Nardozzi - Vegetable Gardening for Dummies

Vegetable Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Charlie Nardozzi and the Editors of The National Gardening Association Vegetable Gardening For Dummies, 2nd Edition Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
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Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
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About the Authors

Charlie Nardozzi has worked for more than 20 years bringing expert gardening information to home gardeners through radio, television, and the printed page. He delights in making gardening information simple, easy, fun, and accessible to everyone. His energy, exuberance, and love of the natural world also make Charlie an exciting public speaker and presenter. He currently is the senior horticulturist and spokesperson for the National Gardening Association (NGA). He also writes the National News as part of NGA's online publications, conducts media interviews about gardening and NGA, and provides horticultural consultation to NGA programs. For 12 years Charlie was an editor with National Gardening magazine, writing stories on a variety of gardening topics from roses to tomatoes. He also has written for national magazines such as Organic Gardening, authored the first edition of Vegetable Gardening For Dummies in 1999 and The Ultimate Gardener in 2009, and contributed to other books such as Gardening All-in-One For Dummies (2003) and the Better Homes and Gardens' Yard and Garden Owner's Manual (Meredith Books, 2004). Charlie's skills as a garden communicator extend beyond the printed page, however. In 2005, he was the host of PBS's television program Garden Smart, which reaches more than 60 million households. He also has been a gardening expert on many nationally syndicated television shows, such as HGTV's Today at Home and Way to Grow, Discovery Channel's Home Matters, and DIY's Ask DIY. He has appeared on QVC and the Home Shopping Network as well. At his home in Vermont, Charlie co-hosts the program "In The Garden," which offers weekly gardening tips on the local CBS affiliate television station, a weekly call-in gardening radio show on a local AM station, and gardening commentaries on public radio. He also hosts national and international gardening tours. The National Gardening Association, founded in 1972, is a national not-for-profit leader in plant-based education, esteemed for its award-winning Web sites and newsletters, grants and curriculum for youth gardens, and research for the lawn-and-garden industry. NGA's mission is to advance the personal, community, and educational benefits of gardening by supporting gardeners, communities, and teachers with information and resources. For more information, please visit www.garden.org.

Dedication

I'd like to dedicate this book to everyone who has ever thought about vegetable gardening or tried to grow some of their own food. I particularly want to dedicate this book to my wife, Wendy, who is the best partner in the garden and in my life.

Author's Acknowledgments

I'd like to thank Mike Baker and Stacy Kennedy for sticking with this book idea and pursuing it so it finally became a reality. A big thanks goes to Georgette Beatty for her keen insights when reading this book and her organizational ability to keep the ball rolling. I appreciated Jessica Smith's thoughtful questions as the copy editor, especially because she's a budding vegetable gardener herself! Jim Schmidt kept me honest in the horticultural realm with his suggestions as the technical reviewer. Kathryn Born provided excellent updated illustrations. Suzanne DeJohn, my colleague at NGA, provided many beautiful color photos of vegetables and gardening techniques that make the words come to life.

Publisher's Acknowledgments

We're proud of this book; please send us your comments through our online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002. Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following: Acquisitions, Editorial, and Media Development Senior Project Editor: Georgette Beatty ( Previous Edition: Kathleen M. Cox) Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy Copy Editor: Jessica Smith ( Previous Edition: Kim Darosett, Gwenette Gaddis, Wendy Hatch) Assistant Editor: Erin Calligan Mooney Editorial Program Coordinator: Joe Niesen Technical Editor: James C. Schmidt Editorial Manager: Michelle Hacker Editorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggar Art Coordinator: Alicia B. South Cover Photos: Brand X Pictures Cartoons: Rich Tennant (www.the5thwave.com) Composition Services Project Coordinator: Katherine Crocker Layout and Graphics: Christin Swinford, Christine Williams Special Art: Illustrations by Kathryn Born, M.A. Proofreader: Toni Settle Indexer: Joan Griffitts Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies Kristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies Ensley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, Travel Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel Publishing for Technology Dummies Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User Composition Services Debbie Stailey , Director of Composition Services