The Magic of a Kitchen Garden - Organic Gardening for Beginners Table of Contents Introduction Growing a Vegetable Garden Which Is the Best Potting Soil for Your Plants? Organic Soil Mix Cow Manure – the Best Organic Fertilizer/Compost Base Preparing Your Beds and Sowing Container size for different plants – in inches Raised Beds Watering your plants Natural pesticides Neem pesticide Chili Pepper Tobacco Bougainvillea Leaves Fungicides for Soil Onion- Garlic Antifungal Solution Papaya Cure Using Cow Manure Ash As a Pesticide Pot Containers When to Sow Seeds How to grow seeds at home Sunflowers in Your Kitchen Garden Sunflower Propagation Begonias Best Climates for Begonias Varieties of Begonia Conclusion Author Bio Introduction Growing your own herbs and vegetables in your kitchen garden is a very enriching experience All right, let me admit it. Just like any other normal red-blooded and healthy child, I loved getting grimy and dirty, rooting about in the garden when young. And I was fortunate to have elders around me, who positively enjoyed encouraging us kids to go out and play in the dirt and sun, instead of wrapping us up in cotton wool and clucking in concern when we got dirty and scrubby. Luckily, my father always used to be transferred to out of the way mountain fastnesses and other forest laden places, where there was plenty of space to make really huge gardens – flowers and vegetables, with plenty of sun, water, and rich organic soil. That was the time when people did not bother about spraying every single plant surface with poisonous pesticides. So naturally, the habit of digging my fingers deep into rich soil continued when I grew up. But that was when I found out, that the world consisted of places, where you could not manage to have huge gardens outdoors. As adults, it was possible that you would spend most of your time living in cooped up flats like pigeons or doves in their cotes. So it was natural, that I began to look for other ways and means, in which I could grow my own kitchen garden in those limited areas. And so I began kitchen gardening on the roof. But if you have a large backyard, so much the better. Remember, a kitchen garden is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. You are going to get fresh fruit and vegetables, throughout the year. You have the pleasure of making something outdoors. You do not have to restrict your kitchen garden to just vegetables – you can also plant herbs, and even flowers. My kitchen garden has sunflowers, marigolds, Gladiolus, and even roses.

Elevate your backyard veggie patch into a work of sophisticated and stylish art. Kitchen Garden Revival guides you through every aspect of kitchen gardening, from design to harvesting—with expert advice from author Nicole Johnsey Burke, founder of Rooted Garden, one of the leading US culinary landscape companies, and Gardenary, an online kitchen gardening education and resource company. Participating in the grow-your-own movement is important to both reduce your food miles and control what makes it onto your family’s table. If you’ve hesitated to take part because installing and caring for a traditional vegetable garden doesn’t seem to suit your life or your sense of style, Kitchen Garden Revival is here to show you there’s a better, more beautiful way to grow food. Instead of row after row of cabbage and pepper plants plunked into a patch of dirt in the middle of the yard, kitchen gardens are attractive, highly tailored food gardens consisting of easy-to-maintain raised planting beds laid out in an organized geometric pattern. Offering both four seasons of ornamental interest and plenty of fresh, homegrown fruits, vegetables, and herbs, kitchen gardens are the way to grow your own food in a fashionable, modern, and practical way. Kitchen gardens were once popular features of the European and early American landscape, but they fell out of favor when our agrarian roots were displaced by industrialization. With this accessible and inspirational guide, Nicole aims to return the kitchen garden to its rightful place just outside of every backdoor. Learn the art of kitchen gardening as you discover: What characteristics all kitchen gardens have in common How to design and install gorgeous kitchen garden beds using metal, wood, or stone Why raised beds mean reduced maintenance What crops are best for your kitchen garden A planting, tending, and harvesting plan developed by a pro Season-by-season growing guides It's time to join the Kitchen Garden Revival and start growing your own delicious, organic food.

The Magic of a Kitchen Garden - Organic Gardening for Beginners Table of Contents Introduction Growing a Vegetable Garden Which Is the Best Potting Soil for Your Plants? Organic Soil Mix Cow Manure - the Best Organic Fertilizer/Compost Base Preparing Your Beds and Sowing Container size for different plants - in inches Raised Beds Watering your plants Natural pesticides Neem pesticide Chili Pepper Tobacco Bougainvillea Leaves Fungicides for Soil Onion- Garlic Antifungal Solution Papaya Cure Using Cow Manure Ash As a Pesticide Pot Containers When to Sow Seeds How to grow seeds at home Sunflowers in Your Kitchen Garden Sunflower Propagation Begonias Best Climates for Begonias Varieties of Begonia Conclusion Author Bio Introduction Growing your own herbs and vegetables in your kitchen garden is a very enriching experience All right, let me admit it. Just like any other normal red-blooded and healthy child, I loved getting grimy and dirty, rooting about in the garden when young. And I was fortunate to have elders around me, who positively enjoyed encouraging us kids to go out and play in the dirt and sun, instead of wrapping us up in cotton wool and clucking in concern when we got dirty and scrubby. Luckily, my father always used to be transferred to out of the way mountain fastnesses and other forest laden places, where there was plenty of space to make really huge gardens - flowers and vegetables, with plenty of sun, water, and rich organic soil. That was the time when people did not bother about spraying every single plant surface with poisonous pesticides. So naturally, the habit of digging my fingers deep into rich soil continued when I grew up. But that was when I found out, that the world consisted of places, where you could not manage to have huge gardens outdoors. As adults, it was possible that you would spend most of your time living in cooped up flats like pigeons or doves in their cotes. So it was natural, that I began to look for other ways and means, in which I could grow my own kitchen garden in those limited areas. And so I began kitchen gardening on the roof. But if you have a large backyard, so much the better. Remember, a kitchen garden is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. You are going to get fresh fruit and vegetables, throughout the year. You have the pleasure of making something outdoors. You do not have to restrict your kitchen garden to just vegetables - you can also plant herbs, and even flowers. My kitchen garden has sunflowers, marigolds, Gladiolus, and even roses.

The Tao of Vegetable Gardening explores the practical methods as well as the deeper essence of gardening. In her latest book, groundbreaking garden writer Carol Deppe (The Resilient Gardener, Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties) focuses on some of the most popular home garden vegetables--tomatoes, green beans, peas, and leafy greens--and through them illustrates the key principles and practices that gardeners need to know to successfully plant and grow just about any food crop. Deppe's work has long been inspired and informed by the philosophy and wisdom of Tao Te Ching, the 2,500-year-old work attributed to Chinese sage Lao Tzu and the most translated book in the world after the Bible. The Tao of Vegetable Gardening is organized into chapters that echo fundamental Taoist concepts: Balance, Flexibility, Honoring the Essential Nature (your own and that of your plants), Effortless Effort, Non-Doing, and even Non-Knowing. Yet the book also offers a wealth of specific and valuable garden advice on topics as diverse as: - The Eat-All Greens Garden, a labor- and space-efficient way to provide all the greens a family can eat, freeze, and dry--all on a tiny piece of land suitable for small-scale and urban gardeners. - The growing problem of late blight and the future of heirloom tomatoes--and what gardeners can do to avoid problems, and even create new resistant varieties. - Establishing a Do-It-Yourself Seed Bank, including information on preparing seeds for long-term storage and how to "dehybridize" hybrids. - Twenty-four good places to not plant a tree, and thirty-seven good reasons for not planting various vegetables. Designed for gardeners of all levels, from beginners to experienced growers, The Tao of Vegetable Gardening provides a unique frame of reference: a window to the world of nature, in the garden and in ourselves.

This 2nd edition of the classic gardening guide features more than 40 small garden designs for everything from stir-fry vegetables to anti-cancer foods. For decades, Lolo Houbein has cultivated her own organic fruits, vegetables and herbs from small gardens of no more than 3 feet square. Now she shows readers how to reap an abundant harvest from a tiny plot of land. One Magic Square features plot designs geared toward specific themes, like soups, salads, and starchy staples, as well as plots of edible flowers, and antioxidant-rich foods—with encyclopedic information about every crop in every plot. With wisdom and humor, Lolo shares sustainable, cost-effective techniques for using compost, saving water, troubleshooting weeds and pests and more. She also offers tips on drying, freezing, pickling, and other ways to get more value and enjoyment from your homegrown produce. Ever encouraging, often charming, and always practical, this expanded second edition of One Magic Square Vegetable Gardening will help first-time gardeners get started—and help veteran gardeners get results—on a small, easy-to-maintain plot.

If you want to grow healthy vegetables at home, but have hesitated because it seems too hard and time consuming, Organic Gardening for Everyone is your perfect hands-on guide—an “if I can do it, you can do it” case study that addresses your concerns and gets you started. Loaded with practical advice and step-by-step guidance, Organic Gardening for Everyone takes a very personal and friendly approach to a subject that can be intimidating. It is a first-class primer on organic vegetable gardening, and an inspirational story about how anyone can balance the rigors of gardening with the demands of a modern, family-oriented lifestyle. In 2012, a California mom decided to start an organic vegetable garden. But she went about it in an unusual way: she crowdsourced it by launching a YouTube channel under the name "CaliKim" and asking for help. And then she started planting. As questions came up, she turned to her viewers and subscribers and they replied with answers and advice. As she learned, her garden grew successfully—even in the hot, harsh California climate. Her expertise also grew, and now she answers many more questions than she asks and has become a very accomplished home gardener. And CaliKim has a great story to tell: growing healthy organic vegetables for your family is not difficult, even for today’s time-challenged lifestyles. She provides complete step-by-step information on growing the most popular edibles organically, and also gives sound advice on how to take on the challenges of balancing a hectic lifestyle with successful growing—and how to involve the whole family in the process. You'll be rewarded for your effort every time you place a plate of natural, organic vegetables on the family dinner table knowing exactly what they are, what is in them, and where they came from.

A guide to creating and growing a backyard garden simply and sustainably—from planning to planting to harvest, with profiles of essential vegetables and herbs, ecological tips, and fun and creative projects Growing food in your backyard (or even on a porch or windowsill!) is one of the simplest and most rewarding ways to nourish yourself, be self-sufficient, and connect with nature in a hands-on way. Here sustainability expert Julia Watkins shares everything you need to know to grow your own vegetables, fruits, and herbs (as well as wildflowers and other beneficial companion plants). The book covers all the nuts and bolts of creating and caring for your garden—planning, building, planting, tending, and harvesting—followed by a deeper dive into the plants themselves: demystifying annuals vs. perennials, cold-weather vs. warm-weather veggies, and profiles of favorite crops. Throughout, Julia offers tips for creating an eco-friendly and sustainable garden (such as vermicomposting, no-till “lasagna” gardening, and attracting pollinators), plus some fun and unexpected hands-on projects like how to build a bean teepee, make wildflower seed paper, and enjoy refreshing herbal lemonade ice pops.