Discover the sustainable haven hidden within the heart of New Jersey's suburbs with "The Garden State Grows"—a quintessential guide to transforming your suburban residence into a flourishing homestead. This comprehensive eBook invites you into an inspiring world where the charm of homesteading meets the conveniences of suburban living. Step into the increasingly popular movement of self-sufficiency with this treasure trove of carefully curated knowledge, guiding you through the initial assessment of your space to the sustainable production and preservation of your own food. "The Garden State Grows" merges the beauty of backyard farming with environmentally-conscious practices, offering an array of strategies that harmonize perfectly with your suburban lifestyle. Navigate the intricate web of local laws with ease, ensuring your homestead not only thrives but also remains in delightful compliance with community standards. Learn how to wield essential tools, amplify your homestead's potential through innovative master planning, and tap into the vast potential of your existing backyard. Embrace eco-friendly techniques as you delve into the secrets of soil health, composting, and savvy water management that will set your homestead apart. Elevate your gardening game with smart space utilization tips, including raised beds and vertical gardening, maximizing productivity without sacrificing aesthetics. The garden-to-table journey continues through chapters dedicated to organic practices, where you will discover how to attract pollinators and beneficial insects, and how to naturally combat pests. Follow that with an exploration into creating an enticing edible landscape that marries food production seamlessly into your suburban vista. From the delight of raising chickens and bees to the essential practices of preserving your bounty, "The Garden State Grows" spans topics that resonate with both novices and seasoned homesteaders. Explore the promising world of renewable energy and learn cost-saving tips that add to the sustenance of your homestead without breaking the bank. Cultivate a community spirit by connecting with fellow local homesteaders, initiating groups, and participating in skill shares, as well as marketing your fresh produce. A portion of the book ushers readers through the subtle beauties and challenges of each season, while also proffering solutions on how to adapt to climate change and build a resilient homestead that can withstand the test of time. Embark on this delightful journey, armed with a thoughtful action plan that ensures your homesteading adventure aligns with your goals, reflecting the practicality and joyful essence of the suburban homesteader's lifestyle. Are you prepared to plant the seeds for a healthier, more sustainable life? "The Garden State Grows" is not merely a guide; it's the catalyst for a transformative way of life right in your own backyard.

“A Way to Garden prods us toward that ineffable place where we feel we belong; it’s a guide to living both in and out of the garden.” —The New York Times Book Review For Margaret Roach, gardening is more than a hobby, it’s a calling. Her unique approach, which she calls “horticultural how-to and woo-woo,” is a blend of vital information you need to memorize and intuitive steps you must simply feel and surrender to. In A Way to Garden, Roach imparts decades of garden wisdom on seasonal gardening, ornamental plants, vegetable gardening, design, gardening for wildlife, organic practices, and much more. She also challenges gardeners to think beyond their garden borders and to consider the ways gardening can enrich the world. Brimming with beautiful photographs of Roach’s own garden, A Way to Garden is practical, inspiring, and a must-have for every passionate gardener.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The former First Lady, author of Becoming, and producer and star of Waffles + Mochi tells the inspirational story of the White House Kitchen Garden and how gardens can transform our lives and the health of our communities. Early in her tenure as First Lady, despite being a novice gardener, Michelle Obama planted a kitchen garden on the White House’s South Lawn. To her delight, she watched as fresh vegetables, fruit, and herbs sprouted from the ground. Soon the White House Kitchen Garden inspired a new conversation all across the country about the food we feed our families and the impact it has on the nutrition and well-being of our children. In American Grown, Mrs. Obama invites you inside the White House Kitchen Garden, from the first planting to the satisfaction of the seasonal harvest. She reveals her early worries and struggles—would the new plants even grow?—and her joy as lettuce, corn, tomatoes, collards and kale, sweet potatoes and rhubarb flourished in the freshly tilled soil. She shares the stories of other gardens that have moved and inspired her on her journey across the nation. And she offers what she learned about planting your own backyard, school, or community garden. American Grown features: • a behind-the-scenes look at every season of the garden’s growth • unique recipes created by White House chefs • striking original photographs that bring the White House garden to life • a fascinating history of community gardens in the United States From a modern-day vegetable truck that brings fresh produce to underserved communities in Chicago, to Houston office workers who make the sidewalk bloom, to a New York City school that created a scented garden for the visually impaired, to a garden in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, that devotes its entire harvest to those less fortunate, American Grown isn’t just the story of a single garden. It’s a celebration of the bounty of our nation and a reminder of what we can all grow together.

In Tending the Garden State, Charles Harrison tells the story of the state's rich agricultural history from the time when Leni-Lenape Indians scratched the earth with primitive tools up through today. He recalls New Jersey's rural past, traces the evolution of farming over the course of the twentieth century, and explains innovative approaches to protecting the industry.

The definitive and first-ever guide dedicated exclusively to growing weed in your home garden “Beautifully photographed and with clear, expert advice, this very good primer for growing grass makes it easy to harvest and process a fine crop at home. I need two copies—one for me and one for Snoop.” —Martha Stewart From the former garden editor of Sunset magazine, Johanna Silver, Growing Weed in the Garden brings cannabis out of the dark, into the sunlight. This groundbreaking, comprehensive guide to incorporating weed into your garden leads you from seed or plant selection to harvest. Filled with gorgeous photographs of beautiful gardens, as well as step-by-step photography that shows how to dry, cure, and store cannabis, make tinctures and oils, and roll the perfect joint, this book provides all the information you need to grow and enjoy cannabis. For both the stoned and sober, the new and seasoned gardener, Growing Weed in the Garden is the definitive guide to doing just that. “For those interested in cannabis, from the history of the plant to how to raise it in your backyard, this book provides the necessary information along with beautiful photos and welcome doses of humor.” —The American Gardener

Get the Inside Dirt, New Jersey! Grow Great Vegetables in New Jersey is the ultimate guide to growing food in the Garden State! This must-have guide to growing vegetables, fruits, and herbs provides you with insider advice on climate zones, average frost dates, and growing season details. Information includes details on sun, soil, fertilizer, mulch, water, and the best varieties for your region. A garden planning section helps with design and crop rotation, and monthly lists explain what to do from January through December. In-depth profiles of fifty best edibles help ensure a can’t-miss harvest.

New Jersey: A History of the Garden State presents a fresh, comprehensive overview of New Jersey’s history from the prehistoric era to the present. The findings of archaeologists, political, social, and economic historians provide a new look at how the Garden State has evolved. The state has a rich Native American heritage and complex colonial history. It played a pivotal role in the American Revolution, early industrialization, and technological developments in transportation, including turnpikes, canals, and railroads. The nineteenth century saw major debates over slavery. While no Civil War battles were fought in New Jersey, most residents supported it while questioning the policies of the federal government. Next, the contributors turn to industry, urbanization, and the growth of shore communities. A destination for immigrants, New Jersey continued to be one of the most diverse states in the nation. Many of these changes created a host of social problems that reformers tried to minimize during the Progressive Era. Settlement houses were established, educational institutions grew, and utopian communities were founded. Most notably, women gained the right to vote in 1920. In the decades leading up to World War II, New Jersey benefited from back-to-work projects, but the rise of the local Ku Klux Klan and the German American Bund were sad episodes during this period. The story then moves to the rise of suburbs, the concomitant decline of the state’s cities, growing population density, and changing patterns of wealth. Deep-seated racial inequities led to urban unrest as well as political change, including such landmark legislation as the Mount Laurel decision. Today, immigration continues to shape the state, as does the tension between the needs of the suburbs, cities, and modest amounts of remaining farmland. Well-known personalities, such as Jonathan Edwards, George Washington, Woodrow Wilson, Dorothea Dix, Thomas Edison, Frank Hague, and Albert Einstein appear in the narrative. Contributors also mine new and existing sources to incorporate fully scholarship on women, minorities, and immigrants. All chapters are set in the context of the history of the United States as a whole, illustrating how New Jersey is often a bellwether for the nation..