Bill Marken - Container Gardening For Dummies

Container Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Bill Marken, Suzanne DeJohn, and The Editors of the National Gardening Association

Container Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition

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Copyright 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2009942824

ISBN: 978-0-470-57705-9

Manufactured in the United States of America

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About the Authors

Suzanne DeJohn loves plants, botany, and nature. Shes worn a variety of hats in her 13 years at the National Gardening Association (NGA), including working in the education, editorial, and IT departments. She coordinated NGAs online question-and-answer service and has answered thousands of gardening questions, giving her insight into just what information people are looking for. Shes also written more than 200 columns on environmentally friendly food and flower gardening for NGAs Regional Reports, a biweekly online publication and eNewsletter. Convinced that gardeners are curious and love to learn, she created the Exploring the Garden series of in-depth, online courses that teach the principles of botany in the context of the garden.

Suzannes varied background also includes a BS in geology from Tufts; university courses in botany, soils, and plant pathology; a stint as a research technician in plant pathology; and several years as a self-employed artist and graphic designer. Shes worked on a landscape crew, an organic farm, and spent several years as a cook at a natural foods store. The common themes running through these seemingly disparate vocations are plants, beauty, nature, and healthy food. In addition to her writing and other work at NGA, she and her husband recently opened a small, pet-friendly B&B in Cambridge, Vermont.

Bill Marken is an editor and writer who lives in the San Francisco Bay area. He served as editor in chief of Sunset, the Magazine of Western Living, for 15 years. In his career with Sunset, he also worked as a writer for the magazines garden section, pitched in on several editions of the best-selling Western Garden Book, and generally nurtured his interest in subjects related to gardening, landscaping, travel, and other aspects of the good life in the western United States. He is also the founding editor of Rebeccas Garden magazine and has served on the board of the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the major watchdog of the threatened lake.

The National Gardening Association (NGA) is committed to sustaining and renewing the fundamental links between people, plants, and the earth. Founded in 1972 as Gardens for All to spearhead the community garden movement, todays NGA promotes environmental responsibility, advances multidisciplinary learning and scientific literacy, and creates partnerships that restore and enhance communities.

NGA is best known for its garden-based curricula, educational journals, international initiatives, and several youth garden grant programs. Together, these reach more than 300,000 children nationwide each year. NGAs Web sites, one for home gardeners and another for those who garden with kids, build community and offer a wealth of custom content.

To find out more about the National Gardening Association, write to 1100 Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403, or visit its Web site at www.garden.org or www.kidsgardening.org.

Dedication

Suzanne dedicates this book to her husband, Dale Lane. Your energy, encouragement, and enthusiasm make everything I do easier and better. Thank you.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank author Bill Marken for providing so much sound, in-depth information in the first edition of Container Gardening For Dummies . Im grateful to Charlie Nardozzi for helping out with the writing and editing, especially when deadlines were looming. A round of applause goes to Wiley project editor Vicki Adang and copy editor Christy Pingleton for asking the right questions, helping refine text, and livening up sections that sorely needed it. My appreciation also goes to technical editor Marie Iannotti for keeping me on my toes. Thank you, Stacy Kennedy, for getting the project going. And finally, thank you to the National Gardening Association for giving me the opportunity and time to work on this project.

Suzanne DeJohn

Publishers Acknowledgments