and bolts of compost toilet construction, use, and management, the book covers emergency preparedness, cold weather composting, pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, health, and safety.

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Book SynopsisForget the farmer’s market. Grow your own delicious, organic apples, figs, peaches, plums, strawberries, blackberries, citrus fruits, and more with Grow Your Own Mini Fruit Garden. No green thumb required. Even beginners become successful fruit 'farmers' with the techniques and advice offered by author Christy Wilhelmi, the force behind the popular gardening website, Gardenerd. Selecting the best small-scale fruit trees, bushes, vines, and plants for your climate, siting them properly, and pruning your compact trees for health and productivity are some of the many topics covered in the pages of this bible of small-space fruit growing. You’ll also discover how to: Turn your urban, suburban, or rural garden into a fruit factory, no matter its size Maximize production from edible container fruit gardens Grow more food in less space Limit your family’s synthetic pesticide coTrade Review"...you’ll be almost overwhelmed with tips and techniques for creating what can only be described as a wonderland dreamscape, but with Wilhelmi’s immersive knowledge, could actually be rendered into reality. The book is a one-stop shop—vertical gardening, arbor making, espalier building, tree grafting, soil prep, compost building, drainage designing, container gardening, pruning strategies, drip irrigation building, disease resistance techniques, pest control, feeding and fertilization, and finally harvesting." -- Beth Py-Lieberman * Washington Gardener Magazine *"Many green thumbs for this book...it’s a great read. Highly recommended." -- Andrew Messinger * The Hampton Gardener/27East.com *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Welcome to the world of small-space fruit gardening CHAPTER 1 What’s a Mini Fruit Garden? CHAPTER 2 Here’s to Your Success! CHAPTER 3 Choosing the Best Fruit Trees for Your Climate CHAPTER 4 Grafted Trees and Their Importance to Small-Scale Home Orchards CHAPTER 5 Let’s Get Planting! CHAPTER 6 Berries and Other Fruits CHAPTER 7 Caring for Your Home Fruit Garden CHAPTER 8 Pruning for Production, Size, and Structure CHAPTER 9 Managing Pests and Diseases Last Thoughts Appendix A Resources Acknowledgments About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisA colour illustrated introduction to everything a beginner needs to know about biodynamics. A perfect present.Trade Review'This book is a marvellous find! I've been curious about biodynamics for years, but have felt overwhelmed by all the theory and thus have lacked the courage to pursue it. Ms. Wright's easy to understand explanations and step by step instructions have given me the kick in the pants I've needed to finally jump in and give biodynamic gardening a try!'-- Amazon.co.uk customer review'Such a beautifully produced book, it is a visual delight and the text amply matched that standard. Biodynamics is a step further than organics and is the very antithesis of intensive chemical agriculture. Hilary Wright explains how pesticides have denuded our soil, seeds and plants and how we can all apply the tenets of biodynamics in our back gardens and reap the flavour, nutrition and sense of fulfillment for ourselves. Fascinating stuff that has me totally enthused!'-- Amazon.co.uk customer review'Biodynamic gardening brings the relationship we have with the earth full circle. Even if you are a novice gardener this book will show you how to take the first steps in making your own garden biodynamic, for abundant, nutrient-packed fruit and vegetables with a taste so often missing in shop produce. An excellent, practical guide.'-- Lifescape magazine'This book is as much a remedy for a world as for a garden. Hilary Wright's animated defence, a re-evaluation of human-world relations extending through elements, plants and animals, is a holistic, immersed view of nature ... Every other page carries images generously, prints, paintings, photographs and drawings all used for illustration, all seductively rich in colour, form and textures ... The book has a openness and attractiveness which will persuade many enquirers to try new organic practices. It is a very welcome defence of holistic, caring practice: it brings together primary sustenance, aesthetic life, ethical concern and a kind of close observation in which we find delight.'-- Allan Harkness, Border Life'This is a very good and accessible introduction to biodynamic gardening ... the book is sensitively written as both an inner and outer journey where the reader is invited to quieten the mind and develop inner sense organs of perception for the practical gardening work ... this is definitely a book to recommend to biodynamic gardeners.'--Richard Swann, Star and Furrow (Journal of the Biodynamic Agricultural Association)'A beautifully illustrated book outlining the principles and practice of biodynamic gardening ... There is much practical advice about composting, pest control, cooking and preparation of dynamised fertilisers involving the meditative activity of stirring for an hour.'--Science and Medical Network Review, Spring 2009'This book includes history, theory and practical advice to guide you through creating and maintaining a biodynamic garden.'--Rhubard (Local Action on Food), Summer 2009

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Book SynopsisThe Winter Market Gardener is a guide to year-round vegetable production. Based on years of experimentation in techniques, tools, and cultivars, it presents planting, care, and harvesting details for dozens of winter crops that earn money and provide the highest quality, most delicious produce for local markets.Trade Review"The essential guide for winter market gardening for the new generation of growers is here!!! " –Zach Loeks, edible ecosystem designer, author, The Two-wheel Tractor Handbook and The Permaculture Market Garden "The core challenge of growers in the north is learning how to feed our communities with fresh, local, real food in the winter. With great research and detailed charts, this book shows exactly how to do just that. I think every grower should buy it, read it, and incorporate its ideas. An indispensable book." –Ben Hartman, author, The Lean Micro Farm "In this book, you will find all manner of useful planning considerations and practical tips and evaluations of structures, tools, diseases and pests, crop notes, and optimal storage conditions to help you extend your seasons and production for as long as possible through the winter months … A lovely extension to Jean-Martin’s previous handbook, and a great resource for those looking to up their winter growing practices." –Richard Perkins, author, Regenerative Agriculture "…this book was written by two people who have devoted their lives to helping feed communities better. Winter is no longer off-limits, it’s open to all of us." –Michael Kilpatrick, educator, Growing Farmers, farmer, The Farm on Central "Drawing on the Parisienne market garden tradition and Eliot Coleman’s seminal works, The Winter Market Gardener presents years of new research, experimentation, and practice. It covers every aspect of growing vegetables for market year round in a cold climate to build community resilience and reduce imports. It's comprehensive, well laid out, full of information, and engaging." –Maddy Harland, editor, co-founder, Permaculture Magazine "Jean-Martin’s passion for organic farming is contagious. He is always innovating, experimenting, and sharing his findings with others and The Winter Market Gardener is no exception. This book is practical, thorough, well-researched, and an invaluable resource for cold-climate growers." –Erin Benzakein, FloretTable of ContentsForeword Introduction: Yes, We Can Grow Vegetables Year-Round. . . and Why We Should The Knowledge and Skills of Northern Growers Using Simple Shelters to Protect Crops Winter Crop Planning Vegetables in Winter Tools for Winter Growing Tending to Winter Crops Fall Harvests for Cold Storage Growing and Selling Vegetables Year-Round Conclusion Appendices Glossary Bibliography Index About the Authors About New Society Publishers

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Book SynopsisFrom Peter Wohlleben, the New York Times-bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees, and his wife, Miriam, comes an inspired, practical memoir of creating a sustainable homestead amongst the trees.Called "a veritable tree whisperer" by the Wall Street Journal, Peter Wohlleben is known across the world for his illuminating books about forests and how to help them thrive. Now, the German forester invites readers into his home for the first time in Our Little Farm, describing the steps he and his wife, Miriam, have taken to live sustainably and in harmony with nature.Peter and Miriam moved from the city to a remote forest lodge in the early nineties. Amidst juggling careers and raising a young family, they learned how to plant and rotate crops, harvest and preserve nature's bounty, and tend to the unique needs of their animals and environment. Along the way, they made mistakes and abandoned some projects (sheep raising was not their thing) but maintained a sense of joy in their shared goal.Brimming with insights, wisdom, and tips on everything from constructing farm buildings to choosing the perfect chicken, Our Little Farm shows that, with a little grit, humor, and self-compassion, it's possible to live according to our values and to care for the earth even as we care for ourselves, our homes, and our families.Published in partnership with the David Suzuki Institute.Trade Review"[A] detailed look at [the Wohllebens'] decades-long experiment in sustainable living... The conversational tone will be welcome to those seeking specifics as readers new to the sustainable lifestyle."—Booklist"A factual how-to handbook that’s filled with lessons ... and practical farming advice."—Library Journal"A great source of inspiration for anyone wishing to become more self-sufficient."—Kirkus Reviews"A wonderfully inspired story of soil, food, chickens, and goats, sharing the joys, insights, and challenges of a couple rising to a more sustainable living."—David R. Montgomery, coauthor of The Hidden Half of Nature and What Your Food Ate"A wonderful invitation into the journey of making a livelihood locally."—Chris Smaje, author of A Small Farm Future and Saying NO to a Farm-Free Future

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Book SynopsisCreating and maintaining a beautiful garden that is safe and natural is becoming increasingly popular as we begin to understand the benefits of adopting an organic way of life. The Organic Garden is an indispensable guide to using organic methods to create flourishing ornamental and wildlife gardens. There is also a vital section on kitchen gardening that reflects our growing interest in eating and producing fresh, healthy and chemical-free vegetables, herbs and fruit. Christine and Michael Lavelle give clear advice on creating and caring for a natural garden, showing how to adopt an organic approach to each garden task, whether this is soil preparation, weeding and weed control, watering and feeding, or pruning and propagation. There is also helpful practical information on dealing organically with pests and diseases in both the garden and the greenhouse. The book looks in turn at different aspects of organic gardening, from creating spectacular lawns and decorative beds and borders in the ornamental garden, through attracting a host of beneficial creatures to the wildlife garden, to growing a wealth of crops in the kitchen garden. An easy-to-use directory of vegetables, herbs and fruit provides clear, at-a-glance information on growing a wide range of healthy produce, with advice on sowing, planting, harvesting and storing. With its wealth of inspirational and practical photographs, useful step-by-step information and well-informed text, The Organic Garden Book is a comprehensive guide for both first time and experienced gardeners, whether you wish to start an organic garden from scratch or use organic methods in an existing garden.

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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 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 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 Synopsis"Brimming with ingenuity, hope, and eminently practical advice, The Winter Harvest Handbook is an indispensable contribution."—Michael Pollan "Useful, practical, sensible, and enlightening information for the home gardener."—Martha Stewart With The Winter Harvest Handbook, everyone can have access to organic farming pioneer Elliot Coleman’s hard-won experience. Gardeners and farmers can use the innovative, highly successful methods Coleman describes in this comprehensive handbook to raise crops throughout the coldest of winters. Building on the techniques that hundreds of thousands of farmers and gardeners adopted from Coleman's The New Organic Grower and Four-Season Harvest, this book focuses on growing produce of unparalleled freshness and quality in customized unheated or, in some cases, minimally heated, movable plastic greenhouses. Inside, you'll find Coleman's clear, concise, and meticulous details [including many accompanying illustrations] on: Greenhouse construction and maintenance Planting schedules Crop management Harvesting practices Marketing methods Coleman’s painstaking research and experimentation with more than 30 different crops will be valuable to small farmers, homesteaders, and experienced home gardeners who seek to expand their production seasons. A passionate advocate for the revival of small-scale sustainable farming, Coleman provides a practical model for supplying fresh, locally grown produce during the winter season, even in climates where conventional wisdom says it "just can’t be done." "The incomparable Eliot Coleman is back."—The New York Times "A Renaissance man for a new generation."—Dan BarberTrade Review"If we are going to create a good, clean, fair food system, we've got to learn how to grow affordable, local food year-round and make a living at it. Eliot Coleman knows more about this than anyone I've met. Here he gives the detailed information needed to make it work. The only way to learn it better would be to follow him around for a few seasons. And he won't let you."--Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA"How do you produce first-rate food all year-round in northern places? This is the big question facing the local food movement, and Eliot Coleman, one of America's most innovative farmers, has come up with excellent answers. Brimming with ingenuity, hope, and eminently practical advice, The Winter Harvest Handbook is an indispensable contribution."--Michael Pollan "The Winter Harvest Handbook is a treasure trove of practical, proven techniques for producing crops on a year-round basis in any climate. Based on decades of on-farm research, this book is packed with useful ideas, tips and practices that anyone can use in pursuing the increasingly vital dream of local, organic food production using a minimum of precious resources. A masterful book from a master organic farmer. I wish I had had a copy 35 years ago!"--Amigo Bob Cantisano, President, Organic Ag Advisors "'Attention to detail is the major secret to success in any endeavor,' writes Eliot Coleman on page 156 of this absorbing and happily detailed report on his ongoing efforts to grow flawless vegetables without hothouses on the frozen 'back side' of the year. In chapters covering everything from The Yearly Schedule and Greenhouse Design to Weed Control and Marketing, Coleman tracks his own constant search for perfection, a quality that has led more than one young farmer to exclaim 'I'd follow him anywhere.' Well worth reading even if you don't grow vegetables, just to watch a master's mind at work."--Joan Dye Gussow, author of This Organic Life "Eliot Coleman's books have been called Bibles for small farmers and home gardeners. I suspect that's because he writes about not just gardening but about everything that connects to good food and pleasure; a Renaissance man for a new generation, he'll quote Goethe in the same breath as Ghandi, and as a result, you'll dig, weed, eat, think, and live more fully."--Dan Barber, Chef, Blue Hill and Blue Hill Stone Barns "I just finished picking my first carrots, beets, and radishes from my new 'cold house' in Bedford, New York. It is so rewarding to harvest fresh vegetables and salads in the middle of winter and I grow them following the techniques of Eliot Coleman. I have been a devotee of Eliot's for years, fully agreeing with his methods for growing in winter, spring, summer, and fall, tasty, nutritious produce with a minimum consumption of fossil fuels. Congratulations on another volume of useful, practical, sensible, and enlightening information for the home gardener."--Martha Stewart"When does gardening become farming? When are you no longer having dinner parties and running a restaurant instead? For those who are ready to graduate beyond coffee-can retail, the incomparable Eliot Coleman is back with THE WINTER HARVEST HANDBOOK: Year-Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses (Chelsea Green, paper, $29.95). I'm not one to quibble over the details of a "T-post anchor and homemade attaching bracket for securing the corners of a new rolling greenhouse design." Suffice it to say that this serious, meticulous, inspiring farmer and writer solves the problem of growing lettuce in Maine -- in January. Anyone living near Coleman's Four Season Farm is thrice blessed -- 1) to live in intense denial of the back-breaking effort he or she is 2) being spared in order to acquire what is surely 3) the tastiest, most wholesome and pure food available. Coleman's opus is as much a call to action for town planners to embrace local farms as it is a bible for small farmers. This book is for people who know what they're doing."-- The New York Times Book Review "Eliot Coleman is widely recognized as the 'master' of the master gardeners. His new book, The Winter Harvest Handbook--which tells us how to produce local food even in winter in cold climates like Maine, without a lot of energy--now joins his other delightful books as another lovely read, packed with powerful and practical ideas that every gardener will treasure."--Frederick Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, and President of Stone Barns Center for Food and AgricultureTable of Contents1. The winter harvest 2. Historical inspiration 3. Getting started 4. The yearly schedule 5. Sunlight 6. The "cold" greenhouse 7. The "cool" greenhouse 8. Winter crops 9. Summer crops 10. Greenhouse design 11. Year-round intensive cropping 12. Soil preparation 13. Sowing 14. Weed control 15. Harvesting in winter 16. Marketing and economics 17. Pests 18. Insects and diseases 19. Tools for the small farm 20. Deep-organic farming and the small farm

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Book Synopsis‘Build resilience and create a low maintenance edible haven with this accessible guide.’ Kim Stoddart Learn how to create an edible forest garden from canopy to groundcover, modelled after nature – perfect for gardeners and growers at any scale! In The Home-Scale Forest Garden, gardener Dani Baker provides a practical, in-depth guide to creating a beautiful, bountiful edible landscape at any scale – from creating a foundation planting to developing an edible hedge to planning an acre or more. Discover how to create a resilient forest garden ecosystem, including: Observing and mapping your space Grouping fruit trees, berry bushes, and perennial vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers in diverse layers that attract and shelter beneficial insects and birds Creating microclimates to increase the range of plants you can grow Expending less energy for greater reward Along with over 200 photographs taken over 10 years of forest garden development, you’ll find illustrated designs of plant groupings for a range of conditions, including hot, dry sites and shady, moist sites. This book is the perfect guide for gardeners of all experience levels who want to embark on their own forest garden adventure.Trade Review"Experienced gardeners with a serious interest in sustainability would do well to check this out."—Publishers Weekly“The Home-Scale Forest Garden is a thoroughly enjoyable read, with lots of good photos and illustrations. I particularly enjoyed reading about forest gardening in a colder winter climate and found Dani’s strategies for dealing with wet flooded ground, very heavy soil, deer attacks, and many other challenges both fascinating and inspirational. This book should be of great use to anybody making a forest garden on any scale.”—Martin Crawford, author of Creating a Forest Garden and founder, Agroforestry Research Trust“Dani Baker enriches cold-climate forest gardening with candid details of successes and (importantly) failures in her decade-old forest garden. The Home-Scale Forest Garden serves as a guide to anyone who wishes to plant one, and includes valuable experience with challenges including some very wet soils. Featuring over 200 beautiful color photographs from the garden.”—Eric Toensmeier, author of Perennial Vegetables and co-author of Edible Forest Gardens“Dani Baker generously shares the gems of her forest garden journey, offering insights of her successes, mishaps, and inspirations that culminate in the delicious fruits of her labor. Her vision, supported by a depth of teachers and study, guides readers in learning the art of edible abundance. Whether your goals include greater harvests, landscape beauty, or diversity of species, I highly recommend The Home-Scale Forest Garden as a resource for the land steward in us all.”—Katrina Blair, author of The Wild Wisdom of Weeds“We need many more examples of forest gardens, food forests, and permaculture orchards, and The Home-Scale Forest Garden will help inspire and direct you on the adventure of planning, planting, and tending your garden abundance. Dani Baker does a wonderful job introducing the uninitiated to permaculture principles in a clearly understandable way. Once you experience abundance from your forest garden, your life changes. A forest garden, as Dani explains so simply and beautifully, will get you to that abundance.”—Stefan Sobkowiak, permaculture educator and YouTuber; owner, Miracle Farms: The Permaculture Orchard“This book brings to life the visual beauty and the diverse productivity a perennial landscape can offer to anyone looking to get started or improve on what they’ve created. Forest gardening can often feel intimidating, but Dani Baker’s unique experience coupled with her friendly tone and plenty of details on the best plants, placement, and companions provides anyone interested in building a food forest with a plethora of material to help them succeed.”—Steve Gabriel, co-author of Farming the Woods; author of Silvopasture; extension specialist, Cornell Small Farms Program“Working with the natural world in our gardens has never been more important with the challenges we now face through climate change. Forest gardening offers hope, inspiration, and solutions for the future, and Dani Baker shows gardeners how to embrace this important method on a smaller scale. Build resilience and create a low maintenance edible haven with this accessible guide.”—Kim Stoddart, editor, The Organic Way magazine; co-author of The Climate Change Garden"Dani Baker is the dreamer and planner behind the Enchanted Edible Forest. She shares experienced, friendly advice for gardeners of all experience levels....With fun stories, a methodical organization, and helpful appendices, this is a great primer full of gardening expertise."—Foreword Reviews

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Book SynopsisBeyond organic-- a practical guide to nutrient-dense food.Trade ReviewThis practical step-by-step guide shows all is not lost as Steve Solomon shows us the link between healthy soil, healthy food and healthy people. - Sandra Barrera, The Daily Breeze If you garden, no matter if you're an omnivore, vegetarian, or carnivore I think this book is a good read., blogger, Throwback at Trapp Creek The nutrient density of the crops we grow and the remineralization of our soils have been almost constantly on our minds and usually on the tips of our tongues. Our biggest inspiration has come from reading Steve Solomen's new book The Intelligent Gardener. - Shannon Jones and Bryan Dyck, bloggers, Broadfork Farm Any agriculture or home gardening library will find this an accesible, popular lend. James Cox, Midwest Book ReviewTable of Contents Acknowledgments Preface - Erica Reinheimer Introduction Chapter 1: Why Nutrient-Dense Food? Chapter 2: History from a Nutritional Viewpoint Chapter 3: The Shit Method of Agriculture (SaMOA) Chapter 4: Complete Organic Fertilizer Chapter 5: Remineralization Chapter 6: Le Batterie de Cuisine Chapter 7: The Soil Prescription Chapter 8: Soils with Excesses Chapter 9: Compost Chapter 10: Epilogue Appendices Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisGrow better not bigger with proven low-tech, human-scale, biointensive farming methodsTrade Review"Jean-Martin's book is very well done and should be of great use to market growers everywhere. Exchange of ideas and information is so important because when we pass ideas on, the next person gets to start where we got to and take the ideas to another level."--Eliot Coleman, organic farming pioneer and author of the Winter Harvest Handbook "I've read this book in French and all I can say is that, if you want to engage yourself in the market gardening, The Market Gardener is far more than a simple manual, it's the story of a life and a major giveaway of knowledge without the shadow of a secret. A must have, nothing else."--Michel Michiels, Arlon / Belgium "We are so excited that Le Jardinier-Maraicher is finally translated in English! This book was an inspiration for many of our French members (we are a farmers' co-op) and now we can recommend it to all ... especially to the new generation interested in small scale farming...Thank you!"--Nicole Briand Communications, La Recolte de Chez Nous / Really Local Harvest "In his revolutionary book, JMF brings about a change of paradigm that couldn't come any sooner. New gardeners will find in this book a step-by-step recipe that almost guarantees success, while the more seasoned ones can use it as a steppingstone for future achievements. Ever since its release in Quebec, it has reached thousands of readers and caused a ripple of benefits: people of all ages, especially the young, can now aspire to buy or rent their own land and live a fulfilling--and profitable--life in the countryside, which a few years back was still a wild dream for most of us. Aside from being very technically dense, it offers viable solutions to social problems such as land access, unemployment in regions, and the unsustainable nature of modern agricultural practices. It has literally been training an entire army of Davids that is now starting to address the bulk of these problems, or Goliath. And it's happening all across the province! Most importantly, this book deeply inspired me and gave me hope for the future without having to consult an eco-therapist."--Alexandre J-Nicole, Biologist, graphic designer and illustrator "Jean-Martin Fortier extols the virtues of being small-scale, and expertly details the use of such scale-appropriate tools as broadforks, seeders, hoes, flame weeders, low tunnels, high tunnels, and many other unique tools, specifically designed for this brand of farming. He picks up right where Eliot Coleman has left us, applying many of his core principles, but doing it in such a brilliant way as to provide beginning farmers a solid framework of the information they need to start up and become successful small-scale organic growers themselves.--Adam Lemieux, Product Manager of Tools & Supplies, Johnny's Selected SeedsTable of Contents Acknowledgments Foreword Preface 1 Small Is Profitable Can You Really Live ff 1.5 Acres? Not Just Making a Good Living, but Making a Good Life 2 Succeeding as a Small-Scale Organic Vegetable Grower A Biologically Intensive Approach Minimizing Start-Up Costs Minimizing Production Costs Direct Selling Adding Value to the Crops Learning the Craft 3 Finding the Right Site Climate and Microclimate Market Access Growing Space Needed Soil Quality Topography Drainage Access to Water Infrastructure Assessing Possible Pollution Problems 4 Designing the Market Garden Buildings and Foot Traffic Standardizing the Garden Layout Locating the Greenhouse and Tunnels Protection against Deer Windbreaks Irrigation 5 Minimum Tillage and Appropriate Machinery Permanent Raised Beds The Two-Wheel Tractor The Broadfork (Grelinette) Tarps and Pre-Crop Ground Cover To Till or not to Till 6 Fertilizing Organically Soil Tests Crop Requirements Managing Soil Fertility Good Compost Relying on Natural Fertilizers - Why? Establishing Crop Rotation Crop Rotation at Les Jardins de la Grelinette Green Manure and Cover Crops Connecting with Soil Ecology 7 Starting Seeds Indoors Seeding in Cell Flats The Soil Mix Filling Cell Flats The Seedling Room The Evolving Plant Nursery Heating and Ventilation of the Nursery How to Water Seedlings Potting up Transplanting into the Gardens 8 Direct Seeding Precision Seeders Seedbed Preparation Record Keeping 9 Weed Management Cultivating with Hoes Weeding with Tarps The Stale Seedbed Technique Flame Weeding Mulching Weed Control Technology 10 Insect Pests and Diseases Scouting Disease Prevention Using Biopesticides 11 Season Extension Floating Row Cover and Low Tunnels Caterpillar Tunnels Hoophouses 12 Harvest and Storage Harvesting Efficiently Harvest Help The Cold Room 13 Crop Planning Setting Farming Objectives Determining Production Establishing a Crop Calendar Making a Garden Plan Record Keeping Conclusion: Farming for Ecology, Community, and Lifestyle Appendix 1: Crop Notes Appendix 2: Tools and Suppliers Appendix 3: Garden Plan Appendix 4: Annotated Bibliography Appendix 5: Glossary Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisSoil is the basis not only for all gardening, but for all terrestrial life. No aspect of agriculture is more fundamental and important, yet we have been losing vast quantities of our finite soil resources to erosion, pollution, and development. Now back in print, this eminently sensible and wonderfully well-focused book provides essential information about one of the most significant challenges for those attempting to grow delicious organic vegetables: the creation and maintenance of healthy soil. Chapter 2, "Understanding the Soil System," is alone worth the price of admission. Gershuny and Smillie give lay readers and experts a clear explanation of subjects--soil life and nutrient cycles--that have confounded most authors. Nowhere will the reader find simpler and more coherent descriptions of key concepts including cation exchange capacity and chelation. There are other books about soil available, including Grace Gershuny's comprehensive Start with the Soil, and there are books that feature chapters on soil building. What distinguishes The Soil of Soilis the authors' concise presentation; they give readers important information, including technical essentials, without getting bogged down in scientific or quasiscientific mumbo-jumbo. In addition, useful tables list specific compost materials, green manures, and other resources that allow growers to translate into action the more general information provided by the book. The soil-building techniques featured include: Organic matter management Building and maintaining humus On-site composting Green manures and rotations Cultivation and weed control Nutrient balances and soil testing Using mineral fertilizers Planning for organic certification Updates to the 1999 edition include analysis of Proposed Rules for the National Organic Standards, and expanded recommendations for private testing services and soil-testing equipment for home gardeners and organic farmers. All of us involved in the cultivation of plants--from the backyard gardener to the largest farmer--need to help regenerate a "living soil," for only in the diversity of the soil and its creatures can we ensure the long-term health of ourselves and our environment. The Soul of Soil offers everyone a basic understanding of what soil is and what we can do to improve our own patch of it. Seen in this light, this practical handbook will be an inspiration as well.Table of Contents1. Understanding the Soil Ecosystem Organic matter and humus Physical factors: Soil structure and tilth Chemical factors: nutrient cycles and balances biological factors; The living soil community 2. Observing and Evaluating Your Soil Recordkeeping Monitoring tilth: reading the field Looking beneath the surface Evaluating biological health: looking at life forms 3. Soil Management Practices Managing physical factors: drainage, irrigation, tillage, and cultivation Organic matter and humus management Animal manures Composting Green manures and other soil-improving crops Rotations Using off-farm nutrient sources 4. The Marketplace and Organic Certification

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Book SynopsisThis book will teach you everything you need to know about feeding your garden, orchard or smallholding with homemade and chemical-free `teas'. It is packed with recipes for creating nutrient-rich, healthy soil, to give you healthy plants and ecosystems. Author, Eric Fisher, provides an in depth history of organic agriculture and the rise in chemical inputs. He then goes on to explore the importance of nutrients, their cycles and the structure of soil. This enables the reader to truly understand their soil and own ecosystem, so they can manage it properly. Once we understand how soil and nutrients work, it is easier to diagnose the problems and find a natural remedy. Eric provides recipes for a wide range of compost teas that can remedy many different problems, as well as for natural pesticides and insecticides. Eric shows the reader how to use the plants growing around them to create these `teas', using aerobic and anaerobic processes, as well as how to grow specific plants to encourage beneficial insects for healthy ecosystems. Eric's aim is for growers to feel confident in diagnosing plant disease and pest problems, and then be able to create the right remedy for the problem. If we can care for the health of our plants and soil without using chemicals, we can save money, encourage others to do the same, and show agri-business that their chemical inputs are not necessary.

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Book SynopsisWork in harmony with nature to create a more climate-friendly garden, with practical solutions for real-life spaces. An updated new edition of a classic and timely guide.Table of ContentsIntroduction Gardening and the environment Climate-friendly gardening Eco garden greenprints Eco-fitting your garden City courtyard garden Intensive food garden Eco allotment Dry garden Rain garden Eco garden basics Establishing an ecosystem Choosing tools Choosing compost Types of container Sowing seeds Feeding your plants Pest barriers and deterrents Slugs and snails Companion and mixed planting Using and controlling weeds Tackling tough weeds Soil care and composting Improving your soil Soil cultivation Choosing and using a mulch Sheet mulching The importance of composting Cool composting Composting with worms Leaf mould Harvesting sunlight and rain Renewable gardening Using a sunny wall Greenhouses and polytunnels Green manures or cover crops Water in the garden Harvesting and storing water Watering techniques Food gardening Planet-friendly food Planning a food garden Sowing vegetables Planting vegetables Sprouting seeds and microgreens Vertical vegetables and fruits Growing potatoes Fruit in containers Growing tree fruits Boosting biodiversity Why garden biodiversity matters Encouraging wildlife Attracting beneficial insects Self-seeding plants Making a simple pond Transforming your lawn Building an insect hotel Sustainable landscaping What is sustainable landscaping Choosing sustainable materials Eco paths and paving Living or green roofs Sustainable fences and screens Directory of eco-friendly plants Eco-friendly annuals Eco-friendly perennials Eco-friendly shrubs and climbers Eco-friendly hedging plants Eco-friendly trees Eco-friendly annual vegetables Eco-friendly bush and tree fruits Eco-friendly herbs Eco-friendly pond and bog plants Calendar of care Further information Index Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable overview of Koepf's insights into key aspects of biodynamics.Trade Review'Herbert Koepf was a pioneer of biodynamics in Germany and elsewhere. This is a short handbook summarising his findings with a wealth of practical advice ... Books like this remind us of the parallels between plant and human health, and also all the rhythms of life as a process in time regulated by both the earthly and cosmic environments.'-- Scientific & Medical Network Review

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Book SynopsisShows us how to garden like our ancestors gardened . . . with just four basic hand tools, and with little or no electricity or irrigation. Carol Deppe, author of The Resilient Gardener In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering. This book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household wastewater, perhaps two hundred dollars' worth of hand tools.Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food. Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to the new circumstances we find ourselves in. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. Prior to the 1970s,Table of ContentsIntroduction; Basics; Tools and Tasks; Garden Centres; Seeds; Watering ... and Not; Compost; Insects and Diseases; What to Grow ... and How to; Resources; Index.

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever wanted to experiment with growing your own food but didn't think you had the space, the time, or the knowledge? Justin Rhodes thought the same thing-until after years battling systemic illness and struggling to provide the kind of wholesome food he wanted for his family, he bought a seed packet at the grocery store and was hooked! Justin discovered the miraculous potential and empowerment of working with nature to grow food for his family, and since that discovery, he has shared his self-taught skills with hundreds of thousands of growers via his popular YouTube channel and website. Whether you're looking for greater food security, better health, tastier food, to save or earn money, connect with your food source, this book is for you. If you're looking for a different kind of life-a life focused on health and wellness-take a look down the road less traveled.Looking for every opportunity to pass his hard-earned knowledge onto others, Justin Rhodes created this inspiring and practical invitation to growing your own food and experiencing a more connected, sustainable lifestyle, no matter where you live or how much space you have. Filled with beautiful and inspiring photographs from the Rhodes' homestead and chock full of resources, including gardening plans, everything you need to know about raising chickens, tips for how to get your kids involved, and even recipes for how to serve up your home-grown goodness, The Rooted Life provides you with the inspiration, the encouragement, and the practical wisdom that you need to begin the journey to a more rooted life.

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Book SynopsisJoel Morrow was editor of the journal Biodynamics for over thirty years, in which he published regular 'biographies' of vegetables. The 76 biographies in this book address all aspects of the vegetables, including how to grow them, their climate of origin, their transformation over time, and their nutritional and therapeutic potential.Arranged alphabetically -- from Asian Brassicas to Winter Squash -- this unique book is more than just a gardening guide. Inspired by Rudolf Steiner's spiritual view of nature, it offers a complete understanding of the vegetables, revealing their inner characteristics and helping growers to improve plant health and yields.

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Book SynopsisWhether you are a novice looking to get started with bees, an experienced apiculturist looking for ideas to develop an integrated pest-management approach, or someone who wants to sell honey at a premium price, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. Now revised and updated with new resources and including full-color photos throughout, Natural Beekeeping offers all the latest information in a book that has already proven invaluable for organic beekeepers. The new edition offers the same holistic, sensible alternative to conventional chemical practices with a program of natural hive management, but offers new sections on a wide range of subjects, including: The basics of bee biology and anatomy Urban beekeeping Identifying and working with queens Parasitic mite control Hive diseases Also, a completely new chapter on marketing provides valuable advice for anyone who intends to sell a wide range of hive products. Other chapters include: Hive Management Genetics and Breeding The Honey Harvest The Future of Organic Beekeeping Ross Conrad brings together the best “do no harm” strategies for keeping honeybees healthy and productive with nontoxic methods of controlling mites; eliminating American foulbrood disease without the use of antibiotics; selective breeding for naturally resistant bees; and many other detailed management techniques, which are covered in a thoughtful, matter-of-fact way.Trade Review“Natural Beekeeping is a wonderful book, beautifully written and illustrated, about how one can have healthy hives of bees without using synthetic pesticides, antibiotics, or artificial diets. Ross Conrad explains in fine detail that the key ingredients of organic beekeeping are disease-resistant stock, favorable apiary sites, and good colony management, plus a reverence and respect for the bees.”--Thomas D. Seeley, Cornell University, author of Honeybee Democracy and The Wisdom of the HiveLibrary Journal- "Originally published in 2007 as colony collapse disorder was making headlines across the world, this updated edition by veteran beekeeper Conrad (former president, Vermont Beekeepers Assn.) is a holistic reference guide to organic apiculture. While newer parasites like varroa mites are making chemical treatments a normal part of hive ownership, many people are still looking for ways to manage their hives organically in order to reduce the amount of chemicals that affect bees, other pollinators, and the environment in general. This new edition adds information about urban beekeeping, top-bar hives, and marketing for those interested in selling honey and other products from their beehives. A comprehensive glossary and resource list will assist novice and experienced apiarists searching for equipment, mite-resistant bee suppliers, and pesticide testing and reporting agencies. VERDICT Conrad’s personal experiences and easy tone and the wealth of information make this title perfect for beekeepers looking for more natural hive management options. Highly recommended for purchase wherever urban farming is taking root." Table of Contents1. Why organic beekeeping? 2. Working with the hive 3. Hive management 4. Genetics and breeding 5. Parasitic mites 6. Insect pests 7. Four-legged and feathered pests 8. Environmental and human threats 9. Hive diseases 10. The honey harvest 11. Marketing 12. Organics and the evolution of beekeeping

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Book Synopsis"If you wish to live well and eat well no matter what is going on in the rest of the world, this book is for you. . . . Will Bonsall will help you enjoy the good life under any and all conditions."—Eliot Coleman, author of The New Organic Grower "Society does not generally expect its farmers to be visionaries." Perhaps not, but longtime Maine farmer and homesteader Will Bonsall does possess a unique clarity of vision that extends all the way from the finer points of soil fertility and seed saving to exploring how we can transform civilization and make our world a better, more resilient place. In Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening, Bonsall maintains that to achieve real wealth we first need to understand the economy of the land, to realize that things that might make sense economically don't always make sense ecologically, and vice versa. The marketplace distorts our values, and our modern dependence on petroleum in particular presents a serious barrier to creating a truly sustainable agriculture. For him the solution is, first and foremost, greater self-reliance, especially in the areas of food and energy. By avoiding any off-farm inputs (fertilizers, minerals, and animal manures), Bonsall has learned how to practice a purely veganic, or plant-based, agriculture—not from a strictly moralistic or philosophical perspective, but because it makes good business sense: spend less instead of making more. What this means in practical terms is that Bonsall draws upon the fertility of on-farm plant materials: compost, green manures, perennial grasses, and forest products like leaves and ramial wood chips. And he grows and harvests a diversity of crops from both cultivated and perennial plants: vegetables, grains, pulses, oilseeds, fruits and nuts—even uncommon but useful permaculture plants like groundnut (Apios). Inside Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening you'll also find: Milling, baking and sprouting Freezing and vermentation Best practices to handle plant disease and animal pests Collecting and storing seeds And so much more! In a friendly, almost conversational way, Bonsall imparts a wealth of knowledge drawn from his more than forty years of farming experience. "My goal," he writes, "is not to feed the world, but to feed myself and let others feed themselves. If we all did that, it might be a good beginning."Trade ReviewPublishers Weekly- "Homesteader, organic farmer, and visionary Bonsall offers a thorough, albeit apocalyptic, farming guide to surviving the current times and, if need be, the end times. The title is misleading; the book is not so much a gardening guide as a set of survival instructions, and not for the casual gardener. Drawing on 40 years of personal experience growing his own food, Bonsall emphasizes three principles: economic exigency that requires making do; planning to survive a future catastrophe; and transforming civilization. To this end, the book focuses on staple foods, including grains, dried legumes, and oilseeds, as well as the usual greens and root crops, while discussing such fundamentals as assessing soil fertility, composting, using manure (including human), mulching, grafting, pollinating, seed saving, milling, malting, freezing and fermenting. The book will not suit everyone, but those who share Bonsall’s vision will be well served and firmly grounded. Over 200 full-color photos.” “Every gardener and small farmer can benefit from Will Bonsall's decades of focused, quality experience. Will's book is one of the key practical resources you should read—as you reach for full sustainable soil fertility in your garden or farm!”--John Jeavons, author, executive director of Ecology Action, and developer of sustainable biointensive mini-farming"Will Bonsall’s homestead is a 'thinking farm,' not one engaged in armchair musings about agriculture, but where difficult questions are addressed by intense experimentation. This book pairs the incredible depth of Bonsall’s gardening knowledge with his infectious enthusiasm. It is both a magnificent reference and an inspiring call to action. Every practical lesson throughout is guided by the vision that our humble gardens can affect the world."--Steve Conaway, Conservation and Outreach Director at Greenwich (CT) Land Trust“Every gardener and small farmer can benefit from Will Bonsall's decades of focused, quality experience. Will's book is one of the key practical resources you should read—as you reach for full sustainable soil fertility in your garden or farm!”--John Jeavons, author and developer of sustainable biologically intensive food-growing“Here is a bright star in the constellation of voices for land-based sustainability. Not only is Will Bonsall incredibly learned – the result of decades of careful studies in the field and out – he is bawdy and brave and bold. His credibility is a Ph.D. in homesteading and his rambunctious wisdom is very worth reading. If you want to learn from a master, you need this book.”--Janisse Ray, author of The Seed Underground"The risk of describing Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening as a gardening book is that the aspiring reader may miss the reality that it is really a book on life, centered as a good life should be, around a garden. Will is a patient teacher with encyclopedic knowledge. His writing style is warm and authentic, accentuated by his dry New England humor. To read this book is akin to having Will stop by and visit by the glowing kitchen cookstove. He shares a lifetime of observations and conclusions – both useful and essential – and a deep respect for those who have come before us."--Jim Gerritsen, certified organic seed potato grower and owner of Wood Prairie Farm"Will Bonsall—Mr. Scatterseed himself—has done it all, and this book covers it all, from maintaining soil fertility with minimal external inputs to growing annual and perennial vegetables, fruit, nuts, grain, beans, and even oilseed crops. Will’s methods are all vegan based and garden scale, with little resort to tools beyond hand tools and a rototiller and shredder. His description of making oil-seed seed meals and cooking with them is particularly interesting. Will’s book is a great introduction to gardening for the beginner, and it also offers enough brand new original material to delight even the most expert. Best of all, the interweaving of Will’s coherent personal philosophy, decades of gardening experience, down-to-earth style, and touches of humor all make for an interesting, entertaining read."--Carol Deppe, author of The Tao of Vegetable Gardening and The Resilient Gardener"Eco-efficiency is the key new word and gardens-without-borders is the key new concept with which Will Bonsall illuminates 'this experiment we call civilization.' His view is wide and deep. You can accept his warm, witty invitation to explore the big questions. Or/and you can, with grace and ease, pluck out practical, hands-on directions as needed for all aspects of cyclical food production and use. I will read it again and again for reference, guidance, inspiration, and delight."--Eva Sommaripa, pioneering organic farmer at Eva's Garden in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, and the hero of Wild Flavors by Didi Emmons"If you wish to live well and eat well no matter what is going on in the rest of the world, this book is for you. Thresh your own grain and press your own oil. Can't buy seeds, no problem. Can't buy fertilizer, no problem. Will Bonsall will help you enjoy the good life under any and all conditions."--Eliot Coleman, author of The New Organic Grower and The Winter Harvest Handbook

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Book SynopsisPermaculture is a movement that is coming into its own, and the concept of creating plant guilds in permaculture is at the forefront of every farmer’s and gardener’s practice. One of the essential practices of permaculture is to develop perennial agricultural systems that thrive over several decades without expensive and harmful inputs: perennial plant guilds, food forests, agroforestry, and mixed animal and woody species polycultures. The massive degradation of conventional agriculture and the environmental havoc it creates has never been as all pervasive in terms of scale, so it has become a global necessity to further the understanding of a comprehensive design and planning system such as permaculture that works with nature, not against it. The guild concept often used is one of a “functional relationship” between plants–beneficial groupings of plants that share functions in order to bring health and stability to a plant regime and create an abundant yield for our utilization. In other words, it is the integration of species that creates a balanced, healthy, and thriving ecosystem. But it goes beyond integration. A guild is a metaphor for all walks of life, most importantly a group of people working together to craft works of balance, beauty, and utility. This book is the first, and most comprehensive, guide about plant guilds ever written, and covers in detail both what guilds are and how to design and construct them, complete with extensive color photography and design illustrations. Included is information on: • What we can observe about natural plant guilds in the wild and the importance of observation; • Detailed research on the structure of plant guilds, and a portrait of an oak tree (a guild unto itself); • Animal interactions with plant guilds; • Steps to guild design, construction, and dynamics: from assessment to design to implementation; • Fifteen detailed plant guilds, five each from the three authors based on their unique perspectives; • Guild project management: budgets, implementation, management, and maintenance. Readers of any scale will benefit from this book, from permaculture designers and professional growers, to backyard growers new to the concept of permaculture. Books on permaculture cover this topic, but never in enough depth to be replicable in a serious way. Finally, it’s here!Trade Review"Integrated Forest Gardening is an evolution from Bill Mollison’s original teachings, built upon by countless designs and a straightforward process. Both the seasoned and new designer can use this work to confidently approach a project, weaving land, client, and vision into an abundant and joyful reality.”--Javan K. Bernakevitch, Educator and Agroecology DesignerPublishers Weekly- "Weiseman, Halsey, and Ruddock define integrated forest gardening as the 'integration of all aspects of a land base into the development of healthy food, medicinal, and utility landscapes,' giving equal importance to the built environment, the waste stream, animals, plants, and stones. Drawing on their extensive design, consultation, and teaching experience, these three Midwestern permaculturalists discuss plant guilds ('a beneficial grouping of plants that support one another in all their many functions') and their design, optimal species integration, and plant propagation; profile four trees, which are the centerpieces of polycultures; outline the process of implementing a forest-garden design; and detail fifteen plant-guild case studies across hardiness zones 3–9, illustrated with helpful anecdotes. This passionate and practical manual gives landscapers, landscape architects, and householders enough in-depth information and methodology to begin their own experiments with an emerging, ecologically sensitive alternative to conventional horticulture.”"Reading Integrated Forest Gardening was like taking a walk through a well-orchestrated whole systems design! As a plant enthusiast and systems thinker this book spoke my language. It is rare to find in one book such depth of user-friendly detail. It demystifies the mythical nature of the “Forest Garden’’ and brings its strategies to easy application. This book is a must for all plant lovers."--Jude Hobbs, Cascadia Permaculture"Integrated Forest Gardening fills a major gap in the canon of permaculture books, giving us, at last, a detailed guide to guild and polyculture design. No longer is this subject mysterious and daunting; in this book we now have specific instructions for designing and installing multi-species plant groups. Chapter 7, which describes 15 guilds and their plant members, is a golden nugget worth the price of the book alone. This is an essential book for all food foresters and ecological designers."--Toby Hemenway, author of Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture"This rich feast of nature love by three experienced and working permaculture designers pushes into the hard task of creating recombinant ecosystems, a field where few have gone before. The authors expose the logic and lore of working guilds, the symbiotic plant assemblies of productive landscapes. Full of design insight into the needs and opportunities of both plants and the people who live with them, Integrated Forest Gardening offers a panoply of example guilds, work procedures, and luscious images to inspire and guide the perennial food gardener onto a path of ecological renewal.”--Peter Bane, author of The Permaculture Handbook and publisher of Permaculture Activist magazine"For the design work we do at Midwest Permaculture, when we need experienced advice on planting systems we turn to the three gentlemen who collaborated on this impressive work. The book is thorough, accessible, and timely. So wish we had this insightful compilation when we first started. It’s a gem!"--Bill and Becky Wilson, Midwest Permaculture“This is an intimate insight into the world of plant guilds. The authors have taken the broad land based overview and zoom the reader into the micro detail of these plant polycultures. Details of root structure, seeding patterns, and relationships with the surrounding environment have been carefully observed and are well laid out in the plant guild lists. This book is an important contribution to every permaculture designer’s library and will appeal to all those wishing to grow sustainable polycultures whether broadscale or in the garden.”--Ben Law, author The Woodland Way and Roundwood Timber Framing"We stand at a new threshold. The history of food production has tended ever more narrowly towards monoculture, whereas a sustainable future can only be based on polyculture. But we're desperately short of knowledge on polycultures. While mainstream research still chases the chimera of fossil-fueled monoculture, a small band of visionaries is working to develop the knowledge we need to carry us forward to the future. Just such are the authors of this book and the wisdom it contains is part of that movement."--Patrick Whitefield, permaculture teacher and author of The Earth Care Manual“Integrated Forest Gardening makes the process of creating complex agroecosystems more understandable and achievable. It is a fine guide to designing forest garden and polycultural systems using Permaculture principles.”--Martin Crawford, author of Creating a Forest Garden

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Book Synopsis“This permaculture primer is fresh and vibrant. Bring it on!” —Permaculture Magazine Permaculture is more popular than ever, but it can still be a daunting concept. If you are new to permaculture and interested in learning more, Practical Permaculture offers authoritative, in-depth, and hands-on advice for a more holistic approach to sustainable living. Jessi Bloom and Dave Boehnlein, two dynamic leaders in the permaculture community, explain the basics of permaculture, share their design process, and explore various permaculture systems including soil, water, waste, energy, shelter, food and plants, and animals and wildlife. They also profile the fifty most useful plants for permaculture landscapes.

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Book SynopsisIn Teaming with Microbes, Jeff Lowenfels revealed the fascinating facts around the soil food web, all the tiny organisms that live in soil and aid a plants growth. In Teaming with Nutrients, he explored how those organisms aid in the uptake of nutrients. And in Teaming with Fungi, he detailed the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi—the most important organism living in the soil. In his new book Teaming with Bacteria, Lowenfels digs into the new science behind how endophytic bacteria supply nutrients to a large array of plants and explains, in accessible language, how this information applies to home gardeners, small-scale farmers, and cannabis growers. Based on cutting-edge science that will help gardeners increase plant health and productivity, Teaming with Bacteria is a must-have addition to every organic gardener’s library.

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Book SynopsisNamed one of the best gardening books for 2023 by Gardens Illustrated An Irish Times Best Gardening Book 2023 2023 GardenComm Media Awards Silver Laurel Medal of Achievement The ideal, easy-to-use resource for growing healthy, resilient, low-maintenance trees, shrubs, vines and other fruiting plants from around the world – perfect for farmers, gardeners and landscapers at every scale. Illustrated with more than 200 colour photographs and covering 50 productive edible crops – from Arctic kiwi to jujebe, medlar to heartnut – this is the go-to guide for growers interested in creating diversity in their growing spaces. Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts is a one-stop compendium of the most productive, edible fruit-and nut-bearing crops that push the boundaries of what can survive winters in cold-temperate growing regions. While most nurseries and guidebooks feature plants that are riddled with pest problems (such as apples and peaches), veteran growers and founders of the Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano, focus on both common and unfamiliar fruits that have few, if any, pest or disease problems and an overall higher level of resilience. Inside Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts you’ll find: Taste profiles for all fifty hardy fruits and nuts, with notes on harvesting and uses Plant descriptions and natural histories Recommended cultivars, both new and classic Propagation methods for increasing plants Nut profiles including almonds, chestnuts, walnuts and pecans Fertilisation needs and soil/site requirements And much more! With beautiful and instructive colour photographs throughout, the book is also full of concise, clearly written botanical and cultural information based on the authors’ years of growing experience. The fifty fruits and nuts featured provide a nice balance of the familiar and the exotic: from almonds and pecans to more unexpected fruits like maypop and Himalayan chocolate berry. Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts gives adventurous gardeners all they need to get growing. Both experienced and novice gardeners who are interested in creating a sustainable landscape with a greater diversity of plant life – while also providing healthy foods – will find this book an invaluable resource. ‘If you are an edible gardener interested in widening the scope of what you grow, or a designer looking to explore where edible perennials meet the ornamental, this book will serve you very well indeed.’ Gardens IllustratedTrade Review“Outrageous diversity throughout the ecosystem will always be essential for growing healthy fruit and nuts. Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano have provided a thorough guide to adding an intriguing selection of productive plantings to your landscape. Get on board and plant more of everything!”—Michael Phillips, author of The Holistic Orchard and Mycorrhizal Planet“At a time when we are rediscovering the value of biodiversity and habitat enrichment, Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts offers a compendium of lesser-known backyard forageables that can turn a home garden into a homestead landscape ripe with flavor and nutrition.”—John Forti, author of The Heirloom Gardener; executive director, Bedrock Gardens “Allyson and Scott are deeply committed plant lovers, and this well-researched, handsome book—with educational photographic portraits of each plant—shares their botanical love affair with us! Hortus Arboretum and Botanical Gardens is their magical plant playground that we get to visit, and this delicious gift is birthed from that rich source. They deftly guide us to diversify our landscape with beauty we can eat, while increasing our personal and ecological health.”—Dina Falconi, author of Foraging and Feasting and Earthly Bodies and Heavenly Hair“This is the book for growers looking to expand their range of perennial and tree crops. Levy and Serrano have not wasted too much space on general cultivation tips. Instead, they wisely dedicate the bulk of the book to detailed, practical advice on a wide variety of species, some of which I had never come across before, others which I had assumed would need warmer conditions. You will be inspired!”—Ben Raskin, author of The Woodchip Handbook; head of horticulture and agroforestry, the Soil Association“Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano are consummate gardeners and artists. They bring horticultural prowess and designer insights to this beautiful, easy-to-use, and easy-to-read book. Their in-depth research and hands-on knowledge are invaluable to those looking to expand their palette of plants. Featuring taste profiles, landscape tips, and propagation techniques, Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts is my new go-to guide for growing these plants. It is wonderful to see native trees and shrubs included with such enthusiasm and appreciation.”—Marc Wolf, executive director, Mountain Top Arboretum“This book is filled with enthusiasm for growing uncommon fruits and nuts and I can’t agree more. Allyson and Scott give honest assessments of each plant based on years of hands-on experience. Along with the detailed plant and fruit descriptions, I particularly like their ‘Growth Difficulty Rating’ and ‘Taste Profile and Uses’ sections to help readers decide what to grow. They have me dreaming of growing Himalayan chocolate berries and Korean stone pines.”—Charlie Nardozzi, author of Foodscaping“Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts offers practical experience and useful information on a great diversity of species, including a few surprises. A great place to turn for anyone developing a perennial edible landscape, one of the world’s highest-carbon forms of gardening and farming.”—Eric Toensmeier, coauthor of Edible Forest Gardens, author of Perennial Vegetables“Allyson Levy and Scott Serrano have been my ‘go-to’ source for information on unusual or common plant subjects to draw. Now they have made their wealth of knowledge available in this beautiful and concise book. Full of essential information alongside interesting facts about each tree, shrub, or vine, the book tells us what to plant and why, how to best grow it, when to harvest, how to crack the nuts, and what to do with an abundance of fruit to preserve. The photos are lovely and descriptive. As an artist, a harvester, and a novice gardener, I now have all the information I need about my fruit and nut growing in one book!”—Wendy Hollender, botanical artist and author of The Joy of Botanical Drawing“Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nuts covers a full range of edible plants for the home landscape—from the familiar to the lesser known to the truly exotic. Highly recommended for its great level of detail. The authors’ deep research into botanical history and descriptions both satisfies my curiosity and makes me want to delve even deeper into the information they provide.”—Robert Kourik, author of Sustainable Food Gardens and Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally"Beautifully and profusely illustrated, Cold-Hardy Fruits and Nut is impressively and comprehensively informative, exceptionally well written, and thoroughly 'reader friendly' in organization and presentation. Especially and unreservedly recommended for personal, professional, community, and academic library."—Midwest Book Review"If you are an edible gardener interested in widening the scope of what you grow, or a designer looking to explore where edible perennials meet the ornamental, this book will serve you very well indeed."—Gardens Illustrated

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Book Synopsis'This beautifully presented book gives readers the nitty-gritty guide for five diverse ways to nourish ourselves from stewarding nature's abundance.'David Holmgren, co-originator of Permaculture'This book may change your life and your community.'Costa Georgiadis'Finally, the ultimate self-reliance manual from premier educational facilitator, Milkwood.'Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm'A joyful guide to how to grow, eat and live in harmony with nature.' Indira NaidooThe skills that we learn bind our lives together. Do you want to know how to grow your own food? Or how to keep bees? How to forage for edible seaweed along the shoreline, or wild greens down by the stream? Maybe you're curious about growing mushrooms or how to grow the perfect tomato. You're invited to make these skills your own. Designed to be read with a pot of tea by your elbow and a notebook beside you, Milkwood is all you need to start living a more home-grown life. From DIY projects to wild fermented recipes, the in-depth knowledge and hands-on instruction contained in these pages will have your whole family fascinated and inspired to get growing, keeping, cooking and making. Milkwood is the name of Kirsten Bradley and Nick Ritar's first farm as well as their school where anyone can learn skills for down-to-earth living. Kirsten, Nick and a team of educators offer courses on topics contained in this book as well as permaculture design, natural building and much more. Kirsten and Nick live on a small regenerative farm near Daylesford, where many things from the sprouted grain they feed their chickens to ingredients that make up dinner is homegrown.Trade Review'From two of Australia's most energetic and capable permaculture communicators, this beautifully presented book gives readers the nitty gritty guide for five diverse ways to nourish ourselves from stewarding nature's abundance. A book that draws on more than a decade of passion and experience both learning and communicating practical skills powered by permaculture ethics and principles. Beautifully presented, inspiring with hands-on processes for nourishing ourselves from nature.'David Holmgren - co-originator of Permaculture'This book may change your life and your community. Pick a chapter and start to grow a new skill. Enjoy the ride!'Costa Georgiadis'Finally, the ultimate self-reliance manual from premier educational facilitator, Milkwood. No start button, no interrupted streaming, no electronic subscription necessary. Just curl up with delicious information and begin turning pages.'Joel Salatin, Polyface Farm'The antidote to what ails us lies within these pages; a joyful guide to how to grow, eat and live in harmony with nature.' Indira Naidoo'This book is an expressive roadmap to a chosen life. It is filled with fascinating and inspiring detail so that you too can choose and develop the simple or more complex skills you seek; to nurture and make connections in your world, a world to love more fully.'Holly Davis'At last! The book we've all been waiting for! Milkwood Permaculture has been at the intellectual and practical forefront of all things growing, living and sharing for as long as I can remember. They have now blessed us with this stunning and knowledge laden book that will doubtlessly become a dog-eared touchstone for anyone who enjoys getting their hands dirty and their bellies filled.'Paul West, River Cottage Australia

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together the best advice for cultivating fruit trees, berries and shrubs using biodynamic methods, with the aim of harvesting healthy fruit free of pesticides.Ehrenfried Pfeiffer discusses the principles of tree biology before describing the measures that can be taken to develop a pest-free orchard without the use of chemicals, including soil preparation, the selection of trees for planting, issues of transplanting and pruning, the application of pastes, green cover crops, and pest control.Michael Maltas ran fruit tree experiments on his biodynamic farm in Missouri for four years. The results are recorded in a highly practical annual spraying schedule for orchards, which is reproduced in this book. A month-by-month calendar gives information on specific methods and controls, based on Maltas's extensive experience.This is an invaluable book with practical advice on all aspects of planning and maintaining a healthy orchard.This is a thoroughly revised and updated combined edition of 'Biodynamic Treatment of Fruit Trees, Berries and Shrubs' by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and 'Orchard Pest Management and Spray Schedule' by Michael Maltas.Published in association with the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association of North America.

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Book SynopsisIt has long been observed, by farmers, gardeners and botanists alike, that from time to time certain plants seem to affect certain other plants growing their near them -- both favourably and unfavourably. By taking account of these relationships, farmers and gardeners can improve the quality of food and flowers, reduce losses from pests and disease, drought and frost, and enhance both satisfaction and pleasure in their work and financial profit.Years of experimentation by Richard Gregg and subsequently Helen Philbrick and others resulted in this unique reference book. It offers a detailed and comprehensive A-Z of plants and how they affect each other and their surrounding environment, including the soil, insects and birds.Trade Review'The first version of this book came out as early as 1943 and is based on the observation that certain plants seem to affect others growing near them in both a favourable and unfavourable manner. This knowledge can enable us to improve the quality of our food and flowers and reduce losses due to pests and disease. [...] Readers will be able to test andconfirm the suggestions for themselves. '-- Network Review

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