Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To Guide for Soil written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2022-03-22 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Honorable Mention, American Horticultural Society Book Awards The fifth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series is all about getting good soil—from chemical composition to compost, fertilizer to fungi, and much more. Soil is a whole world under our feet, full of fun words you may have heard but never quite understood, like hard-pan, humus, loam, and tilth. In this fifth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series, master gardeners Janet and Sheryl provide the basics of soil science so that you can apply it to your gardening endeavours. They answer your questions on things like How do I test the chemical composition of my garden soil? What’s the difference between organic, inorganic, and natural fertilizers? What do those numbers on packages of fertilizer mean? How and when should I amend my garden’s soil? Hot compost? Cold compost? Worm compost? Egg shells, coffee grounds, banana peels—yes or no? What exactly do mycorrhizal fungi do? In this handy Q-and-A guide, focused specifically on the prairie region, you’ll learn what particles are dominant in your soil, how to make successful compost, the value of mulch, tips on no-till practices and cover crops, and solutions to problems such as compaction, heavy clay, salinity, and soil-borne diseases. With Janet and Sheryl’s insight you’ll soon be well on your way to healthy, happy soil.

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To for Small Spaces written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2021-05-11 with total page 150 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fourth installation of the new gardening series Guides for the Prairie Gardener will teach you how to maximize your small-space garden in the prairies. Not everyone in the prairies has a big, wide-open space in which to garden, but with a little extra know-how and some specialized techniques, you can maximize your success in the space you have. Lifelong gardeners Sheryl and Janet are here with answers to all of your big questions about small-space gardening including Which types of growing media to use in containers or raised beds How to properly fertilize and water your container plants, including grow bags and containers made from various types of materials How to get started in square foot gardening How to reap the rewards of succession planting and catch-cropping How to build raised beds, wicking beds, and sub-irrigation planters Which veggies and vines to grow vertically, what herbs and edible flowers are suitable for container growing, as well as small tree options for your tiny yard How to keep hanging baskets looking lush and full of blooms all summer. Whether you're using container gardens, raised beds, small plots, and postage-stamp sized yards, or trying your hand at vertical gardening, certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet answer all your questions about how to do so successfully on the prairies. Small-space gardeners are a different breed and what they create can be magic!

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To for Seeds written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2021-05-18 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The third installation of the new gardening series Guides for the Prairie Gardener is all about seeds, from saving and starting to transplants and even winter sowing. Certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet offer you all the tools you need to start seeds, ensuring they thrive and grow into beautiful mature plants. They answer your questions on things like how to determine the viability of seeds the difference between an heirloom, heritage, and hybrid seed the best containers and planting media to use when and how to use growing lights troubleshooting common problems such as damping off and overwatering the proper methods for hardening off transplants and planting them out. And they don't stop at addressing starting seeds indoors—they also give you the information you need to direct sow straight into the garden, and on winter sowing. Then they delve deeply into how you can collect and save seed for the future so that you can continue the cycle for future growing seasons. The book is complete with detailed charts to give you specific information about seed starting on the Prairies, with several plant lists to help you decide what selections work best in a variety of situations and conditions.

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To for Vegetables written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: All the most common questions about growing vegetables in the prairies are answered in this first installation of the new gardening series, Guides for the Prairie Gardener. Too often people think of vegetable gardening in the prairies as challenging, but certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet are here to show you how rewarding it can really be. From planning to planting, they encourage you to take a hands-on approach with your prairie garden. They let you know when—and how!—to transplant your carefully nurtured seedlings in the spring, ways to shelter your plants from that inevitable July hailstorm, and how to determine how much irrigation is necessary in the arid prairie climate. They help you figure out if you should prune your tomatoes, how to hold up your pumpkins off the ground, and maximizing your harvest by planting in succession. And they show you how you can directly influence the quality of your produce, minimizing problems such as woody radishes, buttoning cauliflower, and split cabbage heads. This Q&A-style resource covers all your most common questions about cultivation practices, preventing damage from frost, flood, and drought, harvest and storage, and they cover your questions about the veggies you love to grow: Garlic, Onions, and Leeks Lettuce Brassicas Carrots, Celery, and Beets Legumes, Corn and Other Warm Season Edibles Tomatoes and Peppers Potatoes Squash, Pumpkins, and Cucumbers Whether you’ve just acquired your first garden space, or you’ve been growing vegetables for decades, gardeners are always learning and experimenting, building on the wisdom gained on their own or from others. With Sheryl and Janet on your team you’re that much closer to achieving success in your prairie garden!

Download or read book The 20 30 Something Garden Guide written by Dee Nash and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is one of those "especially for now" kinds of books, when food security appears on our basic to-do list. It's about growing food closer to where we live, whether it's on a condo deck, in a backyard or in a community garden. The 20-30 Something Garden Guide gives that active, mostly urban, 20-30 cohort a fun, non-intimidating introduction to the basics of gardening. More than ever, they want to know where their food comes from, and they're hip to the importance of good health and the environment. They may not have a lot of free time or change in their pockets, but if they could find a no-fuss, "here's how you can do it" Gardening 101, they'd go for it. This is that book: high graphic appeal, fully illustrated, step-by-step projects and essential tips. Garden expert Dee Nash divides her book into four types and sizes of gardens - starting with Farming Your Patio, Balcony or Deck - and giving incremental goals for the first year, and the second and third. With this guide as a basic roadmap, new gardeners can be as creative and out-of-the-box as they want.

Download or read book The Gardener s Guide to Prairie Plants written by Neil Diboll and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2023-04-12 with total page 647 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comprehensive and beautifully illustrated reference for all gardeners passionate about native plants and prairie restoration. The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants is the one-stop compendium for all gardeners aspiring to use native prairie plants in their gardens. Neil Diboll and Hilary Cox—two renowned prairie gardeners—compile more than four decades’ worth of research to offer a wide-ranging and definitive reference for starting and maintaining prairie and meadow gardens and restorations. Alongside detailed synopses of plant life cycles, meticulous range maps, and sweeping overviews of natural history, Diboll and Cox also include photographs of 148 prairie plants in every stage of development, from seedling to seedhead. North America’s grasslands once stretched from the Blue Ridge to the Rocky Mountains, and from Texas to Manitoba, blanketing the mid-continent with ecologically important, garden-worthy, native species. This book provides all the inspiration and information necessary for eager native planters from across the country to welcome these plants back to their landscapes. The Gardener’s Guide to Prairie Plants is a must-have reference for gardeners, restorationists, and every flora fan with a passion for native plants, prairies and meadows.

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To Guide for Trees and Shrubs written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2022-03-22 with total page 121 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book six in the Guides for the Prairie Gardeners series demystifies planting and caring for trees and shrubs on the prairies, with tips on stock size, fruit production, pests, and winter protection. Trees and shrubs together make up the bulk of Earth’s biomass. They are responsible for carbon dioxide storage, oxygen production, movement of water, and a host of other functions. In our gardens, trees and shrubs provide numerous benefits, including reducing air, light, and noise pollution, protecting our homes from wind, cold, and heat, and providing habitat for birds, insects, and other animals. In the sixth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series, lifelong gardeners Janet and Sheryl offer advice and recommendations to help you successfully grow trees and shrubs from the ground up. They answer your questions on Whether to choose small or large trees and shrubs to match your needs The fine art of digging holes Care and feeding (and mulching and watering and fertilizing) When and how to train and prune for your plant’s health and appearance How to protect young trees and shrubs through a bitter winter When to call your local arborist Janet and Sheryl help you trouble shoot on common issues like a tree’s failure to produce fruit, girdling, and weather-related challenges, as well as an introduction to pests and diseases like leaf miners, leaf rollers, leafhoppers, and their friends. They also provide prairie-specific lists of recommended trees and shrubs for flower displays, autumn colour, beautiful bark, smaller yards, hedges, and shade.

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To Guide for Perennials written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2023-04-05 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The eighth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series is all about those reliable, grounded plants you can count on: perennials. Perennials are those species whose stems and leaves die back to their crowns each fall, but whose roots remain alive throughout the non-growing months. They include showy flowers like peonies, poppies, lilies, clematis, and lupine, but also edibles like asparagus, fiddlehead ferns, sunchokes, and rhubarb. In this guide prairie gardening experts Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau answer questions like What are the best perennials for building biodiversity in my garden? What’s the difference between species, variety, cultivar, and nativar? What kinds of perennials can I grow in containers? When and how do I divide plants once they’re well established? How do I keep enthusiastic re-seeders from taking over? Which of my perennial babies need to be brought inside for the winter? The pair dedicate a chapter to perennial vegetables and another to mitigating common pests and diseases. The final chapter is a perennial hall of fame, an extended list of recommended plantings for colour, native species, rock gardens, ground cover, fragrance, spring champions, and all-season displays. Janet and Sheryl give you the information you need to make your perennial garden as successful as you can while promoting biodiversity and creating a healthy habitat for pollinators and wildlife.

Download or read book Life in the Soil written by James B. Nardi and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2009-09-15 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leonardo da Vinci once mused that “we know more about the movement of celestial bodies than about the soil underfoot,” an observation that is as apt today as it was five hundred years ago. The biological world under our toes is often unexplored and unappreciated, yet it teems with life. In one square meter of earth, there lives trillions of bacteria, millions of nematodes, hundreds of thousands of mites, thousands of insects and worms, and hundreds of snails and slugs. But because of their location and size, many of these creatures are as unfamiliar and bizarre to us as anything found at the bottom of the ocean. Lavishly illustrated with nearly three hundred color illustrations and masterfully-rendered black and white drawings throughout, Life in the Soil invites naturalists and gardeners alike to dig in and discover the diverse community of creatures living in the dirt below us. Biologist and acclaimed natural history artist James B. Nardibegins with an introduction to soil ecosystems, revealing the unseen labors of underground organisms maintaining the rich fertility of the earth as they recycle nutrients between the living and mineral worlds. He then introduces readers to a dazzling array of creatures: wolf spiders with glowing red eyes, snails with 120 rows of teeth, and 10,000-year-old fungi, among others. Organized by taxon, Life in the Soil covers everything from slime molds and roundworms to woodlice and dung beetles, as well as vertebrates from salamanders to shrews. The book ultimately explores the crucial role of soil ecosystems in conserving the worlds above and below ground. A unique and illustrative introduction to the many unheralded creatures that inhabit our soils and shape our environment aboveground, Life in the Soil will inform and enrich the naturalist in all of us.

Download or read book Soil Science for Gardeners written by Robert Pavlis and published by New Society Publishers. This book was released on 2020-04-07 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Build healthy soil and grow better plants Robert Pavlis, a gardener for over four decades, debunks common soil myths, explores the rhizosphere, and provides a personalized soil fertility improvement program in this three-part popular science guidebook. Healthy soil means thriving plants. Yet untangling the soil food web and optimizing your soil health is beyond most gardeners, many of whom lack an in-depth knowledge of the soil ecosystem. Soil Science for Gardeners is an accessible, science-based guide to understanding soil fertility and, in particular, the rhizosphere – the thin layer of liquid and soil surrounding plant roots, so vital to plant health. Coverage includes: Soil biology and chemistry and how plants and soil interact Common soil health problems, including analyzing soil's fertility and plant nutrients The creation of a personalized plan for improving your soil fertility, including setting priorities and goals in a cost-effective, realistic time frame. Creating the optimal conditions for nature to do the heavy lifting of building soil fertility Written for the home gardener, market gardener, and micro-farmer, Soil Science for Gardeners is packed with information to help you grow thriving plants.

Download or read book The Prairie Short Season Yard written by Lyndon Penner and published by Brush Education. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Everything you need to know for a quick and beautiful yard on the Canadian prairies. Creating and maintaining the perfect yard on the prairies isn’t as hard as you might think, but the short growing season doesn’t give you much time to transform your winter-weary yard into a glorious garden. To help homeowners in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba get the jump on the short season, popular gardening expert Lyndon Penner has created the essential guide to a quick and beautiful yard in the prairie provinces. With gardening smarts, style and wit, Lyndon covers everything both novice and expert gardeners need to know, along with tips you won’t find anywhere else. Contains more than 200 beautiful, colour photos. Quickly find what you need to know about climate zones, soil, colour, texture and shade. Understand your yard’s potential. Pick the best bulbs, perennials, trees and shrubs for your yard. Deal with insects and plant diseases in environmentally friendly ways. Shop smarter at garden centres. Attract animals you want to your garden, and keep away the ones you don’t. Another version of this book, The Chinook Short Season Yard, is available for gardeners who live in the southern Alberta chinook zone. Get a free ebook through the Shelfie app with the purchase of a print copy.

Download or read book The Prairie Homestead Cookbook written by Jill Winger and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jill Winger, creator of the award-winning blog The Prairie Homestead, introduces her debut The Prairie Homestead Cookbook, including 100+ delicious, wholesome recipes made with fresh ingredients to bring the flavors and spirit of homestead cooking to any kitchen table. With a foreword by bestselling author Joel Salatin The Pioneer Woman Cooks meets 100 Days of Real Food, on the Wyoming prairie. While Jill produces much of her own food on her Wyoming ranch, you don’t have to grow all—or even any—of your own food to cook and eat like a homesteader. Jill teaches people how to make delicious traditional American comfort food recipes with whole ingredients and shows that you don’t have to use obscure items to enjoy this lifestyle. And as a busy mother of three, Jill knows how to make recipes easy and delicious for all ages. "Jill takes you on an insightful and delicious journey of becoming a homesteader. This book is packed with so much easy to follow, practical, hands-on information about steps you can take towards integrating homesteading into your life. It is packed full of exciting and mouth-watering recipes and heartwarming stories of her unique adventure into homesteading. These recipes are ones I know I will be using regularly in my kitchen." - Eve Kilcher These 109 recipes include her family’s favorites, with maple-glazed pork chops, butternut Alfredo pasta, and browned butter skillet corn. Jill also shares 17 bonus recipes for homemade sauces, salt rubs, sour cream, and the like—staples that many people are surprised to learn you can make yourself. Beyond these recipes, The Prairie Homestead Cookbook shares the tools and tips Jill has learned from life on the homestead, like how to churn your own butter, feed a family on a budget, and experience all the fulfilling satisfaction of a DIY lifestyle.

Download or read book The Prairie Gardener s Go To for Grasses written by Janet Melrose and published by TouchWood Editions. This book was released on 2024-04-19 with total page 111 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the tenth book in the Guides for the Prairie Gardener series, lifelong gardeners Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau take on the very prairie subject of grasses. Was ever there a prairie-er subject than grass? Important providers of habitat and food for numerous wildlife species, grasses also serve an integral role in erosion control. For the gardener they can open up a bounty of landscaping options, from the lawn to the pond. In the tenth installment of their popular gardening guide series, lifelong gardeners Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau give you the skinny on everything from sod to sedges and raking to rushes. Following a primer on what exactly defines a grass, Sheryl and Janet take your questions on matters like clumpers vs spreaders, mulching and fertilizers, how to tackle problems like chinch bugs and fairy rings. The pair dedicate a chapter to lawns, providing a wide selection of alternatives to the tried and true commercial lawn species and answer questions on raking, aerating, laying sod, mowing, and dealing with dogs and all the damage they seem hardwired to do. Taking your questions on aquatic grasses, as well as edible species (like wheat, rye, and corn), and finishing up with a hall of fame of the best grasses for your every plan and purpose, the authors are sure to expand your knowledge on this truly homegrown topic!

Download or read book Building Soil A Down to Earth Approach written by Elizabeth Murphy and published by Quarto Publishing Group USA. This book was released on 2015-02-15 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is your down-to-earth, complete manual for achieving great gardening results with your own rich, organic soil.How do you recognize healthy soil? How much can your existing soil be improved? What are the best amendments to use for your soil? Let Building Soil answer your questions and be your guide on gardening from the ground up. Fertilizing, tilling, weed management, and irrigation all affect the quality of your soil. Using author Elizabeth Murphy’s detailed instructions, anyone can become a successful soil-based gardener, whether you want to start a garden from scratch or improve an existing garden.If you want methods that won’t break your back, are good for the environment, and create high-yielding and beautiful gardens of all shapes and sizes, this is the book for you! Create classic landscape gardens, grow a high-yielding orchard, nurture naturally beautiful lawns, raise your household veggies, or run a profitable farm.A soil-based approach allows you to see not just the plants, but the living system that grows them. Soil-building practices promote more ecologically friendly gardening by: ·Reducing fertilizer and pesticide use ·Sequestering greenhouse gases ·Increasing overall garden productivityWith a detailed discussion and comparison tables on a range of organic fertilizer choices, Building Soil is a simple book full of practical, up-to-date information about building healthy soils. Simple methods perfect for the home gardener’s use put healthy, organic soil within everyone’s reach. You don’t need a degree in soil management to understand this book; you only need a yard or garden and the desire to improve it at the most basic level.

Download or read book Tennessee Kentucky Garden Guide written by Judy Lowe and published by Garden Guides. This book was released on 2012-11-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIVThe Gardener’s Guide format is proven to help gardeners experience more success and enjoyment from their gardening efforts. The Gardener’s Guide series provides useable information on the plants that perform best in Tennessee and Kentucky in an easy-to-use format. Gardeners will find information they can trust and use successfully in their own gardens. This book is authored by Judy Lowe, leading gardening expert in the region./div

Download or read book The Plant Lover s Guide to Ferns written by Sue Olsen and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 2015-04-08 with total page 253 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ferns are easy to grow and readily available in big box stores, garden centers, and mail-order nurseries, making them a popular ornamental among new and advanced gardeners. Perfect for containers, borders, layered gardens, foliage accents, and shady areas, ferns come in a range of colors and varieties. The Plant Lover’s Guide to Ferns, by fern enthusiasts Richie Steffen and Sue Olsen, is packed with information on these reliable plants. The book includes profiles for 134 plants, with information on growth and propagation, advice on using ferns in garden design, and lists of where to buy the plants and where to view them in public gardens.

Download or read book Fruits and Flowers written by O. O. Peters and published by . This book was released on 1947 with total page 34 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: