GrowVeg: The Beginner's Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening by Benedict Vanheems

For anyone who has ever wanted to tend a little piece of ground but wasn’t sure where to begin, GrowVeg offers simple recipes for gardening projects that are both attainable and beautiful. Benedict Vanheems, editor of the popular website GrowVeg.com, guides aspiring green thumbs to success from the start, no matter what size gardening space you have. Get recommendations for veggie varieties for your first edible garden, plant a miniature orchard, and grow an edible archway, or keep your efforts contained by cultivating a rustic crate of herbs on a sunny balcony, a crop of carrots in a basket, or nutritious and delicious sprouts in a jar on the kitchen counter. The beginner-friendly instructions and step-by-step photography detail more than 30 approachable, small-scale gardening projects that will inspire and empower you to get growing!

From the Publisher Get your hand dirty with Benedict Vanheems. Friendly, fun instructions help beginner gardeners develop green thumbs. Learn the basics like how to grow basil, tomatoes, garlic, beets, potatoes, and more with easy step-by-step photos. Grow Basil Fill the small pots with potting mix. If you like, sieve the final layer to give a fine cushion for the tiny seeds. Sow a scant pinch of seeds across the surface. Cover the seeds with a very fine layer of potting mix and water carefully. Cover with a clear bag secured in place with a rubber band, and place on a seedling heat mat (if using). Remove covers as soon as the seedlings appear. When the first true (adult) leaves have grown, thin the seedlings out or gently tease them apart and pot in the large containers. Once the risk of frost has passed, plant basil in the ground or move containers outside. Transplant to larger containers as soon as the roots fill the current pot. Take it to the next level with towering Teepee Beans! Climbing, or pole, beans seem to scramble skyward with effortless grace. As soon as they find their feet, they’re off—and the stopwatch starts on the countdown to harvest. They take up very little ground space, and when grown as a teepee like this, they make an attractive (and fun for the whole family!) feature in their own right. Creative crates and so much more! These beautiful, edible projects are perfect for any size garden space. Pick up a vintage crate online or at your local flea market and transform it to an herb garden. As with any awesome edible, the key to a steady supply of herbs with unrivalled taste is to grow them yourself. Grown as close to the house as possible, an at-the-ready selection means you’re more likely to include them in your cooking.