Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard A Complete Planting Guide for 40 Vegetables and Herbs, from Bok Choy and Chinese Parsley to Mung Beans and Water Chestnuts

by Harrington, Geri

• ISBN13: 9781603421409
• ISBN10: 1603421408
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-03-18
• Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC

Summary

As grocery prices rise and people search for new sources of local food, the popularity of vegetable gardening is at a new high. At the same time, ongoing interest in Asian cuisine continues to fuel demand for fresh Chinese vegetables and herbs."Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard" addresses both interests with plant-by-plant advice on planting, growing, and harvesting more than 40 Chinese vegetables and herbs, from the familiar snow pea to the still exotic Chinese pumpkin. For every plant, the reader will also find simple recipes and tips for culinary uses. An extensive seed source list directs readers to reliable retailers for the primary plants and many delicious varieties.Adding to their appeal, many Chinese herbs and vegetables are very easy to grow in containers as well as in traditional beds. Container gardeners will find a dedicated section on plants that thrive in containers and specific advice on how to keep them healthy, happy, and productive in their small gardens.Home vegetable gardeners looking for a new challenge will love the chapter on water gardens. Water chestnuts, taro, arrowhead, and Chinese lotus can be grown successfully in tubs as small as 25 gallons. Best of all, water gardens never need to be watered, mulched, or weeded.In traditional beds, in containers, or in small pools, Chinese vegetables thrive in all sorts of backyard gardens.

Author Biography

Geri Harrington is the author of 12 books, including Growing Chinese Vegetables in Your Own Backyard, The College Cookbook, and The Salad Book. She has also written many articles for Good Housekeeping, Family Circle, and Woman’s Day magazines.

Table of Contents

Foreword
Acknowledgments
A Photo Guide to the Chinese Vegetables
A Taste of China

Part One: The Chinese Vegetables
1. The Chinese Greens
Vegetable Amaranth * Mustard Greens * Mizuna * Garland Chrysanthemum

2. The Chinese Cucurbits
Winter Melon * Fuzzy Gourd * Sweet Melon * Pickling Melon * Asian Cucumber * Chinese Pumpkin * Luffa * Bitter Melon

3. The Chinese Beans
Soybean * Fava Bean * Adzuki Bean * Mung Bean * Yard-Long Bean

4. The Chinese Cabbages
Flowering Kale * Chinese Broccoli * Pak Choy * Chinese Cabbage

5. A Chinese Vegetable Potpourri
Burdock * Daylily * Snow Pea * Asparagus Pea * Chinese Radish * Chinese Eggplant

6. The Chinese Herb Garden
Bunching Onion * Garlic * Garlic Chives * Hot Pepper * Cilantro * Mitsuba * Watercress * Sesame * Ginger

7. The Chinese Water Garden
What You Need to Get Started * Violet-Stemmed Taro * Water Chestnut * Chinese Lotus * Arrowhead

Part Two: Growing Chinese Vegetables
8. Chinese Container Gardens
Why Garden in Containers? * Choosing a Site * Choosing Your Containers * Getting the Light Right * Soil for Containers * Fertilizer for Containers * Watering Containers * Container Vegetables, Plant by Plant

9. Where It All Begins: The Soil
Organic Matter * Soil Tests * Just What Is Fertilizer? * How to Fertilize * Pests and Diseases * Starting Seeds Indoors

Appendix
Botanical, English, and Chinese Names * USDA Hardiness Zone Map * Planting Guide for Vegetables Started from Seed * Metric Conversion Chart * Sources for Chinese Vegetables