Gardening For The Faint Of Heart

This humorous yet practical gardening guide will help you get "down to earth." Packed with whimsical illustrations and overflowing with useful suggestions, Gardening for the Faint of Heart is ideal for the novice gardener. Learn about everything from planning a garden and getting started to pruning, managing pests, seeding and breeding, greenhouse and container gardening and more. A perfect rainy day read, this book never loses sight of the fact that above all, gardening should be fun!

There are books you merely read. There are books you read, recommend to others and pass along. Then there are those books yu read, lay aside, jump to your feet, throw your hands in the air, and holler, "Yes!!" Food Security for the Faint of Heart is one of the latter. Robin Wheeler has managed to extract logic from hysteria, package it with a strong environmental perspective, an abundance of practical suggestions and enough good humour to make this a must-have for every soul interested in surviving whatever natural disaster comes along. Wheeler wastes no time in addressing the central theme of her book: Anything can happen so you better be prepared--and here's how. In her impressive list of "Good Things to Have in an Emergency", she catalogues essential items, including lesser touted items such as cooking oil and salt. If Wheeler has done anything by writing this book, she's pulled thr proverbial rug from under our feet when it ocmes to excuses for not eating well through any disaster. Reviewed by Linda Wegner, Country LIfe in BC Where would you find your groceries if your supermarket’s shelves were suddenly empty? The threat of earthquakes, trucker strikes, power outages, or a global market collapse makes us vulnerable like never before. With spiraling fuel prices and unstable world economies, individuals and communities are demanding more control over their food supply. Food Security for the Faint of Heart is designed to gently ease readers into a more empowered place so that shocks to our food supply can be handled confidently. As well as acquiring new skills and ideas, there are other compelling reasons to get better prepared. The local economy gains support and encouragement to expand, in turn boosting food’s taste and nutritional value, along with the health of people and ecosystems. Community support helps low-income families eat higher quality food, and the preparation provides a psychological edge in an emergency. Chapters are devoted to useful, transferable skills, including: Preserving garden food Saving freezer food during a power outage Managing through an earthquake Preparing quick herbal medicinals Foraging for wild food A humorous treatment of a sometimes threatening topic, this book will appeal to both long-time food security advocates and newcomers to the topic who are wary of it all and would prefer to avoid it. Robin Wheeler teaches traditional skills, sustenance gardening, and medicinals at Edible Landscapes (www.ediblelandscapes.ca), a nursery and teaching garden in Roberts Creek, British Columbia. She is also the author of Gardening for the Faint of Heart (New Catalyst Books).

Vegetable gardening in Canada is made easier with gardening expert Douglas Green’s simple, commonsense approach. With his sense of humor and encouraging voice, Doug shows you all the insider how-to and when-to information; helpful planting, harvesting, and organic problem-solving tips; and advice on growing vegetables in limited space. Doug’s personal recommendations of more than 50 proven vegetables and herbs make this the must-have resource for anyone interested in growing vegetables in Canada. You’ll learn to grow healthy, abundant asparagus, broccoli, cucumber, kale, lettuce, pepper, summer squash, tomato, watermelon, winter squash, arugula, chives, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and much more. Find within: Full-color photos Canadian zone maps and what they mean Tips for extending the growing season Advice on compost and improving soil quality How and when to water Container gardening tips Dealing with common Canadian pests, like deer and raccoons Shade gardening tricks Timing charts for sowing and harvesting With the Guide to Canadian Vegetable Gardening, you will be on your way to eating healthier, saving money, and having fun doing it!

How to grow your own food in the Rockies! Growing vegetables requires regionally specific information—what to plant, when to plant it, and when to harvest are based on climate, weather, and first frost. The Timber Press Guide to Vegetable Gardening in the Mountain States tackles this need head on, with regionally specific growing information written by local gardening expert, Mary Ann Newcomer. Monthly planting guides show exactly what you can do in the garden from January through December. The skill sets go beyond the basics with tutorials on seed saving, worm bins, and more. For home gardeners in Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, eastern Washington and Oregon, northern Nevada, and the southernmost parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan.

“This is a love story about a couple and their relationship with an acre-and-a-half of land. . . with exceptional plant descriptions that read like character references for old friends. . . . beautiful photographs and prose await.” —Library Journal Marietta and Ernie O’Byrne’s garden—situated on one and a half acres in Eugene, Oregon—is filled with an incredible array of plants from around the world. By consciously leveraging the garden’s many microclimates, they have created a stunning patchwork of exuberant plants that is widely considered one of America’s most outstanding private gardens. In A Tapestry Garden, the O’Byrnes share their deep knowledge of plants and essential garden advice. Readers will discover the humble roots of the garden, explore the numerous habitats and the plants that make them shine, and find inspiration in photography that captures the garden’s astonishing beauty. There is something here for every type of gardener: a shade garden, perennial borders, a chaparral garden, a kitchen garden, and more. Profiles of the O’Byrne’s favorite plants—including hellebores, trilliums, arisaemas, and alpine plants—include comprehensive growing information and tips on pruning and care. A Tapestry Garden captures the spirit of a very special place.