Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening: Techniques and Know-How for Planning, Planting, and Tending a Home Vegetable Garden Organically (American Horticultural Society) by American Horticultural Society

From the foremost authority in American gardening comes a must-have handbook for home gardeners who want a productive organic vegetable garden. In their first new book in over two decades, the American Horticultural Society offers indispensable insight into growing a modern edible garden at home, regardless of whether home is in the desert Southwest, the Midwestern plains, or on the shores of New England. Starting with a unique look at the history of vegetable gardening in North America, from indigenous cultures to Victory Gardeners to today’s biodiversity-nurturing growers, Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening then digs into everything you need to know to cultivate a successful and productive vegetable garden without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Includes advice on: Choosing the best design and planting style for your site, from raised beds and row gardens to matrix plantings and food forests Read more

From the Publisher Vegetable gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Finding the right fit for you is essential to success. Planting Seeds Indoors Pots made from peat, coir, or composted manure are a great way to reduce plastic waste while giving your plants a great start. THERE ARE COUNTLESS CONTAINERS you can use to start your seeds, as long as they hold potting mix and allow excess water to drain out. You can use old egg cartons, leftover clamshell containers, toilet paper rolls, or folded newspaper pots, all of which are commonly used by thrifty gardeners. If you prefer to buy something, plastic cell flats that fit neatly in standard 1020 nursery trays are a good option. These cell flats come in different sizes—typically ranging from 1/2 inch to 2 inches wide, with varying depths—and can help you maximize your space on a sunny windowsill or heat mat. Creative gardeners can start seeds in just about anything, including these toilettissue cores with one end folded closed. When you’re ready to begin planting, fill your containers with potting mix. Make sure to leave 1/2 inch of space from the top to make watering your seedlings easier. Before planting, water the mix to moisten it and help it settle. Sow larger seeds deeper than tiny seeds, and keep in mind some seeds are so small that they sprout more easily when placed on the soil’s surface and lightly covered with a pinch of potting mix. Growing your own transplants from seed has many benefits, including a broader selection and more control over how your plants are grown from the start. There’s a unique joy in patiently waiting for that first glimpse of green to unfurl from just beneath the soil surface. Some seeds sprout in a day or so, while others can take weeks, leaving you to wonder if it will even happen at all. But when it does, those vulnerable seedlings need your special attention to grow and thrive indoors. This is true whether you seed your own starts or purchase starts from your local nursery.