The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 2nd Edition

Book Preface

This book is a revised and expanded version of the 2000 edition of The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible; it exists in large part because of the help I received creating that earlier edition. Thank you again, Maggie Lydic, Deborah E. Burns, Gwen W. Steege, Giles Prett, Charles W. G. Smith, Lindsey and Nathaniel, and, most important, Sylvia Ferry Smith. This time around, I’ve had the help of a fine editor, Carleen Madigan, and art director Jessica Armstrong. Once again, Sylvia Ferry Smith has created the garden and recreated it in photographic images; this book would not exist were it not for her gardening skill and artist’s eye. Thanks, too, to gardening friends who shared ideas and/or let us photograph their gardens: Susan Carpenter, David Carpenter, Lee Blackwell, Ruth Richards, Ann Miller, Richard Wiswall, Henry Homeyer, Shane Smith, and Christy Aucoin.

CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

In the Garden

PART ONE
From Seed to Harvest
Higher Yields with Less Work

CHAPTER 1: A New Way to Garden: Wide, Deep, Raised Beds

CHAPTER 2: Planning Your Garden, Growing Your Plan

CHAPTER 3: Jump-Starting Your Garden

CHAPTER 4: Growing a Self-Sufficient Garden

CHAPTER 5: Enjoying the Harvest

PART TWO
The Healthy Garden
Aboveground, Belowground

CHAPTER 6: Nurturing Vegetable-Friendly Soil

CHAPTER 7: Compost: Fill Your Garden Portfolio with Gardener’s Gold

CHAPTER 8: Bugs, Slugs, and Things That Go Chomp in the Night

PART THREE
Plant Directory
Index of Vegetables and Herbs

VEGETABLES A–Z: Getting to Know What You Grow

HERBS A–Z: Great Taste and Good Looks

Appendixes

Index