Delilah Smittle - The Complete Idiots Guide to Year-Round Gardening

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Table of Contents

I dedicate this book to Chaz Macdonald, my partner in life, otherwise known as the accidental gardener.

Delilah

Introduction

Gardening has many rewards. Flower gardening feeds your soul, and vegetable gardening nourishes you and your family with wholesome, fresh produce. What could possibly be wrong with this picture? The harvest season is here and gone before you know it. Too often, you find yourself suddenly overwhelmed with more than you can possibly eat, freeze, dry, or can. And then there follow several long, fallow months.

In this book, you will discover innovative and inexpensive techniques for changing all-or-nothing gardening into a manageable year-round supply of fresh produce and flowers. We show you how to extend the season of spring vegetables into summer, how to grow and harvest summer vegetables in fall and winter, and how to overwinter hardy crops and ornamentals. With this book you can, at last, reap the rewards of gardening in all seasons.

How to Use This Book

The Complete Idiots Guide to Year-Round Gardening is divided into six parts. Each addresses a different facet of gardening, from growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits to hardy perennials and tender ornamentals.

Part 1, YouCanGarden Year-Round, provides an introduction to gardening in every season. We explain essentials such as creating perfect growing conditions for every season and selecting plants that thrive in marginal growing conditions.

Part 2, Gardening Basics: Before the Harvest, covers a garden essentialhealthy soil. Discover how to determine whether your soil has the right balance of nutrients. And learn to raise garden plants from seeds.

Part 3, Gardening Under Cover: Spring to Fall, helps you determine which garden design fits your needs. You will learn what a covered garden is and how to maintain it.

Part 4, Gardening Under Cover: Winter, is about making the most of natures least friendly gardening season. We revive interest in the ecological and economical root cellar. We also shed light on insulating covers that allow you to garden outdoors right through the winter.

Part 5, Greenhouse Gardening: All Seasons, thoroughly explores the rewards of year-round greenhouse gardening. Learn the ins and outs of greenhouses, including heating and cooling options, helpful tools and gadgets, and beneficial insects and animals.

Part 6, Gardening Basics: After the Harvest, casts an eye to next years garden with a look at seed saving and garden cleanup. Finally, we wrap things up with how to pack and store your harvest to maximize freshness.

Extras

To help you find shortcuts, helpful information, and safety advice, we have scattered boxes throughout the book that will give you that extra edge when it comes to your own year-round gardening efforts.

Garden Guide

Here youll find tips and tricks for simplifying and making your gardening experiences more enjoyable. These are things every gardener should know.

definition

In these boxes, we explain technical gardening terms.

Green Thumb

In these boxes, youll find horticultural information, techniques, garden lore, and other neat-to-know tidbits.

Safety First

These boxes explain important safety and health issues, and provide advice on what not to do.

An Important Safety Note to Readers

This book is not intended to be a substitute for an experts advice. Readers should consult both an expert in the subject and their medical doctor before taking any action, and are responsible for the choice of and use of treatments and products included in this book. Readers should also read and follow all product label directions carefully.

The names of any products, ingredients, treatments, and organizations contained in this book are for information only. Inclusion does not connote endorsement by the authors or publisher, nor does omission of same indicate criticism or condemnation by the authors or publisher.

All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of the authors or publisher, and the authors and publisher disclaim any liability in connection with the use of this information.

Acknowledgments

From Delilah: I would like to acknowledge those who made this book possible. Thanks to Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) for recognizing the timeliness of this topic and to my acquisitions editor, Karyn Gerhard, for enthusiastically encouraging my efforts every step of the way. Thanks to Julie Coffin for her excellent editing and gardening camaraderie, and to my co-author and fellow gardening enthusiast, Sheri Ann Richerson.

I owe much to my talented and tireless team of photographers, Donna Chiarelli and Thomas Wolf, of Donna Chiarelli Studio, whose styling and digital wizardry produced the images for this book.

Special thanks to my family: Chaz Macdonald, my personal help desk, for caring support and shooting additional photos for the book; to Duke for faithfully staying by my side as I wrote; and to the girls for their outstanding eggs and composting skills. My gratitude to my friend, muse, and pen pal, illustrator Mavis Torke; and to Steve Heller, manager of the Saucon Valley Barnes & Noble, and my friends and co-workers there for their interest and willingness to accommodate my schedule.

From Sheri: I would like to thank Tom Ogren and Janet Rosen, who were responsible for my involvement in this book. I would also like to thank my co-author Delilah Smittle, as well as Karyn Gerhard, Julie Coffin, Dawn Werk, and all the wonderful people at Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) who have worked on this book.

I would like to take a moment to thank all the wonderful people who were there throughout the writing of this book to offer support and guidance, including Rhonda, June, James, Chris, Lisa, Alice, Michelle, and Susi. Most of all, I would like to thank my patient, loving husband Jerry, who kept things going on the farm while this book was being written. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

Trademarks

All terms mentioned in this book that are known to be or are suspected of being trademarks or service marks have been appropriately capitalized. Alpha Books and Penguin Group (USA) Inc. cannot attest to the accuracy of this information. Use of a term in this book should not be regarded as affecting the validity of any trademark or service mark.

Part 1

YouCanGarden Year-Round

If youre skeptical, let us set you straight. You

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