Backyard Harvest: A Year-Round Guide to Growing Fruits and Vegetables

Description

From sowing and planting to growing and harvesting, Backyard Harvest covers storing, freezing, and preserving tips so that you can enjoy your garden's bounty into the winter months and throughout the early-spring gap when little is ready to harvest. Jo Whittingham, a gardener and gardening writer who has written for a range of gardening magazines, is the author of DK's Simple Steps to Success: Vegetable Gardening, and served as consultant on The Kitchen Garden and Grow Fruit. Contents 2 Introduction 4 Your growing space 6 Growing under cover 12 A perfect spot for crops 14 To sow or buy? 20 Ready to eat 24 What to sow 26 Cut-and-come-again salads 28 What to do 30 Preparing a seedbed 32 Making a raised bed 33 What to harvest 34 Growing sprouting seeds 36 Ready to eat 38 What to sow 40 Sowing inside 42 Sowing outdside 43 What to plant 44 What to do 46 Potatoes 48 What to harvest 50 Ready to eat 52 What to sow 54 Peppers, chillies 56 Beetroot, broccoli 58 Tomatoes 60 What to plant 62 Herbs 64 What to do 66 Growing mushrooms 68 What to harvest 70 Ready to eat 72 What to sow 74 Snap and wax beans 76 Runner beans 77 Zucchini, sweet corn 78 Cucumbers, lettuce 80 What to plant 80 Patio fruit and vegetables 84 What to do 86 Providing support 88 What to harvest 90 Ready to eat 92 What to sow 94 Winter cabbage, chicory 96 What to plant 98 What to do 102 Organic pest control 104 What to harvest 106 Ready to eat 108 What to sow 110 Winter squash, pumpkins 112 What to plant 114 Productive baskets 116 What to do 118 Effective irrigation 122 Space efficiency 124 What to harvest 126 Making simple fruit jam 128 Ready to eat 130 What to sow 132 What to plant 133 Strawberries 134 What to do 136 Pruning fruit in summer 140 What to harvest 142 Making fruit cordials 144 Making relishes and pesto 146 Freezing vegetables 148 Freezing fruit 150 Ready to eat 152 What to sow 154 What to plant 155 What to do 156 What to harvest 158 Drying fruit and vegetables 160 Bottling fruit in syrup 162 Ready to eat 164 What to sow 166 What to plant 167 What to do 168 Getting ready for winter 170 Saving your own seeds 172 What to harvest 174 Making cold pickles 176 Making hot pickles 178 Making plum wine 180 Ready to eat 182 What to sow 184 What to plant 185 Raspberries, blackberries 186 What to do 188 Starting a compost heap 190 What to harvest 192 Storing apples and pears 194 Ready to eat 196 What to plant 198 Apples, pears 200 Planting fruit trees 202 What to do 204 Pruning fruit in fall 206 What to harvest 208 Storing vegetables 210 Making simple chutney 212 Ready to eat 214 What to sow 216 What to plant 217 Plums, damsons, and gages 218 Cherries, currants 220 Citrus 222 What to harvest 224 Making soups 226 Crop planner 230 Common pests 236 Common diseases 240 Nutrient deficiencies 245 Useful websites 246 Index, acknowledgments 250