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From the foremost authority in American gardening comes a must-have handbook for home gardeners who want a productive organic vegetable garden.In their first new book in over two decades, the American Horticultural Society offers indispensable insight into
growing a modern edible garden at home, regardless of whether home is in the desert Southwest, the Midwestern plains, or on the shores of New England. Starting with a unique look at the history of vegetable gardening in North America, from indigenous cultures to Victory Gardeners to today’s biodiversity-nurturing growers,
Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening then digs into everything you need to know to
cultivate a successful and productive vegetable garden without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
Includes advice on:
- Choosing the best design and planting style for your site, from raised beds and row gardens to matrix plantings and food forests
- Deciding which varieties to plant, from heirlooms and ancestral selections to modern hybrids
- Fostering resiliency in the face of weather extremes, invasive pests, and other challenges
- Nurturing the garden as an ecosystem to preserve and protect soil life, pollinators, and other wildlife
- Conducting at-home soil assessments for compaction, biological activity, texture, and drainage
- Caring for the garden using natural techniques and products, including pinching, pruning, staking, fertilizing, and pest and disease control
The new American vegetable garden is a place of beauty and productivity with a diverse selection of edible crops and flowers that
create a haven for plants, pollinators, and people as they
fill your kitchen with flavor and nutrition.
Whether you’re a new garden lover or a long-time veggie grower,
Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening has the science-based information you need to
overcome today’s gardening challenges and cultivate success.
Also included in this series are
Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening and
Essential Guide to Ecological Gardening.
List of contents
INTRODUCTION Your Organic Garden
SECTION 1
INSPIRATION
CHAPTER 1 History of Vegetable Gardening in America
CHAPTER 2 Gallery of Gardens
SECTION 2
GETTING STARTED
CHAPTER 3 Planning with Purpose
CHAPTER 4 Deciding What to Grow
CHAPTER 5 Exploring Planting Styles
SECTION 3
TECHNIQUES AND MAINTENANCE
CHAPTER 6 Soil and Site Prep
CHAPTER 7 The Act of Planting
CHAPTER 8 Garden and Plant Care
CHAPTER 9 Plant Protection
SECTION 4
THE FRUITS OF YOUR LABOR
CHAPTER 10 Harvesting
CHAPTER 11 Edible Plant Profiles
Join the AHS
Acknowledgments
Photo Credits
Index
About the author
Founded in 1922, the non-profit American Horticultural Society (AHS) is one of the most respected and longstanding member-based national gardening organizations in North America. The Society’s membership includes aspiring, new, and experienced gardeners, plant enthusiasts, and horticultural professionals, as well as numerous regional and national partner organizations. Through its educational programs, awards, and publications, the AHS inspires a culture of gardening and horticultural practices that creates and sustains healthy, beautiful communities and a livable planet. AHS is headquartered at River Farm, a 25-acre site overlooking the Potomac River that is part of George Washington’s original farmlands in Alexandria, Virginia. ahsgardening.org
Summary
The Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening is a comprehensive yet beginner-friendly handbook for growing edible gardens from the foremost authority in American gardening, the American Horticultural Society.
