Gardening

A state-by-state analysis of the expansion of medical marijuana access in the United States

As of 2023, thirty-eight states and the District of Columbia have legalized the medical use of marijuana. Twenty-three have legalized recreational use, supporting what is now a flourishing multibillion-dollar industry. In Green Rush, Daniel J. Mallinson and A. Lee Hannah offer a fascinating history of cannabis legalization in America, highlighting the people, states, and policies that made these victories possible.

With sharp insight, Mallinson and Hannah explore the backdrop to this sea change in policy, including shifts in public opinion, growing opposition to the War on Drugs, the promise of new revenue streams, and more. They examine the complex web of state actors—and the steps they took—to chart a path forward for marijuana legalization, from grassroots activists and interest groups to elected officials and other key policymakers.

Mallinson and Hannah show us how states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia not only created, legitimized, and spread medical marijuana policy but also learned from each other’s successes and failures throughout the process. As marijuana legalization increasingly finds its way onto state ballots, Green Rush offers fresh insight into how we got here as a country and where we are going—one state at a time.

“Filled with illustrations and fascinating information, Polish Herbs, Flowers & Folk Medicine is a veritable treasure trove of history, how-to, and inspiration.”—The Midwest Book Review

Taking the reader on a historical tour of herbs and flowers used in Poland throughout the centuries, this carefully-researched volume captures the unique history and role of plant life once essential to the people of Poland. Wander through monastery, castle and cottage gardens with acclaimed Polish-American author Sophie Hodorowicz Knab as she explores the growth of medicine and pharmacies and provides information on the use of over 100 plants, used in healing as well as in daily life and seasonal holidays throughout the year.

You’ll find legends, cautionary tales, and love potions, as well as a chapter devoted to wedding plants and herbs. There are home remedies for everything that ailed the people of Poland, from acne to arthritis, relaxants to rejuvenators, and heartache to heartburn. Gleaned from old Polish herbals, Knab provides recipes for balms to treat ailments such as stress, insomnia, slow metabolism, perspiring feet, limp hair and oily skin. Also included are recipes for homemade herbal vinegars, soups, syrups, and liqueurs, including elderberry syrup, homemade Benedictine, and a healing vodka drink from Gdansk.

This revised edition includes new information and research as well as new illustrations and color photographs. All plants are listed alphabetically according to their English common name, followed by Latin botanical name and common Polish name. There is an index of scientific names for quick reference. History buffs, gardeners, and anyone interested in their Polish ancestry will find much to explore here.

Award-winning Japanese landscape architect Marc Peter Keane traces the history and design of tea gardens from T'ang China to present day.

Almost every Japanese garden is influenced by the tea garden. Drawing on his impressive career of garden construction across the United States and Japan, Marc Peter Keane describes the history, design, and aesthetics of tea gardens, from T'ang China to the present day, with over 115 stunning photographs, floor plans, and illustrations. The most extensive book on this genre ever published in English, The Japanese Tea Garden is a rich resource for garden lovers, historians, and landscape architects.

The 2025 Maria Thun Biodynamic Almanac adapted for North American (EST) times. The original, and still the best, biodynamic sowing and planting calendar, trusted by farmers and gardeners for over 60 years.

The simple, two-week-to-view layout features detailed planting, tending and harvesting information to help both seasoned biodynamic farmers and beginner gardeners maximise the yield and vitality of crops and plants. Trusted by generations of growers, the ultimate biodynamic almanac features:

• An easy-to-view layout making it simple to plan what to do and when
• Space to add your own notes
• Clear headings and sections for fast look-ups
• A lay-flat spine makes it easy to consult the Almanac, keep your place and add notes
• Information on solar and lunar events and planetary aspects
• A pull-out wallchart that can be pinned up in a barn, shed or greenhouse as a handy quick reference
• Eco-friendly printing with recycled FSC paper using plant-based inks

Useful and practical gardening advice.
–Jeff Lowenfels, author, the Teaming Series and DIY Autoflowering Cannabis

Microscopic organisms are as important to plant growth as water and light. Microbe Science for Gardeners highlights the essential role of microbes in plant biosystems and soil health, providing practical how-to gardening advice for enhancing plant microbiomes, and debunking common gardening myths.

Going beyond soil biology to examine the crucial role of microorganisms in cultivating a productive garden, this accessible guide covers:

• The interrelationships in microbe populations and between microbes and plants
• Understanding microbes such as bacteria, yeast, mycorrhizal fungi, and protozoa, both in the rhizosphere and above ground
• How common practices such as tilling, crop rotation, and mulching affect the microbe community
• How the savvy gardener can encourage beneficial microorganisms while discouraging those that cause disease or other undesirable effects
• An objective analysis of popularized practices such as controlling fungal-to- bacterial ratios and applying biostimulants, compost tea, or plant probiotics
• Prevention and cures for dozens of bacterial, viral, and fungal plant diseases.

Whether you're a home gardener, market gardener, or micro-farmer, Microbe Science for Gardeners will help you leverage the incredible power of the mighty microbe to grow healthy, strong, thriving plants.

“Margaret Simons, queen of the tiny vegetable garden, heartened me with her radiant pragmatism.” ―Helen Garner, author of This House of Grief

Life lessons from the ground up.

Sometimes you reap what you sow. Sometimes you reap what other people sowed. Sometimes you haven't got a clue what you are sowing, and sometimes you just get lucky, or unlucky. All these things are true of life, as of gardening.

In this thoughtful and beautifully observed book, journalist and gardening enthusiast Margaret Simons takes readers on a journey through the seasons, through her life, and through the tiny patch of inner-urban earth that is home to her garden.

Over the course of a year, within the garden and without, there are births to celebrate and deaths to mourn; there are periods of great happiness and light, and times of quiet reflection. There is, in other words, all the chaos, joy, sorrow, and splendor of being alive.

• The Japanese Tea Garden in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco
• Nitobe Memorial Garden at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver
• The Japanese Garden in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden
• The Garden of the Pine Winds in the Denver Botanic Gardena
• The Japanese Garden in the Montreal Botanical Garden
• Tenshin'en (The Garden of the Heart of Heaven) in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
• The Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida
• The Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix in Margaret T. Hance Park
• The Garden of the Pine Wind, Garvan Woodland Garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas

• Historical Background
• Characteristics and Aesthetic Qualities
• Classification of Suiseki
• Displaying a Stone
• Suiseki with Bonsai and Other Related Arts
• Collecting Suiseki
• How to Make a Carved Wooden Base
• Suiseki Classification Systems

• Use the colors and textures of your containers to enhance the tones and textures of the succulents to create stunning visual combinations
• Repurpose old cans and kitchenware to create interesting and healthy new homes for your succulents
• Use unconventional and openwork containers (like an antique birdcage) to add a new dimension to a composition
• Plant succulents in antique urns and pedestals for a touch of the unexpected
• Use traditional planters and baskets to create interesting design effects
• Create attractive soil surfaces and use cuttings to create original arrangements
• And much more!

• Types of bonsai and how to choose them
• Basic tree shapes and how to display them
• Tools, soils, and containers
• Transplanting, root trimming, watering and fertilizing
• Propagation, pruning, wiring and support
• And much more!

• Handy monthly bonsai maintenance schedules detail proper watering, pruning, wiring, transplanting and other upkeep activities throughout the year
• Leaves, fruits, flowers, and processes are presented up-close to help make growing and upkeep as successful and simple as possible
• Diagrams show where, how much, and in what direction pruning, wiring, watering and other maintenance should be performed
• Clear, detailed illustrations of every part of the bonsai ensure that you'll see everything you need to see, exactly as you need to see it—making this a great resource for collectors and enthusiasts at all levels

• Flowering Bonsai—cherry blossom, dogwood, azalea and lilac
• Fruiting Bonsai—crab apple, persimmon, Chinese quince and burning bush
• Coniferous and Deciduous Bonsai—maple, Japanese beech, black pine and salt cedar

• Design Principles
• Design Techniques
• Design Elements
• Godspirit in Nature
• Poetry in Paradise
• The Art of Emptiness
• Spiritual Passage
• Private Niches
• A Collector's Park

• The 36 combinations presented provide design ideas for every type of space and decor
• Each arrangement will thrive and look good throughout the year since the not only the shapes, sizes and colors of the plants match, but their individual growing cycles are also synchronized
• Practical step-by-step instructions and layout diagrams make creating these arrangements foolproof
• A field guide to the 100 succulents used in the book helps you purchase the plants with confidence
• Includes information on soils, additives, watering, fertilizing, light exposure, pest management and more

• Detailed, illustrated instructions on propagation and training
• Hints for those growing bonsai in a hurry and apartment dwellers
• Daily and seasonal bonsai care practices
• Dealing with pests and bonsai troubleshooting
• How to judge, select and exhibit bonsai
• Detailed appendices on tools, equipment, soil analyses
• Data on more than 300 species of plants used in making bonsai

• More than 300 specially commissioned photographs and plan drawings
• Covers all types and sizes of Japanese gardens
• Special ideas, elements and techniques to learn from are highlighted in pictures and words

• Fragrant hibiscus and jasmine
• Kitchen herbs such as rosemary and thyme
• Luscious fruits like cherries and oranges
• Medicinals such as tea tree and camphor laurel

• Advice on selecting the right plants for your environment and lifestyle
• How to create attractive groupings of succulents and spaces which thrive together
• Tips on ensuring the right light, air flow, humidity and watering regimen
• Essential tools and soils as well as how and when to transplant your succulents
• And so much more!

• Choosing your succulents—from Hens and Chicks (Echeveria) to bristly flowering cactus varieties
• Mixing the right soils for your succulents and preparing the growing environment
• Easy potting and transplanting techniques
• Succulent care—including watering, fertilizing and providing the right amount of sun for each variety
• Understanding peak periods as well as seasonal traits and needs, so you can have a beautiful succulent garden year-round

• Bonsai from different sources
• Choosing a bonsai site
• Essential techniques and materials
• Forests, groves, and Saikei
• Care of bonsai: a five-point program
• Root pruning and repotting
• Seasonal Changes
• Advanced Techniques
• Varieties of Bonsai Trees

• A detailed month-by-month growing guide explaining all the planting and maintenance steps—everything from propagating and basic watering to repotting and group planting
• A clear overview of the basic seasonal types and most popular succulent families and their particular characteristics
• Which plants, tools, soils, and containers to use for the best results
• Answers to frequently asked questions, giving clear, concise solutions to the most common issues encountered by beginners
• A special section on how to create a healthy environment for your plants so you can enjoy them for many years to come
• Inspiring and creative ways to display your succulents in different rooms and locations—indoors or outdoors

• Flower Butters
• Candied Flowers
• Tulip and Endive Appetizer
• Pineapple Sage Salsa
• Rose Petal Syrup
• Lavender Ice Cream
• And much more…

• How to design and grow an herb garden in just about any space—from a spacious plot to a tiny balcony—and in just about any climate
• A tour through many beautiful private herb gardens, including some of Creasy's own, as well as the garden of herb luminary Carole Saville and others
• A fully illustrated encyclopedia of edible herbs—from old favorites like basil, rosemary and sage to more exotic herbs such as lemon verbena and Mexican tarragon
• A savory selection of healthy herb recipes for side dishes, such as blends, butters and vinegars, main dishes from around the world and even cocktails and desserts
• Maintenance and organic pest control methods
• A list of resources for seeds and supplies
• A guide to growing, cultivating and preparing hops

• A thorough explanation of the basic bonsai types and styles, and their characteristics
• Guidance in the art of selecting the right plants, pots and spaces to display your bonsai
• Tips on getting started including purchasing the plants, assembling the necessary tools and choosing the soils
• Advice and techniques for planting, repotting, watering, pruning, shaping, wiring and protecting your plants, including a seasonal schedule of tasks for each type of bonsai
• Detailed lessons for specific bonsai varieties like Japanese cypress, red pine, maple, zelkova, sakura and more!

Learn how to start a garden, encourage growth and get great results—for both individuals and their plants!

Vulnerable populations, such as the neurodiverse or physically challenged, are at an elevated risk of suffering from isolation and stress-related illnesses. Gardening is a good answer, as it has been proven to be especially beneficial to physical, cognitive and emotional health.

This book shows how the uninitiated can begin gardening: from the smallest pot of flowers to a large, flourishing plot of land. The guide outlines why gardening is critical to everyone’s health and provides step-by-step instructions on how to go about creating a garden. Specific activities, ways to adapt tasks to accommodate special needs, and benefits gained from the activities are reviewed. Finally, recent findings on the health benefits of gardening are reviewed.

This book gives you all the information and resources you need to get started!

A whimsical illustrated compendium of historical facts, trivia, and folklore about the amazing creatures that are part of a fascinating world right beneath your feet: a guided tour of the intriguing garden species that make every backyard garden a natural wonder. Two-color throughout.

• The basics for your gardening tool kit
• How to make your own compost
• Common garden pests to watch out for
• How to keep your soil fertile

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR NATURE WRITING
A BOOK OF THE YEAR FOR THE INDEPENDENT, STYLIST, RHS, GARDENS ILLUSTRATED and more

Women have always gardened, but our stories have been buried with our work. Alice Vincent is on a quest to change that: to understand what encourages women to go out, work the soil, plant seeds and nurture them, even when so many other responsibilities sit upon their shoulders. To recover the histories that have been lost among the soil and to understand women's lives, their gardens and what the ground has offered them.

Wise, curious and sensitive, Why Women Grow follows Alice in her search for answers, with inquisitive fronds reaching and curling around the intimate anecdotes of others.

Master the art of growing tomatoes, peppers, squash, and other fruiting vegetables

Bursting with flavor and packing a powerful nutritional punch, fruiting vegetables produce their prized bounty after flowering. This essential guide covers everything you need to know to cultivate more than a dozen of the most popular species including tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, melons, beans, peas, and a selection of lesser-known horticultural treasures.

This highly accessible, succinct, and beautifully illustrated full-color reference contains:

• An introduction to the Market Gardener Method—a proven formula for successful, small-scale biointensive microfarming suitable for everyone from hobbyists to professionals
• An overview of the characteristics, history and uses of the major families of fruiting vegetables such as curcurbits (gourds), fabaceae (legumes), and solanaceae (nightshades)
• A detailed cultivation manual featuring Jean-Martin's favourite varieties, covering sowing, transplanting, crop maintenance, harvest, storage, and more.

Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener is a collection of practical handbooks designed to provide everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned farmers with information to grow better, using Jean-Martin Fortier's principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture at a human scale.

Save time, reduce work, and grow more crops with this practical year-round guide to small-farm and garden success

Organization is the key to growing success. The Well-Planned Vegetable Garden covers everything you need to know from optimizing your space and selecting seeds and equipment, to sowing, transplanting, maintaining, and harvesting your crops. It's all rounded out by an extensive perpetual garden calendar that will help you manage time and effort while maximizing yield and profit.

This highly accessible, succinct, and beautifully illustrated full-color reference contains:

• An introduction to the Market Gardener Method — a proven formula for successful, biointensive, small-scale farming suitable for everyone from hobbyists to professionals
• A comprehensive strategy for success, covering budgeting and financial goals, environmental and climate considerations, year-round growing, crop rotation, timing, spacing, storage, and more
• Monthly objectives and task summaries to help dial in and streamline garden and farm management, working in harmony with seasonal rhythms.

Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener is a collection of practical handbooks designed to provide everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned farmers with information to grow better, using Jean-Martin Fortier's principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture at a human scale.

Bestselling author and gardening columnist Marjorie Harris offers a timely and entertaining guide for gardeners at every stage of life. Whether you're moving into your first apartment or condo, upgrading to a house, or downsizing to smaller digs, Harris shares the best tips on how to create a beautiful garden for any space — all on a budget

The highly anticipated sequel to her popular book Thrifty: Living the Frugal Life with Style, Thrifty Gardening marries Harris's passion for gardening with her thrifty lifestyle savvy so that everyone can create a natural oasis whatever their living situation is — and without breaking the bank.

In his second book exploring the urban vernacular of Queens, New York, Rafael Herrin-Ferri shifts his focus to the green spaces that accompany the houses and small multi-family buildings of the "World’s Borough." As varied and colorful as the façades featured in All the Queens Houses (JOVIS, 2021), these spaces introduce an organic, botanical element to the streetscape. Semi-formal lawns in the French and Italian traditions sit cheek by jowl with the improvised arbors of Chinese vegetable gardens, Caribbean-inspired flower gardens, brightly colored Hindu courtyards, elaborate hand-crafted water features, life-size replicas of fauna, and countless other displays of idiosyncrasy and cultural diversity. Through its photographs and text, this book paints another portrait—softer and greener this time—of the dynamic and multicultural landscape that is Queens.

Build and sustain fertile, living soil—the essential foundation for thriving crops—with Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive techniques.

Living Soil: A Grower's Guide reveals the secrets to creating fertile, healthy soil—an essential foundation for abundant, nutrient-rich harvests. With Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive methods, gardeners and farmers alike can improve soil health while supporting thriving ecosystems.

This richly illustrated, full-color guide includes:

• An overview of "The Market Gardener Method"—a proven formula for small-scale, high-yield farming
• A deep dive into soil composition, including humus, microbes, and mineral content
• Simple DIY assessments and advanced tests for understanding soil biology and structure
• Low and no-till techniques to enhance soil fertility, including composting, mulching, crop rotation, and green manures
• Strategies for regenerating and sustaining soil over time.

Living Soil is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series, offering practical knowledge for all growers. From beginner gardeners to seasoned farmers, these guides equip you with the tools and insights needed to grow sustainably using principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture on a human scale.

Master the art of growing nutritious, versatile, and flavorful root vegetables with Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive farming methods.

Root Vegetables: A Grower's Guide uncovers the secrets to cultivating a wide range of root crops, from familiar favorites like potatoes and carrots to lesser-known gems like oca and salsify. Jean-Martin Fortier's biointensive approach maximizes yield while nurturing soil health, making this guide invaluable to home gardeners and market farmers alike.

This richly illustrated, full-color guide includes:

• A step-by-step introduction to "The Fortier Method" for sustainable, high-yield microfarming
• Botanical insights into root vegetables, from ancient wild varieties to modern cultivars
• Detailed profiles of 20 nutritious and versatile crops, with practical advice on growing each
• Techniques for soil preparation, sowing, transplanting, fertilizing, and irrigation
• Organic practices for managing pests, diseases, and crop rotations
• Tips for optimizing harvest and storage to preserve flavor and nutrition.

Root Vegetables is part of the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series. It's designed to provide novice to expert growers with practical knowledge to succeed using the principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture on a human scale.

The threat of global mass extinction of bees, and the alarming decline in many native bird species, are key topics of discussion today. The main causes of this situation are intensive cultivation of monocultures, and the wide-scale use of pesticides, that in turn lead to destruction of traditional habitats and the various food sources they provide. We know that if just one species in a food chain is lost – and thus no longer able to perform its particular function – this will inevitably lead to the extinction of further species, and a reduction in the stability and productivity of the entire ecosystem.

The preservation of biological diversity is guaranteed only if pollinators are able to survive – and each of us can contribute to supporting and strengthening them by creating a natural garden that welcomes and sustains these species, providing what they need to flourish.

The spirit and magic of a natural garden stems from the fact that it is not created by human hands – at least not in the usual sense, with a great deal of effort and expenditure. A natural garden is about creating an ecologically balanced slice of nature – one that is not shaped by external forces, but works with what is already there.

Turn your garden into a wildlife wonderland – and help to save the environment!

The complete year-round guide to organic vegetable production for market gardeners and small-scale farmers – now fully revised and updated

Sustainable Market Farming is the comprehensive, go-to reference for serious growers in every climate zone. Extensively revised and updated, this brand new, fully illustrated edition is packed with detailed information on everything from planning to harvest, and features in-depth profiles of a full range of crops.

Informed by the author's experience leading decades of intensive year-round organic vegetable production on a few acres to feed a community of 100 people, this complete practical guide includes:

• The most current farm-specific planning and organizational business skills to ensure a profitable, successful, smooth-running, professional enterprise
• Cutting-edge information describing new and efficient techniques, strategies for season extension, approaches for integrated pest, disease, and weed management, and preferred climate-smart, disease-resistant varieties to add to your repertoire
• Updated guidelines for improving and maintaining soil quality and finding resilient, regenerative solutions to align farming practices with new environmental challenges
• Precise growing guides for a cornucopia of vegetables, addressing selection of varieties, soil, water, and fertility requirements, sowing, cultivation, crop rotation, succession planting, common pests and diseases, harvest, storage, and more.

Whether you are a beginning grower, an aspiring market gardener, or an established enterprise seeking to take your operation to the next level, Sustainable Market Farming is the book you will find yourself returning to again and again throughout a long farming career. An exciting, timely, and invaluable resource.

A complete guide to tomato cultivation from seed selection to harvest.

Nutritious, versatile, and bursting with flavor, tomatoes are a perennial favorite of both home gardeners and market farmers.

Beautifully illustrated and highly accessible, this succinct guide from renowned market gardener Jean-Martin Fortier brings you his pro tips and tricks, ensuring a plentiful and profitable tomato harvest. Coverage includes:

• A celebration of the humble tomato and its fascinating history
• An inspiring collection of outstanding heirloom and hybrid tomato varieties for you to grow
• Strategies for planning, preparation, and propagation suited to every grower
• Cultivation methods including transplanting, fertilizing, irrigation, pruning, trellising, disease prevention, and organic pest control
• Picking at the peak of freshness, extending harvests, and processing ideas to let you enjoy that homegrown tomato flavor all winter long.

Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener is a collection of practical handbooks designed to provide everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned farmers with information to grow better, using Jean-Martin Fortier's principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture at a human scale.

Connecting with plants—a guide to belonging, ecological resilience, and permaculture design

The plants in our world not only nourish and sustain us, they root us within our human and ecological communities. Mulberries in the Rain explores these vital connections, combining evocative storytelling with detailed crop profiles and permaculture design tools to mentor and inspire you.

Central to permaculture is the art of creating beneficial relationships—crafting inherently regenerative food systems modeled on nature. As growers, we tend to interpret this idea literally—think companion planting, edible ecosystems, and food forests. Where do social relations and community-building fit in?

Authors and permaculture experts Ryan Blosser and Trevor Piersol:

• Demystify plant guilds, showing how to create biodiverse, low-maintenance ecological systems
• Integrate tried-and-tested permaculture frameworks such as the Scale of Permanence and the Ecology of Self, with tools from economics, mental health, and other disciplines
• Provide cultivation primers for permaculture plants classified according to function, identifying out- standing anchor plants, nitrogen fixers, barrier plants, beneficial attractors, and dynamic accumulators
• Use plant narratives to illustrate how our inner landscapes are inextricably intertwined with the way we show up in the world.

This unique, beautifully illustrated handbook breaks new ground in social permaculture while providing a deep hands-on dive into creating thriving foodscapes. Required reading for anyone who seeks a deeper connection to people and place, and a more resilient future.

Essential tools for successful vegetable growers

Often overlooked by both home and market gardeners, the right farm and garden tools are essential for cultivating success. Vegetable Garden Tools: A Grower's Guide will help you select the appropriate equipment for your unique situation, drawing on "The Market Gardener Method." This method, developed by Jean-Martin Fortier, is a proven formula for successful, small-scale, high-yield microfarming.

This highly accessible, succinct, and beautifully illustrated full-color handbook features:

• Recommendations for garden tools and implements for every stage of cultivation—from soil preparation and sowing to planting, crop maintenance, and harvesting.
• A focus on "low-tech" hand tools that are inexpensive, sustainable, and allow for working the soil while respecting biodiversity. These tools increase productivity and efficiency, and improve ergonomics.
• Detailed information on the function, benefits, and operation of each piece of equipment, accompanied by over 100 explanatory drawings.
• Specific advice and tips to get the most out of your garden tools and farm equipment, whether you are using them in a family garden or on a diversified market farm.

Vegetable Garden Tools: A Grower's Guide is a keystone title in the Grower's Guides from the Market Gardener series. This curated collection of practical handbooks is designed to provide everyone from novice gardeners to seasoned horticulturalists and farmers with the information they need to grow better using Jean-Martin Fortier's principles of biointensive, regenerative agriculture at a human scale.

Learn from Britain's leading dragonfly expert how to invite dragonflies and damselflies into your garden and help them thrive there.

In this compact and accessible wildlife primer, 'Dragonfly Ambassador' Ruary Mackenzie Dodds shows how to set up a tranquil garden haven for dragonflies, with straightforward, easy-to-follow guidance on preparing your pond, what plants to include in it, and how to manage and enjoy it.

Caring for something as precious and delicate as a dragonfly can provide a welcome respite from the everyday demands of life. We can, as always, learn so much from the natural world, even—and sometimes especially—from its smallest creatures.

Learn how to transform your garden into a haven for dragonflies and damselflies, nurturing your own mental health and protecting the planet as you do so. With stunning colors and phenomenal flying abilities, dragonflies are beautiful creatures that are also vital to our ecosystem. Every pond counts!

Level up your growing with the right tool for every job

Searching for effective, economical ways to level up your growing? The Garden Tool Handbook is the essential guide to choosing the right hand tool for the right job at the right time, and maximizing quality, efficiency, and profitability on your farm, homestead, or market garden. This richly illustrated, full-color resource is a must-read for serious gardeners, professional growers, edible landscapers, and anyone who wants to grow better.

Carefully selected garden equipment is the first line of defense against pests, weeds, and drought; a helping hand at all stages of cultivation; and your greatest ally in crop management. Edible ecosystem expert Zach Loeks reveals the valuable information you need to optimize productivity including:

• How to ensure a smooth workflow and prevent labor bottlenecks by understanding the garden operation cycle from planting to harvest
• The advantages of tackling repetitive seasonal tasks with hand tools, such as ergonomic benefits, increased output, and more enjoyment
• Multifunctional equipment and professional tool systems for every operation from start-up to pro grower
• How smart, timely tool acquisitions can provide a high return on investment and improve your bottom line
• Case studies, farm use scenarios, maintenance and storage guidelines, pro tips, and more.

The future of food is small-scale agriculture, and innovative, affordable garden implements adapted to specific crops, environments, and production styles are the key to revolutionizing our food system.

Everyone's guide to using the power of science to produce healthier and tastier fruits and vegetables

From garden to fork, Food Science for Gardeners is everyone's guide to optimizing the quality of garden produce and preparing the most delicious and nutritious food possible.

Beginning with a high-level overview of food quality and nutrient density, this invaluable resource then takes a deep, but accessible, dive into:

• The essential nutrient groups as well as phytonutrients and their anti-oxidant properties
• Factors affecting food safety such as pesticides, microplastics, bacteria, and other forms of chemical and biological contamination
• The pros and cons of a host of approaches to food storage and preservation, as well as an extensive variety of cooking methods
• Gardening techniques for growing nutritious food
• A complete section dedicated to the best growing methods for common fruits and vegetables.

Whether you're a home gardener, local food enthusiast, or small-scale farmer, Food Science for Gardeners demystifies the science of food, enabling you to put the best quality vegetables and fruits on your plate.

AWARDS

• WINNER | 2025 International Book Awards: Home & Garden

Botanists have been the trailblazers in discovering how plants work to benefit our species, collecting many of the plant-species we find in our gardens today from all around the world. This informative and beautiful guide presents the stories and reveals the secrets of 35 of these botanists, plant collectors and gardening pioneers of the past and present.

This includes Joseph Banks, Asa Gray and Marianne North, highlighting the qualities that brought them success. Every botanist included in The Secrets of Great Botanists was, or is, passionate about their particular specialty. Whether they were searching for plants in wild places, prescribing herbal medicines or forming new structures of plant classification, they were driven by an insatiable desire to learn and discover, so that we, as humans, might benefit from improved crops, medicines or gardens.

Through the vibrancy of botanical photographs and beautifully illustrated period botanical watercolours, this book aims to teach readers about the observations, ideas, secrets and discoveries of these ground-breaking botanists. Their influence on gardening and the wider world will provide inspiration and practical guidance for budding gardeners of all levels and inspire readers to try these plants and tips at home.

Transform your garden into a wildlife haven bursting with life by learning how to provide supplementary nesting sites to a host of creatures. Bird, Bee & Bug Houses explains all you need to know about how to create the perfect nesting place for a wide variety of species including birds, bats, butterflies, lacewings, ladybugs, and rare solitary bees. Essential pollinators, predators and seed-spreaders, many of these species are threatened from intensive farming and the spraying of harmful chemicals. But, we can help them by building these safe havens in our gardens.

These unique and quirky houses can be created with only a few basic woodworking skills. A range of materials (some recycled or scavenged) and finishes are used in order to make sure they are as attractive as they are practical. All the basic techniques, tools, and materials needed to create your bird, bee, or bug house are explained and each project has a detailed exploded diagram with cutlist. Each section of the book has detailed information on choosing locations, maintenance, species' habits, and nesting requirements.

Reverence takes on a new meaning in this original memoir of an avid gardener walking the Camino de Santiago

The Camino de Santiago has been a journey for pilgrims for more than 1,000 years, testing—to varying degrees—their spirit, faith, and physical endurance. Lyndon Penner’s attention lies elsewhere. A renowned gardener and lover of literature, he revels in the plants, trees, and flowers that tell the history of the people and ecology of northern Spain.

Brimming with wry observations—of nature, himself, and other pilgrims on the road—The Way of the Gardener reveals the beauty and the darkness of the human condition while underscoring the deeply fascinating nature of nature itself. This textured work makes for perfect armchair—or garden—reading.

Completely updated, the new edition of this acclaimed guide brings us 33 tours of public art, covering the length of the island, from the Cloisters and Harlem in northern Manhattan, to Central Park and the museum mile, to Rockefeller Center and Chelsea, and all the way down to the southern tip at Battery Park City. This indispensable guide also covers the outer boroughs, from Snug Harbor, Staten Island to the Socrates Sculpture Park and the Noguchi Museum in Queens, from Wave Hill in the Bronx all the way to the botanical gardens in Brooklyn.
The perfect guidebook for residents and tourists alike, Harrison and Rosenfeld uncover nooks and crannies off the beaten track alongside favored treasures, reminding us all why New York City is the art capital of the world.
Artwalks in New York contains:
Completely revised and updated entries, including seven new walks, reflecting the ever-changing city Includes over 25 walking tour maps, directions, and suggested visitation hours Listings of museums, art and auction galleries, art-filled public spaces, hotel lobbies, gardens, restaurants, subway stations, public sculpture and murals, and more Hundreds of interesting facts, anecdotes, and tidbits about New York City art from two expert guides

A humorous guide to fertilizing your plants for free!

Nitrogen pollution of lakes, rivers, and oceans by human urine is a growing problem. Liquid Gold shows how urine can safely be used to grow food, fuel, fiber, and beautiful landscapes while protecting the environment and providing free and safe fertilizer. Featuring a short history of urine use—from ritual to medicinal and even culinary—and many whimsical illustrations, this great bathroom reader is an ideal gift for irreverent gardeners, homeowners, campers, environmentalists, and anyone who urinates.

Carol Steinfeld is a writer, urinal designer, and ecological wastewater consultant.

Malcolm Wells is a well-known illustrator and author specializing in underground architecture.

The 2018 Maria Thun Biodynamic Calendar, now in its 56th year, adapted for North American (Eastern Standard Time) dates and times.

This useful guide shows the optimum days for sowing, pruning, and harvesting various plant-crops, as well as working with bees. It includes Thun's unique insights, which go above and beyond the standard information presented in some other lunar calendars. It is presented in color with clear symbols and explanations.

The calendar includes a pullout wall chart that can be pinned up in a barn, shed or greenhouse as a handy quick reference.

Whether you're growing delicious vegetables for home cooking or cultivating beautiful flowers, a flourishing plot fills any gardener with joy and satisfaction.

Every gardener knows there's no magic spell for a thriving garden, but did you know that by planting in harmony with lunar rhythms you could grow better tasting and more plentiful veggies, and stronger, healthier plants and flowers? And it doesn't involve sowing seeds by the light of the full moon!

The Moon Gardeners' Almanac is a practical guide to harnessing the moon's positive influence over plants and flowers as part of your normal gardening work.

This essential month-by-month guide makes it easy to plan your gardening. Fully illustrated with easy-to-follow diagrams and space for your own notes, The Moon Gardeners' Almanac will be a welcome addition to any gardener's shelf.

It has long been observed, by farmers, gardeners and botanists alike, that from time to time certain plants seem to affect certain other plants growing their near them -- both favorably and unfavorably. By taking account of these relationships, farmers and gardeners can improve the quality of food and flowers, reduce losses from pests and disease, drought and frost, and enhance both satisfaction and pleasure in their work and financial profit.

Years of experimentation by Richard Gregg and subsequently Helen Philbrick and others resulted in this unique reference book. It offers a detailed and comprehensive A-Z of plants and how they affect each other and their surrounding environment, including the soil, insects and birds.

Children need to experience nature, and gardening is a good way to encourage them to engage with the earth, plants and animals.

Gardening classes, as taught in Steiner-Waldorf schools from Class 6 to Class 10, help children develop many important skills, including sensory perception and motor skills, as well as an understanding of ecology and agriculture. How can such a complex subject be taught well and effectively?

In a clear structure -- which includes the history of school gardens, aspects of child development, and practical help on teaching methods, lesson planning for different age groups, and maintaining the garden itself -- Birte Kaufmann offers many useful tips and suggestions for new or developing gardening teachers.

Brings together the best advice for cultivating fruit trees using biodynamic methods, by two leading experts.

This book brings together the best advice for cultivating fruit trees, berries and shrubs using biodynamic methods, with the aim of harvesting healthy fruit free of pesticides.

Ehrenfried Pfeiffer discusses the principles of tree biology before describing the measures that can be taken to develop a pest-free orchard without the use of chemicals, including soil preparation, the selection of trees for planting, issues of transplanting and pruning, the application of pastes, green cover crops, and pest control.

Michael Maltas ran fruit tree experiments on his biodynamic farm in Missouri for four years. The results are recorded in a highly practical annual spraying schedule for orchards, which is reproduced in this book. A month-by-month calendar gives information on specific methods and controls, based on Maltas's extensive experience.

This is an invaluable book with practical advice on all aspects of planning and maintaining a healthy orchard.

This is a thoroughly revised and updated combined edition of Biodynamic Treatment of Fruit Trees, Berries and Shrubs by Ehrenfried Pfeiffer and Orchard Pest Management and Spray Schedule by Michael Maltas.

Published in association with the Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association of North America.

A colour illustrated introduction to everything a beginner needs to know about biodynamics.

Any gardener who already works with biodynamics will tell you the difference it has made to his or her garden. From crispier lettuce to more intensely-flavoured onions, biodynamics is a great way to get your garden to produce tasty, nutrient-packed fruit and vegetables.

The ideas behind biodynamics can sometimes be difficult to explain, however, and appear rather strange to those who are new to the technique. Hilary Wright, an experienced and passionate biodynamic gardener, guides the novice through the key points, whilst never losing sight of the ultimate goal: a healthy, abundant garden.

Easy-to-follow step-by-step illustrations, explanatory diagrams and color photographs show how biodynamic techniques can work for any gardener.

Can we imagine a world without flowers? Flowers are beautiful, offering us delight in their color, fragrance and form, as well as their medicinal benefits. Flowers also speak to us in the language of the plant form itself, as cultural symbols in different societies, and at the highest levels of inspiration.

In this beautiful and original book, renowned thinker and geometrist Keith Critchlow has chosen to focus on an aspect of flowers that has received perhaps the least attention.   This is the flower as teacher of symmetry and geometry (the 'eternal verities', as Plato called them). In this sense, he says, flowers can be treated as sources of remembering -- a way of recalling our own wholeness, as well as awakening our inner power of recognition and consciousness. What is evident in the geometry of the face of a flower can remind us of the geometry that underlies all existence.

Working from his own flower photographs and with every geometric pattern hand-drawn, the author reviews the role of flowers within the perspective of our relationship with the natural world. His illuminating study is an attempt to re-engage the human spirit in its intimate relation with all nature.

This is a story of gardens and how people can grow well in them. 

Through a lifetime’s experience of award-winning work in community gardens and in mental health care and training, Jan Cameron shows us how tending green spaces can bring tremendous benefits to mental health.

Using the garden's annual cycle, Cameron reveals how stages of the growing year can act as a powerful metaphor and even mirror healing mechanisms that can help in times of distress, anxiety, or depression. By exploring practices used in therapeutic and community garden settings we learn techniques that can be applied whatever your circumstances.

The Garden Cure is full of ideas and tools that will help support your own and others' physical and mental well-being, especially when life is challenging. How, in other words, gardening helps us all grow and thrive.

The ultimate guide to encouraging wildlife into the garden all year round.

Taking a month-by-month approach, The Wildlife Gardener's Almanac is packed with ideas, advice, tips and checklists, to give gardener's the best chance to make their contribution to conserving our native flora and fauna, no matter what size their garden.

Each chapter of this beautifully illustrated book presents an introduction to the wild plants and creatures to expect at that time of the year, lists of seasonal tasks with straightforward instructions on how to carry them out, detailed profiles of plants in bloom, and a practical project aimed at encouraging more wildlife into the garden, including making a wildlife pond, building a nest box, planning a herb bed, planting a wildflower meadow and more.

With appendices covering wildlife gardening in containers and suggested garden layouts, this guide offers a wealth of gardening information in an accessible format, allowing gardeners to find the advice they need, exactly when they need it.

Understand how plants actually work to become a more successful, confident gardener. Science-based guide explains plant biology in practical terms, enabling gardeners to make informed decisions about watering, fertilizing, pruning, and troubleshooting based on how plants actually function.

Why Plant Science Knowledge Multiplies Garden Success:

When you understand what plants need and why, every garden decision becomes logical rather than guesswork. This knowledge prevents costly mistakes and maximizes plant health and productivity.

What You'll Understand:

• Plant nutrition fundamentals for providing exactly what plants need, when they need it
• Water management science that prevents both drought stress and root rot
• Photosynthesis optimization through proper light management and leaf care
• Growth regulation through pruning, training, and environmental manipulation
• Stress identification and response for healthier, more resilient plants

Practical Garden Applications:

Gardeners with plant science knowledge report fewer plant losses, better harvests, and greater confidence in trying new plants and techniques.

Garden smarter, not harder, through scientific understanding. Essential for gardeners ready to move beyond following rules to understanding principles.

Create your own compost and grow better plants.

With breathtaking clarity, Compost Science for Gardeners demystifies composting practices and helps readers determine the best technique for their unique situation. This comprehensive science-based book is your key to building healthier soil and growing better plants.

Using plain language and easy-to-follow instructions, this essential resource distills and blends the latest scientific research with the author's many decades of knowledge and experience into manageable form, debunking a host of common gardening myths along the way. Learn about:

• The role of composting in the ecological cycle
• Compostable materials to incorporate and those to avoid
• Browns and greens vs the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio
• The full range of composting methods, including cold and hot composting; composting in piles, bins, and tumblers; and pit and trench composting
• Keyhole gardening, food digesters, vermicomposting, bokashi, eco-enzyme fermentation, and more
• The relative merits and impact on the environment of each composting technique
• Using finished compost to improve soil health

Anyone can compost. Whether you are a balcony or backyard gardener, market gardener, small-scale farmer, or homesteader, or even if you are simply looking for a way to keep organic matter out of the landfill, this book will show you how to do it simply, safely, and sensibly.

Grow sweet, fresh figs in climates previously considered impossible using proven protection and variety selection techniques. Complete guide to extending fig cultivation into zones 6-8 through winter protection, container growing, and cold-hardy variety selection.

Why Cold-Climate Fig Growing Is Now Possible:

New varieties and protection techniques enable fig cultivation far beyond traditional Mediterranean climates. These methods have been tested in locations with winter temperatures down to -10°F.

What You'll Master:

• Variety selection for maximum cold tolerance without sacrificing fruit quality
• Winter protection techniques that ensure survival in harsh climates
• Container growing systems for mobility and climate control
• Seasonal care including pruning, fertilizing, and harvest optimization
• Propagation methods for expanding collections and sharing with other growers

Cold-Climate Success Stories:

Growers in zones 6-7 report successful harvests of 20-50 pounds per tree annually using these protection methods, with fruit quality matching warm-climate production.

Enjoy Mediterranean flavors in northern gardens. Essential for fruit enthusiasts wanting to expand growing possibilities beyond traditional climate limitations.

Build nutrient-dense soil that grows healthier plants with less work and fewer problems. Science-based guide reveals how soil biology actually works, enabling gardeners to create living soil ecosystems that naturally resist pests, diseases, and nutrient deficiencies.

Why Understanding Soil Science Transforms Gardening:

Most gardening problems stem from poor soil health. When you understand soil biology, you can create conditions where plants thrive naturally, reducing the need for fertilizers, pesticides, and constant intervention.

What You'll Master:

• Soil testing and analysis to understand your current soil conditions and needs
• Microorganism management for building beneficial bacteria and fungi populations
• Organic matter integration that feeds soil life while improving structure and drainage
• Natural nutrient cycling that makes plants more nutritious and flavorful
• Problem diagnosis through soil observation rather than guesswork

Garden Transformation Results:

Gardeners applying soil science principles report 40-60% reduction in plant problems, improved harvest quality, and dramatically reduced need for external inputs within one growing season.

Grow better plants by building better soil. Essential for gardeners ready to move beyond trial-and-error toward scientific understanding.

Grow vegetables year-round in a greenhouse powered only by solar energy

Originally developed in China to feed millions, Chinese greenhouses are earth-sheltered, solar-heated, east-west oriented, intelligently glazed, and well-insulated. They have proven highly effective in growing warm-weather vegetables and fruits like green peppers and tomatoes in cold climates through fall, winter, and early spring using passive solar energy as the sole heat source.

The Chinese Greenhouse is a full-color comprehensive guide to these passive solar greenhouses for self-sufficiency and growing year-round in soil or aquaponic grow beds with no additional heat. Coverage includes:

• How to design, build, and operate a Chinese greenhouse
• How to improve performance via short-term and long-term heat banking
• How to provide additional heat to make your greenhouse operate even more effectively
• How to cool the greenhouse during the summer.

Become a more self-sufficient gardener, growing and harvesting a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables year-round, with your own Chinese greenhouse.

Start a peaceful revolution by planting an edible ecosystem and sharing the experience with your neighbors

Humans have always thrived in rich, diverse, edible ecosystems. Yet most cities and suburbs are blanketed by lawns, ornamentals, and a lack of biodiversity, let alone anything edible. It is within these sterile landscapes that seeds of an edible ecosystem lie.

The Edible Ecosystem Solution is a comprehensive, practical guidebook that looks at underutilized spaces to reveal the many opportunities for landscape transformation that are both far-reaching and immediately beneficial and enjoyable. Contents include:

• Hundreds of full-color infographics, illustrations, and photographs that clearly outline the principles and concepts of edible landscape design and benefits
• How to get started with as little as 25 square feet of land
• How to transition a garden plot into a place of edible abundance and an edible biodiversity hot spot, living laboratory, and a source point for transitioning and transforming community and culture
• Choosing appropriate plants for insects, wildlife, and food production
• Scaling up and networking backyard edible ecosystems at the neighborhood level and beyond to build community food security and resilience.

The Edible Ecosystem Solution is for everyone with access to a bit of yard, a desire for food security, biodiversity, and a beautiful and resilient community, and for anyone who wants to reclaim humanity's place in a rich, abundant, edible ecosystem.

Evergreen your landscape with the beauty and benefits of conifers

Growing Conifers is a beautifully photographed, comprehensive gardening guide for selecting and cultivating conifers. Coverage includes:

• Conifer taxonomy, classification, and geographic distribution
• Selecting conifers for size, shape, color, and texture
• Best practices for placement and planting of trees, shrubs, and groundcovers in urban and rural gardens
• Growing needs and low-input maintenance
• Building healthy soil, minimizing water stress, and integrated pest management
• Benefits of conifers including habitat, water and air quality, carbon sequestration, aesthetics, and food.

Conifers are often overlooked in gardening and landscaping in favor of deciduous trees and shrubs. Yet conifers come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and colors and offer tremendous aesthetic and ecological benefits for any garden.

Growing Conifers is an essential, comprehensive resource for gardeners and landscape professionals looking to develop beautiful, sustainable landscapes.

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New Society Publishers is an activist, solutions-oriented publisher focused on publishing books to build a more just and sustainable future. They pride themselves on holding the highest environmental standards of any publisher in North America. In 2002, they committed to printing all their books (including their full color books) on uncoated 100% post-consumer recycled paper, processed chlorine-free, with low-VOC vegetable-based inks. In doing so, the Growing Conifers' print run alone saved 66 fully grown trees, 5300 gallons of water, and 28,000 lbs of greenhouse gases. When you buy New Society Publishers' books, you are part of the solution!

“Distills a lifetime of plant experience into easy-to-follow instruction, giving an amateur like me the confidence to green my home for health.” —Paula Baker-LaPorte, coauthor of Prescriptions for a Healthy House

Some of the most polluted places on earth are where we spend 90% of our time: inside our homes. Science is continually uncovering more effective ways of improving the quality of our environment, and plants—specifically indoor trees and shrubs—are at the top of this list.

Growing trees and shrubs indoors might seem like a monumental challenge, but it’s no different than growing any plants indoors. Written by master gardener DJ Herda, Growing Trees and Shrubs Indoors is a definitive guide on what makes these plants special and all the tips and tricks you need to help them survive and flourish in an indoor environment. It covers how they:

• Rid your environment of airborne pollutants
• Beautify your home
• Help you to live a longer, healthier, happier life.

An explosive introduction into the wellness scene, Growing Trees and Shrubs Indoors is for those with a keen interest in gardening, health, and science, offering an entirely new way of promoting human wellness—by creating beautiful, enjoyable surroundings.

“A fascinating, encyclopedic compendium dealing with the nature and care of trees and shrubs.” —Arnold M. Ludwig, author of King of the Mountain

“Covers everything from watering needs and light requirements to propagation to keeping costs down, all in an effort to help you create a verdant home that has the health benefits of being outside.” —Deanna Duke, author of The Non-Toxic Avenger

“Clearly written and beautifully illustrated. It’s a real eye-opener!” —Phillip Adcock, author of Master Your Brain

A totally new category of plants — as easy to grow as tomatoes, perfect for gardeners

Cannabis prohibition is ending around the world, and there’s a new bud in town — auto-flowering cannabis. As easy to grow as tomatoes, auto-flowering cannabis is the perfect new plant for the home gardener who has limited time and space.

Unlike commercially grown cannabis, auto-flowering cannabis plants are small, container-grown, day-neutral, require no special lights or equipment, and grow incredibly fast – from seed to harvest in as little as seven weeks.

Written by gardening authority Jeff Lowenfels, DIY Auto-flowering Cannabis is a full-color, illustrated guide for everyone wanting to grow their own. It covers:

• The history and benefits of auto-flowering cannabis
• Its origins, chemistry, and growing habits
• Step-by-step growing methods, including tips, tricks, supplies, and seed sourcing
• How to harvest, process, and breed your new plants.

If you are a home gardener or already grow cannabis, you too can learn how to grow this new plant with ease, all while reaping its many benefits, such as harvesting it for medical use, recreational use, or simply as a decorative, sweet-smelling flower to enjoy. If you like to grow tomatoes, you will love growing auto-flowering cannabis.

The author of Grow Create Inspire gives readers “a beautiful synthesis of organic, regenerative, and permaculture practices for an abundant yard anywhere” (Matt Powers, author of Regenerative Soil).

Journey into the good food movement by unleashing the potential of your yard, transforming it into a beautiful and vibrant space that offers a continuous supply of food.

Using dozens of beautiful color photographs and watercolor planting charts, infographics, and landscaping designs, Your Edible Yard is the comprehensive how-to guide you need to turn your yard into a bountiful feast.

It features:

• Practical gardening methods and maintenance from weeding to wintering, including foodscaping, container gardening, and saving seeds
• Permaculture principles including soil building techniques, garden preparation, raised beds, and natural/non-toxic DIY pesticide alternatives
• How to integrate culinary and medicinal herbs, edible flowers, mushrooms, fruits, vegetables, and wild edibles
• Gardening resources: where to go for help, buy seeds, and source supplies on a budget
• Instructions on preserving, fermenting, freezing, drying, and making simple medicines
• General tips, such as how to find loopholes in laws preventing edible front yards

Whether you’re a beginner or experienced gardener in the city, the suburbs, or the country, this manual is the A-Z guide for how to make use of the space you have, highlighting the colorful and abundant array that edible landscapes promise.

“Crystal lays out the path for us to turn our bland yards into the gardens of our dreams, full of healthy food, while saving us money at the grocery store and precious environmental resources. This book has the potential to change the landscaping of our nation and the design of our lives.” —Rob Greenfield, author of Dude Making a Difference

An irreverent romp through the natural science of gardening, with eye-opening insight and practical guidance for getting the most out of your plants.

Curious why caressing your cucumber plants will help them bear more fruit? Or why you should grow oranges from seed even if the fruit is inedible? Or why trees need to sleep and how to help them? Join acclaimed gardener, scientist, and author Lee Reich on a journey through the delights of your garden in this laugh-out-loud treatise on the scientific wonders of plants and soil.

The Ever Curious Gardener includes information on:

• How to maximize both flavor and nutrition in your garden bounty
• Helping plants thrive during drought
• Outwitting weeds by understanding their nature
• Making the best use of compost
• Tips on pruning and orchard care
• Why the dead language of Latin can make you a better gardener.

Create a crystal-clear, algae-free pond without pumps, filters, or chemicals using natural ecosystem principles. Complete guide to building self-sustaining water features that support wildlife, require minimal maintenance, and stay beautiful year-round through biological balance.

Why Natural Ponds Outperform Artificial Systems:

Conventional ponds require constant mechanical intervention and chemical treatments. Natural ponds use beneficial bacteria, aquatic plants, and ecological balance to maintain themselves with minimal human intervention.

What You'll Create:

• Balanced ecosystem design that prevents algae naturally through plant and bacteria management
• Wildlife habitat features that attract beneficial birds, frogs, and beneficial insects
• Seasonal maintenance schedules requiring just 2-4 hours annually rather than weekly upkeep
• Problem prevention through understanding natural pond ecology and water chemistry
• Cost-effective construction using natural materials and simple techniques

Long-term Results:

Natural pond owners report 90% less maintenance than artificial ponds, zero ongoing chemical costs, and increased property values of $5,000-15,000 for professionally designed features.

Build a beautiful pond that maintains itself. Perfect for homeowners wanting water features without ongoing maintenance headaches.

In a time of climate change and mass extinction, how we garden matters more than ever: "An outstanding and deeply passionate book." —Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

Plenty of books tell home gardeners and professional landscape designers how to garden sustainably, what plants to use, and what resources to explore. Yet few examine why our urban wildlife gardens matter so much—not just for ourselves, but for the larger human and animal communities.

Our landscapes push aside wildlife and in turn diminish our genetically programmed love for wildness. How can we get ourselves back into balance through gardens, to speak life's language and learn from other species?

Benjamin Vogt addresses why we need a new garden ethic, and why we urgently need wildness in our daily lives—lives sequestered in buildings surrounded by monocultures of lawn and concrete that significantly harm our physical and mental health. He examines the psychological issues around climate change and mass extinction as a way to understand how we are short-circuiting our response to global crises, especially by not growing native plants in our gardens. Simply put, environmentalism is not political; it's social justice for all species marginalized today and for those facing extinction tomorrow. By thinking deeply and honestly about our built landscapes, we can create a compassionate activism that connects us more profoundly to nature and to one another.

Fertilize your garden naturally--a guide to growing your plants in healthy, happy soil

People want to know where their food comes from, who grows it and how it is grown. Interest in permaculture, backyard composting, and gardening in general, is growing. So how does the budding gardener ensure that his soil is healthy and nutrient-rich enough to support all the produce he intends to grow? Here's a hint--think worms! Vermiculture is the healthiest and most cost-effective way to ensure that your soil receives the nourishment that it needs. A simple vermicompost bin can produce the completely natural , nutrient-rich fertilizer that can be used to boost soil health and, in turn, increase your crop yield.

In true Crystal Stevens' fashion, Worms at Work is a practical, easy-to-implement guide to fertilizing your garden naturally. It discusses the vital role worms play in boosting soil health, and the reasons why every gardener should use vermicompost in order to decrease reliance on toxic synthetic fertilizers. Coverage includes:

• Simple designs to build your own vermicompost bin
• Caring for your worms
• Garden applications for your worm castings
• Lesson plans to incorporate vermicomposting into the school science curriculum

Crystal Stevens is the author of Grow Create Inspire and has been co-manager of La Vista CSA Farm for the past 7 years. She teaches regular Vermiculture 101 workshops.

"Your 'one stop shop' for everything from seed to plate . . . This book will leave you . . . ready to launch your own journey to food self-sufficiency." —Lisa Kivirist, author Soil Sisters

Put off by the origin-unknown, not-so-fresh, pesticide-laden herbs at the grocery store? Hungry for delicious high-quality vegetables and looking to have some control over where your food comes from?

Foodie meets novice gardener in this deliciously accessible, easy-to-use guide to planting, growing, harvesting, cooking, and preserving 20+ popular, easy-to-grow vegetables and herbs. Taking the first-time gardener from growing to cooking delicious, nutritious, and affordable meals using these herbs and vegetables, this book is a celebration of food in all its stages.

The Food Lover's Garden guides you through:

• Getting started with easy step-by-step growing instructions from balcony to backyard
• Simple, tasty cooking recipes incorporating each vegetable and herb
• Meal combinations of two or more of the featured herb and vegetable dishes
• Selecting essential kitchen tools and gadgets to maximize the herb and vegetable harvesting
• Canning and pickling recipes for preserving the rest.

From the humble potato to pungent garlic to the beauty of the beet, classic vegetables take a delicious turn with innovative cooking recipes. Truly food for all seasons and palates.

Foodies, novice gardeners, urban homesteaders, and supporters of sustainable living—take back your right to high-quality food with The Food Lover's Garden.

"The crisp photographs, lushly painted illustrations, and delicious text lead the reader from the garden to the kitchen and pantry with anticipation of culinary delight."—Darrell E. Frey, author of Bioshelter Market Garden

The Zen approach to mowing lawns, wacking weeds, harvesting crops, and building modern homesteader abs!

Dreading the weekly law mow? Need to whack the weeds in your orchard? Cringing at the drudgery and incessant blare of the mower? Imagine instead long sweeps of an elegant scythe cutting your grass and pesky weeds in blissful, meditative silence.

That is the power of the "scythe revolution" sweeping North America.

Written by a master of the scythe, professionally trained in Austria, and drawing deeply on research into original German texts, The Scything Handbook brings centuries-old scything techniques into the twent-first century.

Detailed illustrations cover scythe assembly, perfecting the stroke, blade selection, honing, peening, and aftercare, as well as background on how scythes are forged. Also covered are the basics of making hay and mulch by hand, and how to grow and harvest gains at the home and homestead scale for self-sufficiency.

Scything promotes health, flexibility, mind-body connection, and a meditative contemplation of the natural world while producing beautiful lawns and luscious mulch for the modern gardener and homesteader. This is truly an heirloom tool to master.

Join the scythe revolution!

Ian Miller followed a career in music with a degree in Agroecology from UC Santa Cruz. During a two year stint on a biodynamic farm in Austria he learned how to scythe and delved into historic scything texts in German. He has worked for Seed Savers Exchange in Iowa and is developing a twemty-acre scythe-based homestead near Decorah, Iowa, where he grows his own grain for bread making and makes hay by hand.

Build a net-zero energy greenhouse that pays for itself through energy savings and year-round food production. Complete construction plans and proven techniques for creating a solar-powered growing system that eliminates heating bills while providing fresh food 365 days a year.

Why Solar Greenhouses Outperform Heated Versions:

Traditional greenhouses consume massive energy for heating. This design captures and stores solar energy naturally, maintaining growing temperatures through the coldest months without ongoing costs.

What You'll Build:

• Energy-efficient design - architectural plans optimized for maximum solar gain
• Thermal mass systems - store heat naturally without expensive equipment
• Automated climate control - ventilation that responds to temperature changes
• Year-round growing systems - crop rotation for continuous harvests
• Cost-benefit analysis - ROI calculations showing 3-5 year payback

Real-World Results:

Greenhouse builders report 80% heating cost reductions, year-round growing capability in climates down to -20°F, and complete payback through energy savings and food production within 5 years.

Start your energy-independent growing system today. Everything you need to build, operate, and profit from solar greenhouse growing.

Create abundance through this unique approach to low-maintenance, high-yield, sustainable food production

A food forest is a productive landscape developed around a mix of trees and perennials. Rooted in permaculture principles, this integrated approach to gardening incorporates a variety of plants such as fruit and nut trees, shrubs, vines, and perennial herbs and vegetables. Food forests can help increase biodiversity, protect valuable habitat for beneficial insects, and promote food security and resilience, all while providing an abundant harvest.

The Food Forest Handbook is a practical manual for the design and management of a home-scale perennial polyculture garden. Simple, straightforward instructions guide the reader through:

Getting started - site assessment and planning Tending the forest garden – maintaining soil health, succession planning, , mulching, pruning and more The fruits of your labor – crop profiles, harvest, storage, nutrition and recipes.

This timely book makes the concept of food forests accessible to everyone. Focusing on the potential of perennial polyculture to enhance local food systems, The Food Forest Handbook shows the reader how to mix and match plants in unique combinations to establish bountiful landscapes and create genuine self-reliance in years to come.

Darrell Frey is the owner and manager of Three Sisters Farm, a five-acre permaculture farm, solar greenhouse and market garden located in Western Pennsylvania. He has been permaculture teacher for thirty years, and is the author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm .

Michelle Czolba is co-owner of Pittsburgh Permaculture and co-founded the Hazelwood Food Forest. She has extensive experience in the design and maintenance of perennial polyculture.

Harness the power of permaculture to thrive, not just survive, the great transition from fossil fuels

Caught between climate change and a fossil fuel-driven economy that demands ever more growth, the world faces a great transition—by design or disaster—away from fossil fuels to an alternative renewable energy future.

But what proven tools are available to aid in making a successful, deliberate transition to resilient and sustainable living?

For the first time, the power of permaculture design has been brought to bear on the great transition problem. In the process, acclaimed permaculture teacher and designer Ross Mars has distilled his considerable knowledge into the ultimate permaculture resource for resilient and sustainable living.

The Permaculture Transition Manual is packed with information on permaculture design principles, gardening, soil building, nutrient-dense food growing, including top plant and tree selections for all climatic zones. Coverage extends to rainwater harvesting and irrigation, human waste management, and strategies for rural properties plus a unique focus on applying permaculture to small urban spaces for decluttering and efficient food growing. Also covered are hand tools, food preservation, alternative renewable energy production, low-carbon housing, and a plethora of nearly forgotten and cozy skills such as soap making, basket weaving, seed saving, rope and candle making, and more.

On the desert island of a world in decline this is the one-stop guide to vibrant, resilient and sustainable living you'll want to take with you.

Ross Mars is a scientist with a PhD in Environmental Science, entrepreneur and highly-regarded permaculture teacher and designer. Author of The Basics of Permaculture Design , he manages Candlelight Farm, a permaculture demonstration site and training center in Western Australia.

Community-based initiatives to preserve and protect our food supply

Historically, seed companies were generally small, often family-run businesses. Because they were regionally based, they could focus on varieties well-suited to the local environment. A Pacific Northwest company, for example, would specialize in different cultivars than a company based in the Southeast. However the absorption of these small, independent seed businesses into large multinationals, combined with the advancement of biotechnology resulting in hybrids and GMO seeds, has led to a serious loss of genetic diversity. The public is now at the mercy of the corporations that control the seeds.

In the past few years, gardeners have realized the inherent danger in this situation. A growing movement is striving to preserve and expand our stock of heritage and heirloom varieties through seed saving and sharing opportunities. Seed Libraries is a practical guide to saving seeds through community programs, including:

• Step-by-step instructions for setting up a seed library
• A wealth of ideas to help attract patrons and keep the momentum going
• Profiles of existing libraries and other types of seed saving partnerships

Whoever controls the seeds controls the food supply. By empowering communities to preserve and protect the genetic diversity of their harvest, Seed Libraries is the first step towards reclaiming our self-reliance while enhancing food security and ensuring that the future of food is healthy, vibrant, tasty, and nutritious.

Cindy Conner is a permaculture educator, founder of Homeplace Earth and producer of two popular instructional gardening DVDs. She is also the author of Grow a Sustainable Diet .