Four-Season Food Gardening: How to grow vegetables, fruits, and herbs year-round by Misilla dela Llana

Four-Season Food Gardening hands you all the know-how you need to make growing food 365 days a year your new superpower! Unlike most other vegetable gardening books on the market, this one approaches the subject through the lens of what you can grow during each of the four seasons, even if you live in a cold climate. Using season-extension techniques, such as cold frames, mini hoop houses, and thick mulches, combined with a thoughtful mixture of annual and perennial crops, you’ll discover that eating from your backyard through all 12 months is possible. With a hearty dose of enthusiasm and expertise, author Misilla dela Llana of YouTube’s Learn to Grow channel presents this season-by-season guide to growing edible plants, covering everything from what tasks and what crops are best for each harvesting season to step-by-step DIY projects for structures and methods to temper weather extremes. With Four-Season Food Gardening you can keep on growing, no matter what challenges Mother Nature presents. Inside, you’ll find info on: Read more

From the Publisher SPRING Evergreen perennial herbs such as rosemary, bay leaf, sage, oregano, thyme, winter savory, and mint are also available to harvest. Some deciduous varieties of perennial herbs require time to regenerate as they lose their foliage in the cold months. SUMMER A technique I learned when I used to pick blueberries at a local farm is to cup your hand right beneath a clump of berries. Gently roll your thumb over the clump and ripe berries easily fall off. FALL Plant fall crops started in summer at least 6–10 weeks before your area’s average first fall frost date. This will give them enough time to adjust and mature before you harvest or try to overwinter them. Your transplants can also be planted under a low tunnel, in a greenhouse or a cold frame. WINTER Though you won’t likely be planting new vegetables in your outdoor garden if you live in a cold climate, it’s a great time to get growing using a technique called “winter sowing.” Late-winter seedings of cold-tolerant crops under row covers, inside cold frames, and in unheated greenhouses will also jump-start the season.