Taunton's Complete Guide to Growing Vegetables & Herbs [antikvár]

INTRODUCTION I DON'T REMEMBER MUCH ABOUT MY FIRST GARDEN. When I was five, my mother let me have a corner of ray own in the family garden, and I got to pick out seeds-radishes and marigolds. When I planted my first all-on-my-own garden 20 years later, radishes were again my first crop. I still remember the thrill of pulling up the bright red balls, rinsing off the clinging soil, and delighting in their peppery crunch. What is it that so excites us about vegetable gardening? Maybe it's the basic act of nourishing ourselves. Growing food, after all, is perhaps the one activity that truly justifies itself. That elemental thrill of growing and eating our own vegetables is common to us all, and it never wanes. Gardening isn't only sustaining, it's compelling. It gets into your blood. And food gardening is growing—pun intended. Challenging economic times have more and more people wanting to grow their own vegetables to save on their food bill, as well as to have more control over what they put in their mouths. Kitchen Gardener magazine, published from 1996 to 2001, was entirely dedicated to edible gardening. Now for the first time, we've collected that valuable information and condensed it into a single volume. This book contains all you need to know to grow a bountiful and beautiful vegetable garden, from design and layout to hardscape and structures to fundamentals like soil improvement, watering, and fertilizing to managing pests and problems. And of course there are the crops themselves: the whole range of vegetables and herbs that are good to grow and eat. The expert information in these pages comes from scores of first-rate gardeners from all over the continental United States and southern Canada. Whether you're a