The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegetable Gardening

Carl A. Price, Daria Bowman

Penguin, Jan 21, 2009 - Gardening - 336 pages

Perhaps it's because of the uncertainty that surrounds the safety of produce purchased in the grocery store these days. Perhaps it's because people are looking for fun, inexpensive hobbies to dive into. Or perhaps it's because there's nothing like the taste of fresh fruits and veggies grown in the backyard. But whatever the reason, readers need advice on gardening now more than ever before. And The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vegetable Gardening is just the place to turn.

In this book, expert authors Daria Price Bowman and Carl A. Price provide information on:
Expert techniques for planning and plotting a gardenUnderstanding what's necessary for soil nourishmentPlanting seeds and seedlingsGrowing fruits, vegetables, berries, and moreCultivating medicinal and healing herbsRecognizing and preventing the most common plant diseasesIdentifying and eliminating weedsPruning and trimming plantsKnowing when to harvestDeciding whether to can, dry, or freeze
A comprehensive, easy-to-read book, The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Vegetable Gardening is an excellent resource for anyone interested in growing fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Contents

• Why Grow Food When the Grocery Store Is So Close By?: 1
• Growing Your Own Food: 3
• What Kind of Garden Do You Want?: 13
• Do It in Style: 21
• Essential Planning: 31
• Tools of the Gardening Trade: 33
• Location Is Key: 45
• Plotting and Planning: 55
• Design Dilemma: 67
• Getting Ready to Plant: 79
• The Science of Soil: 81
• Tilling and Toiling: 91
• Plant Biology 101: 103
• Seeds and Seedlings: 113
• How to Plant: 125
• What to Plant: 135
• Planting the Basics: 137
• More Great Veggies: 149
• Back to Your Roots: 161
• Growing Herbs: 173
• Exotic and Unusual Edibles: 187
• Growing Fruits: 201
• Keeping lt Growing: 209
• Weeding and Watering: 211
• Feeding: 227
• Pests Diseases and Blight: 239
• Trimming Deadheading and Closing Up Shop: 253
• Troubleshooting: 261
• Reaping the Rewards: 273
• Harvest Time: 275
• Next Years Garden: 285

About the author

Daria Price Bowman is a writer and garden designer who has written books and articles on nearly every aspect of gardening. A former Master Gardener with the Penn State County Extension, she has taught gardening classes, lectured to garden clubs and other organizations, and served as a judge for garden competitions.

Carl A. Price, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biochemistry at Rutgers University, has written and co-written hundreds of scientific papers, lectured internationally, written textbooks, and served as editor of The Plant Molecular Biology Reporter. In retirement, he continues to write, edit, and manage the database of plant accessions at the Quail Botanical Garden in Encinitas, California.

Bibliographic information

• Title: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Vegetable Gardening; THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S GUIDE
• Authors: Carl A. Price, Daria Bowman
• Publisher: Penguin, 2009
• ISBN: 1101022132, 9781101022139
• Length: 336 pages
• Subjects: Gardening / General