Barbara Pleasant - Starter Vegetable Gardens

The mission of Storey Publishing is to serve our customers by publishing practical information that encourages personal independence in harmony with the environment.

Edited by Sarah Guare Slattery, Carleen Madigan, Gwen Steege, and Fern Bradley

Cover design by Erin Dawson

Book design by Dan O. Williams and Erin Dawson

Indexed by Christine R. Lindemer, Boston Road Communications

Cover photography by Catalina.m/Shutterstock, front, bottom; courtesy of Barbara Pleasant, authors; Magdalena Bujak/Alamy Stock Photo, spine; Zbynek Pospisil/iStock.com, front, top

Interior photography by John Gruen, except Barbara Pleasant,

Additional stock photography by age footstock,

Photo styling by Lisa Newman

Illustrations by Alison Kolesar

Text 2010, 2023 by Barbara Pleasant

Ebook production by Slavica A. Walzl

Ebook version 1.0

February 7, 2023

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CONTENTS

DIGGING IN

P lanting a garden is hope in action. As you tuck in seedlings or pat seeds into soft soil, you hope they will grow. But maybe you also feel a little anxious because, truth be told, youre just learning to tell a radish from a rutabaga. Relax. You can grow a successful organic food garden right now, this season. This book will get you started with simple, delectable garden plans and the instructions to see them through to a bountiful harvest. Next season, when youre ready for a little more challenge, you can graduate to specialized planting plans to expand your cultivated space, grow a pet crop like gourmet potatoes, or add more herbs and flowers for a garden thats as beautiful as it is practical.

Tending your garden will be more pleasure than struggle. Granted, there will be some bending and lifting involved, but you wanted a hobby that you could enjoy outdoors, moving around, right? The work wont be terribly hard. While I cannot guarantee that every crop in your garden will succeed any more than I can promise you a summer without hail, I can say this with certainty: Growing at least some of your own food will change your life for the better.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK

This book is intended to be of enduring value to three groups: new gardeners ready to jump into food gardening with both feet, experienced gardeners who are coaching new gardeners, and seasoned greenies who can grow prize-winning roses or peonies but are stumped on the fine points of growing a gourmet salad garden. In pursuit of this goal, the book is divided into three parts.

Part 1:

Developing Your Garden Plan

New gardeners are often told to start small, but how exactly is that done? The first section of this book takes the confusion out of this process by showing planting plans for three different Growing Gardens, each of which starts very small and simple and gradually expands to approximately double its initial size over a three-year period. Check out all three Growing Gardens if youre having trouble visualizing how a robust food garden can fit in your yard. Each uses a different soil-building strategy to transform underutilized space into a fertile new garden.

is sized for one or two people to plant and maintain, and it starts out with a no-dig approach: bags of potting soil arranged on top of lawn grass or untilled earth. At maturity, it supports two dozen delicious food plants.

uses design principles borrowed from formal flower borders, with emphasis on building superior soil through deep digging. These balanced planting plans are ideal for gardeners who prefer the order that comes with formal style.

transforms a small front yard into a beautiful tapestry of colorful beans, tomatoes, and chard. Eye appeal is built in from the first season, and soil quality improves as the beds receive regular helpings of compost and mulch. As the garden evolves, there are plenty of opportunities to add personal touches with handmade trellises and artful accessories.

For Growing Garden graduates and other experienced gardeners who simply want to enjoy plenty of great garden food, Part 1 also includes plans for three different . Designed for short-, moderate-, and long-summer climates, these plans make the most of regional crops with proven track records for delivering great results.

Part 2:

Essential Techniques and More Planting Plans

Every passing gardening season teaches me new things, so learning to be a better gardener is not the exclusive turf of beginners. Thats the double-duty goal of Part 2: to help new gardeners learn basic skills, from planting seeds to harvesting crops at the best time, while providing interesting twists (and valuable pointers) for food gardeners who need a quick refresher course. Even folks who have hoed 10 seasons of beans might pick up a tip or two reading over the seed-starting instructions for vivid may give experienced growers new insights into the world of bugs.

As you get to know your climate, site, and soil, youll encounter certain challenges, be they drought, disease, or stubbornly infertile soil. Reacting to problems gets old fast, so instead this section invites you to build your gardening skills, which will improve your ability to prevent many problemsand manage them better when they do occur. Explore the practical possibilities here, whether youre installing your first soaker hose in the .

Part 3:

Pick-of-the-Crop Veggie Varieties

Choosing strong varieties is vital to growing a healthy garden. Can you simply buy packets of seeds off the rack at the store? (Yes.) Or should you order seeds from a specialty seed company? (Yes, there, too.) But whether youre stocking up on cheap seeds, ordering gourmet or historical strains, or looking for a variety to address a specific problem, be sure to check out Part 3. In these pages, I review the best old and new varieties for your garden. Read before you buy, and youll be several steps closer to finding the perfect varieties for your garden.

Extra Help

When youre just getting started, sometimes you can feel a bit confused about precisely what gardening terms like cover crop, hardening off, and intercropping mean. Dont let the lingo discourage you! If you encounter unfamiliar words or phrases in the instructions for planting a garden, turn to to learn whats what.

Finally, this is meant to be an idea book, so should not be missed. There youll find lists of the garden plans in this book keyed to your wants, needs, and whims. If food gardening doesnt feel like fun, these lists may lead you to think in new directions as you look at all the uncharted territory you have yet to explore. In gardening as in life, there is always something new to learn.