The Edible Garden: Grow Your Own Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs No Matter Where You Live

by The Editors of Country Gardens Magazine

Overview

From the experts at Country Gardens magazine, The Edible Garden will show you how to reap fresh vegetables, delicious fruits, and essential herbs from a garden of any size, in any space, no matter how small. Bring organic produce to your table and create delicious hand-crafted meals with the harvest from your back yard or windowsill! The Edible Garden is the complete guide to growing a bountiful, edible home garden. With over a hundred years of experience, the editors of Better Homes & Gardens’ special-interest publications know gardening from the ground up! In this beautiful, photo-laden book the authors show how any space can yield a plentiful crop of tasty vegetables, fresh fruits, delicious herbs, and more. Whether you’re working with a rooftop hideaway, a suburban backyard, or even a tiny window box or all-indoor container garden, it’s easier than you think.

Highlights include: Detailed step-by-step instructions for creating the garden of your dreams in the space you have.

A seasonal guide to crops with descriptions of varieties for each, including when and how to plant. All the basics you need to start, from tools and containers to seeds and soil.

Simple recipes that show how to use your crop yield—and what to do when your garden produces more than you ever expected! Covers a wide range of topics, including: Starting from Seed: Save money by growing from seeds—including those you save yourself from your everyday meals. Making the Plan: How to assess the space at hand and plan to use it most efficiently, including seasonal tips for various environments.

Organic Solutions: Raise the healthiest food and protect the environment with these handy hints, including all-natural, chemical-free pest repellants, weed control, and soil enrichment. Container Gardening: Grow food for your table on a balcony, patio, or other small space. Special tips on how to grow some basics even if you’ve only got a window box to work with. Raised-Bed Gardens: All the rage in suburban front and back yards, rooftops, and community gardens, this results-intensive gardening method yields amazing harvests. Yard-to-Table: Recipes for your backyard bounty focusing on just-picked delights such as fresh tomato and arugula salad, crispy zucchini fritter, and cool cucumber sangria.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681882345
Publisher:	Weldon Owen
Publication date:	07/25/2017
Pages:	160
Product dimensions:	7.80(w) x 9.40(h) x 0.60(d)

Read an Excerpt

156 Pumpkins: PLANT, GROW & HARVEST
 
SITE Choose a large sunny spot so pumpkin plants can spread. Pumpkins do best in slightly acidic
soil that drains easily.
 
BEDMATES Pumpkins can share space with corn, melons, and other squash. However, pumpkins are
space hogs and need a lot of room on their own.
 
CARE Keep pumpkin vines free of weeds by shallow hoeing around plants.
 
HOW TO START Sow seeds directly in the ground when the soil/air temperatures reach at least
70°F (21°C) Start seeds ahead of the season and plant seedlings too.

HARVEST Begin harvest in late September or early October—before a hard frost. Pick pumpkins
when they are a deep, solid color (depending on variety, this may be orange, white, or cream). Wear gloves (vines have prickles on the stems) and use pruning shears to cut each pumpkin from its vine. Leave 3 to 4 inches (8–10 cm) of stem attached and they will keep longer.
 
PESTS AND DISEASES Pumpkins are susceptible to fungal diseases such as powdery mildew. Treat
with a fungicide. Insects attracted to pumpkins include cucumber beetles and squash bugs. If you use insecticides, apply in late afternoon or early evening after pumpkin blossoms have closed so bees are not adversely affected.
 
STIR UP SOME PUMPKIN RISOTTO
 
2 cups (475 mL) water
1¾ cups (425 mL) chicken broth
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup (150 g) finely chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups (394 g) arborio rice
1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
1½ tablespoons snipped fresh sage
1 cup (227 g) Pumpkin Puree
1/2 cup (50 g) finely shredded
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Sage leaves (optional)
 
STEP 1 In a large saucepan bring water and broth to boiling; reduce heat to maintain simmer.
 
STEP 2 In a heavy 4-quart (4-L) pot melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook 3 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add rice; cook and stir 2 minutes. Add wine; cook and stir until liquid is absorbed. Stir in snipped sage and 1 cup (250 mL) of broth mixture; stir until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Continue cooking and adding broth, 1 cup (250 mL) at a time, until rice is tender but still firm to the bite and risotto is creamy.
 
STEP 3 Stir pumpkin puree and the ½ cup (50 g) cheese into risotto. Heat through, about 1 minute. Top with shaved cheese and, if desired, sage leaves.
 
STEP 4 Pumpkin Puree: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Cut 2½ pounds (1 kg) pie pumpkins
into 5x5-inch (13x13-cm) pieces. Remove and discard seeds and strings. Arrange pieces, skin sides up, in a foil-lined baking pan. Cover with foil. Bake 1 hour or until tender. Scoop pulp from rind. Place pulp in a food processor or blender. Cover and process or blend until smooth.
 
Makes 1¾ cups (397 g).
EACH SERVING 385 cal, 11 g fat,
26 mg chol, 547 mg sodium, 61 g carb,
6 g fiber, 10 g pro
 
 

Table of Contents

Planning, Planting & Cultivating

Climate and Seasons

001 Stay Cool

002 Know Your Cool-Season Crops

003 Keep Warm

004 Know Your Warm-Season Crops

005 Grow in Two Seasons

006 Understand Microclimates

007 Know Your Climate

008 Be Fruitful

009 Garden Where You Live

Good Earth

010 Get the Dirt on Soil

011 Do the Squeeze Test

012 Assess Your Soil Nutrients

013 Dig a Hole to Test Drainage

014 Boost Soil Nutrients

015 Diagnose Deficiencies

016 Read the Label

017 Blanket Your Garden

018 Choose a Nutrient Source for Your Garden

019 Add a Layer of Compost

020 Pick a Composting Method

021 Make Your Own Compost

Design a Garden

022 Plan Your Garden

023 Start from Seed

024 Sow and Germinate

025 Grow and Transplant

026 Start Seeds, Step-by-Step

027 Take the Temperature

028 Raise it Up

029 Build a Raised Bed

030 Enrich the Soil

Planting Time

031 Make a Planting Bed

032 Read Your Seed Packets

033 Grow in Rows

034 Nurture Your Seedlings

Water Smart

035 Add Water

036 Listen to Your Garden

037 Choose a Way to Water

038 Conserve Water

039 Consider Your Crop

Organic Gardening

040 Go Organic

Pests, Diseases & Weeds

041 Strike a Natural Balance

042 Stay Healthy

043 Manage Pests

044 Bug Out

045 Outmaneuver Insects

046 Do No Harm

047 Blast Away

048 Fight Off Diseases

049 Declare War on Weeds

050 Avoid Toxic Residues

Container Gardening

051 Plant Potted Edibles

052 Choose the Right Container

053 Try an Edible Petal

Plant an Orchard

054 Get Small

055 Organize Your Orchard

056 Mix It Up

All About Pruning

057 Prevent Problems with Pruning

058 Make the Cut on Fruit Trees

059 Know Your Tools

Spring

Peas

060 Plant, Grow & Harvest

061 Take These Tips to the Garden

062 Know Your Varieties

063 Toss a Little Tarragon into Your Peas

064 Smash Your Peas

Lettuces & Greens

065 Plant, Grow & Harvest

066 Take These Tips to the Garden

067 Know Your Salad Green Varieties

068 Go Green with Lettuce & Peas

069 Whip up a Citrus Salad

Carrots & Radishes

070 Plant, Grow & Harvest

071 Take These Tips to the Garden

072 Know Your Carrot Varieties

073 Know Your Radish Varieties

074 Roast Your Radishes

075 Braise Your Carrots

Asparagus

076 Plant, Grow & Harvest

077 Take These Tips to the Garden

078 Know Your Varieties

079 Stir Up Some Asparagus Soup

080 Sandwich Your Spears

Broccoli & Cauliflower

081 Plant Grow & Harvest

082 Take These Tips to the Garden

083 Know Your Cauliflower Varieties

084 Know Your Broccoli Varieties

085 Eat Your Broccoli in a Pretty Pasta

086 Curry Favor with Roasted Cauliflower

Scallions & Leeks

087 Plant Grow & Harvest

088 Take These Tips to the Garden

089 Maximize Your Yield

090 Know Your Scallion Varieties

091 Know Your Leek Varieties

092 Try a Leek Tart

093 Flavor Couscous with Green Onions

Summer

Tomatoes

094 Plant, Grow & Harvest

095 Take These Tips to the Garden

096 Know Your Varieties

097 Toss a Tiny Tomato Salad

098 Try a Tomato Tart

Herbs

099 Plant, Grow & Harvest

100 Take These Tips to the Garden

101 Know Your Varieties

102 Go Gourmet with Herb Butter

103 Prepare a Tasty Tomato-Herb Pasta

Sweet Corn

104 Plant, Grow & Harvest

105 Take These Tips to the Garden

106 Eat Sweet

107 Know Your Varieties

108 Go Native with Succotash Salad

109 Whip up a Wild Rice & Roasted Corn Pilaf

Peppers

110 Plant, Grow & Harvest

111 Take These Tips to the Garden

112 Know Your Hot Pepper Varieties

113 Know Your Sweet Pepper Varieties

114 Chow Down on Sweet Pepper Chowder

115 Stuff Some Sweet Peppers

Summer Squash

116 Plant, Grow & Harvest

117 Take These Tips to the Garden

118 Know Your Varieties

119 Toss Some Squash on the Grill

120 Fritter Around with Zucchini

Beans

121 Plant, Grow & Harvest

122 Take These Tips to the Garden

123 Know Your Pole Bean Varieties

124 Know Your Bush Bean Varieties

125 Get Hooked on 'Fordhook'

126 Toss Green Beans in a Summer Salad

127 Blister Green Beans