Vegetables, Chickens & Bees
An Honest Guide to Growing Your Own Food Anywhere
- Publisher
- Random House Canada
- Initial publish date
- Feb 2019
- Category
- Vegetables, Reference, Urban
-
Paperback / softback
- ISBN
- 9780147530615
- Publish Date
- Feb 2019
- List Price
- $29.95
Classroom Resources
Where to buy it
Description
Everyone's in the garden! And there's no better time to grow your own vegetables than now. For gardening success--in any space!--this is the only book you need.
Want to grow your own veggies but don't know how? Whatever type of space you have (backyard, front yard, balcony, patio, rooftop, window sill, patch of grass) this book shows you how to grow your own garden-fresh vegetables, starting now. Included inside is everything the beginner gardener needs:
Choosing the Right Garden for You: In-Ground Gardening | Raised Beds | Planter Boxes | Bag Gardens | Straw Bale Gardens | Container Gardens | Vertical Gardens | Window Gardens | Community Gardens
Seeds: When to Start? | Best Seeds to Buy? | Preparing to Seed | How to Plant Seeds | Moving Outdoors
Planting: Planning Primer | What to Plant | Where to Plant | Companion Planting
Step-by-step guides for 20 veggies: Asparagus | Beans | Beets | Broccoli, Cabbages, Cauliflower, and Kale (Brassicas) | Carrots | Cucumbers | Eggplant | Fruit Trees | Garlic | Herbs | Lettuce | Onions | Peas | Peppers | Potatoes | Pumpkins | Radishes | Strawberries | Tomatoes
DIY how-tos for over 15 home garden projects: Planter Box | Raised Bed | Bag Garden | Straw Bale Garden | Growing System | Row Markers | Cleaning Your Tools | Multitasking Tools| Watering System | Garlic Water | Insecticidal Soap | Cucumber Trellis | Potato Planter | Tomato Seed Saving | Tomato Hangers |
Plus expert info on sunlight, soil, water and weeding, and how to care for your plants as they grow
Plus primers on keeping your own backyard chickens and bees
Plus 15 favorite recipes for using garden-fresh produce . . . and much, much more
With this bright, bold, accessible and fun gardening book, filled with colorful photography, you are set for self-sufficient veggie success in any space.
About the author
Contributor Notes
Carson Arthur is Canada's go-to gardening expert. Over his 17-year career, Carson has worked with people across Canada on gardening, homesteading, and urban farming. He is part of the Cityline team and his shows appear on networks such as HGTV, ION, Global, Discovery, and Hallmark; he contributes to multiple publications, including The Toronto Sun and Outdoor Lifestyle magazine; and is the brand spokesperson for several companies, including Black + Decker, Lee Valley Tools, and Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate.
Excerpt: Vegetables, Chickens & Bees: An Honest Guide to Growing Your Own Food Anywhere (by (author) Carson Arthur)
I’ve learned a lot working on my own garden, and in this book I am passing my advice and experience on to you so you can avoid a whole bunch of the #gardenfails I’ve already made. First, I’ll show you to look at your space and truly understand it. I’ll help you assess the sunlight and the dirt; show you how to get seeds started; help you protect your garden from pests; teach you when to water your garden; and give you DIY guides for raised planters, composters and self-watering systems, to name just a few. Then I’ll give my advice for growing 20 key veggies (from preparing the dirt, to harvesting them, to prepping your seeds for next year). Parts 2 and 3 are a primer on chickens and bees: Advice on choosing the right breeds for you, how to feed, care and collect from both, and some hard truths about why you might not be ready for this step yet. Plus my fav recipes for cooking all those gorgeous veggies, and what to do with the eggs and honey you collect from your chickens and bees.
Many of us (me included) have been feeling a pull toward becoming more self-sufficient in sourcing our own food and are looking at how we can use our own spaces to grow that food. Some people have called it the “grow it yourself” movement; others think it’s some sort of fallout from all the “end of days” movies and TV shows. Whatever the reason, if you’re keen to jump on board, my advice can help you ease into this way of life as smoothly as possible. I warn you though—this is not a dreamy look at an adorable Instagram-ready farm. I don’t gloss over the dirty bits, but literally go into the shit you need to know (see page 80 for a guide to choosing manure!) and share my honest experience of growing food in every space.
Editorial Reviews
“Tackles the 21st Century conundrum — more people are gravitating towards plant-based diets, yet the cost of fresh food is skyrocketing at an unprecedented rate. Arthur’s solution: grow fresh food at home and have fun doing it, and then whip up a great recipe using uber-delicious, homegrown produce.” –Calgary Herald
“Vegetables, Chickens, and Bees, hit the shelves in February of 2019 and is already topping the favorites list of many gardeners. Part of Arthur’s appeal is the way he shares his #gardenfails along with his successes.” –Earth Easy
