Extreme Gardening

Explains how to grow organic foods in desert climates, with sections devoted to vegetables, fruits and nuts, and controlling extreme pests organically.

Not since Thoreau made his home in the woods at Walden Pond has the notion of self-sufficiency held more universal appeal. There's no question we're going through some tough economic times, but this book offers an alternative. It's a guide for anyone who imagines a better life--from struggling families tired of energy dependency to dreamers who always wished they could live off the land someday. This ultimate DIY guide holds to the premise that anyone can homestead, and raise at least a portion of their food themselves--even if they live in the city. Homesteading in the 21st Century is absolutely brimming with ideas on how to take control of your life by degrees--whether that means keeping chickens, growing a garden, or brewing your own beer.

The Darién Gap is a place of legend. The only break in the Pan-American highway, which runs from Alaska to the tip of South America, it is an almost impregnable strip of swamp, jungle and cloud forest between the vast landmasses of North and South America. Stories of abduction and murder there are rife and in recent years more people have successfully climbed Everest or trekked to the South Pole than have crossed the Darién Gap. In 2000, Tom Hart Dyke, a young botanist, set off to Central America with one thing on his mind: orchids. He knew that in order to find the rare and beautiful species he so fervently admired, he would have to visit some of the most inhospitable places on earth. Unbeknown to Tom, another young explorer, Paul Winder, was backpacking through the area at the same time. Though he sometimes worked freelance in the City of London, Paul was a fearless and intrepid traveller, happier scaling volcanoes than lounging on beaches. In every bar and café along his route, rumours abounded of the Darién Gap - and the more he heard, the greater became his desire to make the journey. Pure chance brought Paul and Tom together in northern Mexico; they formed an instant bond and their fate was sealed. Ignoring a final, succinct warning from the Lonely Planet guide - 'Don't even think about it!' - Tom and Paul set off into the Darién: Tom in search of orchids, Paul in search of adventure. They would find plenty of each. For six days they made good progress. Then, just hours away from Colombia, the dream ended and the horror began. Paul and Tom were ambushed by FARC guerrillas who were to hold them hostage for the next nine months. From that day on, their survival was a matter of extraordinary endurance, incredible ingenuity and not a little good luck ...

Presents a guide to creating a garden in such unused spaces as land beside a driveway, next to steps, or between the sidewalk and the street curb, discussing how to prepare the soil and listing the varieties of plants suitable for these conditions.

No Work Vegetable Gardening The Easiest Way To Get Fresh Tasty Veggies For Your Whole Family -- How to Start a Garden Series -- Want great tasting veggies from your own garden but cringe at the thought of doing all that back-breaking work of maintaining your garden? Don’t know how to start a garden? or If you're currently gardening with chemicals and have decided that gardening organically would give you plants with better nutrition and better taste but you don't want to hang up your tools for 7 years waiting for your soil to heal. GREAT NEWS! NO WORK VEGETABLE GARDENING by Joyce Zborower provides simple, easy-to-follow instructions for building and planting a new organic gardening bed right over an old chemical bed, a grassy spot that's never been planted before, a rocky area or even in a raised planting bed so you won't have to bend over to harvest your goodies. And once the bed is ready and planted, any further work on your part is very minimal. And there are full-color photos to show you exactly what to do. Is it really "no work?" . . . No, but it's as close as you'll ever get without hiring someone to take care of it for you. Other information about No Work Vegetable Gardening Genre -- Gardening/vegetables Tags -- How to start a garden, raised vegetable garden, square foot gardening, planting a vegetable garden, backyard garden, home vegetable garden, vegetable gardening Here is an excerpt from No Work Vegetable Gardening . . . Many years ago when I was just beginning to learn about organic gardening, I read Ruth Stout’s classic No Work Garden Book in which she recommended 9-or-so inches of hay as a year-round mulch. I busted my you-know-what dragging home 80-90# bales of hay two at a time in the trunk of my car, somehow maneuvering them into my backyard and spreading the hay in my garden, only to find several months later that I had weeds in my yard that I had never seen before in my whole entire life! It took years to get rid of those weeds. In my opinion, in rural areas, hay is fantastic; it’s great for the plants. I just don’t want to have to deal with those field-weed-seeds again. There are other ways to get the “browns” needed for the beds. One of our best sources for good, clean “browns” is that mountain of junk-mail that comes to your house every day. Discard the colored and/or glossy pages (possibly toxic ink), get yourself a quality paper shredder – the smaller the pieces, the quicker they will decompose – and simply run it through the shredder every day instead of throwing it into the garbage or recycling bin. In effect, it is being recycled – into your vegetables. Same with newspapers. You’ll soon have more “browns” than you’ll know what to do with! Mix them with other organic matter when adding them to your bed as they tend to ‘mat’ when clumped together and may form a barrier for plant root growth. Or, use them on top as a final mulch. Another is leaves. Gather them in the fall and store them in those large, black plastic bags somewhere hidden from view in the back yard until they’re needed. Neighbors may even offer to give you theirs. End of Excerpt

Grow your own food in the Golden State! There is nothing more regionally specific than vegetable gardening—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are decisions based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in Southern California, by regional expert Geri Miller, focuses on the unique eccentricities of California’s gardening calendar, which include extreme temperatures and low rainfall. The month-by-month format makes it perfect for beginners and accessible to everyone—gardeners can start gardening the month they pick it up.

This sequel to the best-selling book Extreme Gardening is jam-packed with more of Owens's great gardening ideas that work in the desert areas. Broken down by months in an easy-to-read, handy organic gardening manual--a calendar of what to do and when to do it.

Plant selection and garden style are deeply influenced by where we are gardening. To successfully grow a range of beautiful ornamental plants, every gardener has to know the specifics of the region’s climate, soil, and geography. Growing the Southwest Garden, by New Mexico-based garden designer Judith Phillips, is a practical and beautiful handbook for ornamental gardening in a region known for its low rainfall and high temperatures. With more than thirty years of experience gardening in the Southwest, Phillips has created an essential guide, featuring regionally specific advice on zones, microclimates, soil, pests, and maintenance. Profiles of the best plants for the region include complete information on growth and care.