Organic Gardening (Not Just) in the Northeast A Hands-On Month-to-Month Guide

by Homeyer, Henry; Yunger, Josh

• ISBN13: 9781593730901
• ISBN10: 159373090X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-16
• Publisher: Bunker Hill Publishing Inc

Summary

Organic Gardening (not just) in the Northeast is organized around the calendar year, starting in March and continuing through the year with timely advice. Henry Homeyer's book is packed with useful information you won't easily find elsewhere: how to sharpen your pruners, use a screwdriver to test for compaction in the lawn, and build a welcoming cedar arbor as an entrance to the garden. Learn how to grow ladyslipper orchids or Himalayan blue poppies, prune apple trees, grow giant pumpkins, and even how to start a date palm from a grocery store date or build a small stone igloo to delight grandchildren. Eccentric, eclectic, and entertaining, whether you are a beginner or a veteran, this book has something and more for you. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Henry Homeyer is a UNH Master Gardener, and the author of three other gardening books, who has been writing a weekly gardening column for newspapers in the Northeast for more than ten years. He was the New Hampshire/Vermont associate editor for People, Places and Plants magazine for nearly as long. He broadcasts on VPR and teaches a course in Sustainable Gardening at Granite State College. Josh Yunger is a freelance artist living in South Strafford, Vermont who graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. IX
March	p. 1
Starting Plants from Seed	p. 1
Now Is the Time to Start Artichokes, Onions, and Peppers	p. 3
Pruning Apple Trees	p. 6
Sharpening Pruners	p. 9
Starting a Garden from Scratch	p. 11
Listening to the Garden Spirits	p. 15
Spring in the Garden	p. 17
Growing Rice: You Can Do It	p. 19
April	p. 22
Growing Giant Carrots	p. 22
Making Good Compost	p. 25
Planning the Vegetable Garden	p. 28
Day-Neutral Strawberries	p. 30
Planting Bare-Root Roses	p. 32
Rototilling-Good or Bad?	p. 35
Organic Seeds: Worth the Money?	p. 37
On Gardening and Grampies	p. 39
May	p. 42
Dandelions	p. 42
Hardening Off Seedlings and Planting the Vegetable Garden	p. 43
Fertilizers: Chemical versus Organic	p. 46
Organic Lawns	p. 48
Planting Trees and Shrubs for Birds	p. 51
Compost Tea	p. 53
Primroses	p. 56
Weeding 101	p. 58
June	p. 62
Growing Green Beans	p. 62
Watering 101	p. 64
Annual Flowers for Color All Summer Long	p. 67
Growing Ladyslipper Orchids	p. 70
Dealing with Insect Pests without Chemicals	p. 72
Gardening with Kids	p. 75
An Appreciation: Tasha Tudor (1915-2008)	p. 76
July	p. 81
Scarecrows: They're Not Just for Crows Anymore	p. 81
Biennial Flowers	p. 83
July Chores in the Vegetable Garden	p. 86
Perennial Fruits and Vegetables	p. 88
Hoes	p. 90
Mulching 101	p. 92
On a Fad Diet of Rock Dust, How the Garden Does Grow?	p. 94
The Berrymeister, Lewis Hill	p. 97
August	p. 100
Garden Follies	p. 100
Daylilies	p. 103
The Garden as a Place of Comfort	p. 105
Standing Stones in the Garden	p. 108
The Killer Instinct	p. 110
Spiffy Up the Garden and Have a Party	p. 112
Wheelbarrows	p. 114
Saving the Harvest and Putting Up Tomatoes	p. 117
September	p. 120
Apples	p. 120
Planting Fall Bulbs	p. 123
Using and Storing the Harvest	p. 125
Fall in the Flower Garden	p. 126
Saving Seeds	p. 129
Share the Vegetables Day	p. 131
Fire Cider	p. 133
Putting the Garden to Bed	p. 135
October	p. 138
Giant Pumpkins	p. 138
In Praise of Leaf Mold	p. 141
Fall Asters	p. 143
Growing Garlic: Now Is the Time to Plant	p. 145
Fall Is the Time to Prune Deciduous Shrubs	p. 148
Noble Trees	p. 150
Planting Trees Right	p. 153
November	p. 158
Building a Pagoda-Style Garden Entry	p. 158
A Frog Lends a Hand to Rhododendrons	p. 159
Horseradish	p. 161
Forcing Bulbs	p. 164
Potatoes	p. 167
Protecting Your Soil	p. 169
Learning from Mistakes in the Garden	p. 171
December	p. 175
Poinsettias	p. 175
Protecting Plants for the Winter	p. 178
Starting Tropical Trees from Seed Indoors	p. 180
A Very Special Gardener	p. 182
Creating an Arboretum in Your Backyard	p. 185
Picking Stems to Grace the Table in Winter	p. 188
Removing Big Tree Branches	p. 190
Holiday Gardening with Kids	p. 192
January	p. 195
Stone Walls	p. 195
New Year's Reflections	p. 198
Growing Unusual Vegetables	p. 199
Decorating the Landscape for Winter	p. 202
Growing Bananas and Other Unusual Plants from Seed	p. 205
Goodbye and Good Riddance to Invasive Shrubs	p. 207
Midwinter Thoughts About Pesticides	p. 210
Study Your Landscape and Make Plans	p. 213
February	p. 216
Groundhog Day	p. 216
Seed Catalogs: What to Think About Before You Order	p. 217
Oaks	p. 220
Landscaping by Subtraction	p. 223
Starting Seeds in Soil Blocks	p. 225
Sustainable Stew	p. 228
Trees with Winter Interest	p. 230
Winter Work: Reading About Gardening	p. 233
Talking Gardening with Ray Magliozzi, the Car Talk Guy	p. 236
Index	p. 240
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.