Organic Gardener's Companion Growing Vegetables in the West

by Shellenberger, Jane

• ISBN13: 9781555917258
• ISBN10: 1555917259
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-04-01
• Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing

Summary

A hands-on guide to growing the best organic vegetables yet, particularly in the semiarid West and Rocky Mountain region.

Author Biography

Jane Shellenberger is a lifelong eclectic gardener who learned about plants from her botanist mother. An environmental activist for many years, she has worked on several successful air- and water-quality campaigns, motivated by a great love for Colorado's blue skies, semiarid western landscapes, and wildlife. Shellenberger is publisher and editor of the regional gardening magazine Colorado Gardener, a thinking-gardener's companion. She is a member of the Garden Writers Association, Boulder Culinary Gardeners, and the Rocky Mountain Chapter of the North American Rock Garden Society. She lives on a five-acre farmette on the plains between Boulder and Longmont, Colorado, with her companion, Oscar.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. vii
Introduction	p. 1
Saving Life on Earth with Organic Gardening	p. 5
Gardening in Western Climates Is Different	p. 13
Soil: The Backbone of Organic Gardening	p. 25
A Brief Natural History of Nitrogen	p. 43
The Plight of Pollinators	p. 49
Creating a Vegetable Garden	p. 61
Converting Lawn to Garden	p. 63
Raised Beds	p. 70
Gardening in Containers	p. 72
Extending the Season	p. 77
Beneficial Insects in the Garden	p. 93
Undesirables in the Garden: Weeds, Wildlife, and Unwanted Insects	p. 103
Water	p. 125
What to Grow	p. 135
Cool-Season Vegetables	p. 139
Warm-Season Vegetables	p. 160
Easy-to-Grow Herb Companions	p. 178
Perennial Vegetables	p. 180
Fruits	p. 183
Saving Seeds	p. 191
Appendix: Best Plants for Pollinators	p. 197
Sources	p. 203
Resources	p. 205
Index	p. 207
About the Author	p. 216
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