How to Grow Food

A comprehensive, no-nonsense guide to kitchen gardening on any scale. "Filled with rich illustrations and photographs, this book will appeal to a wide range of gardeners, making this a useful book for all types of public libraries." --American Reference Books Annual 2012 "Gianfrancesco's easy-to-understand-and-follow guide provides clearly delineated, step-by-step, fully detailed and remarkably informative instructions for growing an exciting spectrum of edible plants." --Booklist How to Grow Food is a complete, illustrated guide to the hundreds of plants that are easy to grow in the home garden. The author emphasizes gardening techniques that can be applied to any size of garden, from a window box to a small side yard plot to the biggest backyard. This practical book features a comprehensive directory of more than 125 crop plants, from traditional choices to more unusual varieties, to suit all growing conditions in all regions using simple organic and biodynamic gardening methods. Gardeners can choose from roots and tubers; leafy crops; seed and fruit crops; grains; peppers and chilies; stem and flower crops; tree fruits; soft, bush and cane fruits; tender fruits; nuts; herbs; and edible flowers. How to Grow Food features thorough instructions and a month-by-month calendar of tasks, plus: Types of gardens and choosing the best site Designing, preparing and planting a productive garden Maximizing the use of space, such as vertical planting and fruit cages Harvesting, storing and preserving Training and pruning plants for maximum yield Tools, pests, weeds and growing from seed Helpful dos and don'ts Plant ratings related to variety, value, maintenance and season The author's special selection of star plants.