Fresh from the Garden: An Organic Guide to Growing Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs in Cold Climates

by John Whitman

Overview

Fresh is simply best. To get the tastiest, most nutritious produce, you have to grow your own, and in a cold climate this presents unique challenges. Fresh from the Garden will help you extend the growing season to produce the best vegetables, berries, and herbs, right in your own backyard. The guide includes more than 150 edible plants and helps you decide which varieties to choose; where and how to plant, tend, and harvest them; and what to do with your bounty. Fresh from the Garden is a clear, concise guide, with nutrition information tables and hundreds of helpful color photographs.

Drawing on more than fifty years of gardening—and nearly as many years writing on the subject—John Whitman describes various methods of planting to make the most of different sites, whether in containers, raised beds, or on level ground, and takes into consideration the abbreviated growing season and longer summer days. He discusses the merits of starting from seed indoors or outdoors, the making and uses of compost, and measures for keeping a garden healthy, from mulching and fertilizing to crop rotation and winter protection. 

Included in his wealth of knowledge is a generous listing of more than 1,700 varieties of vegetables, berries, and herbs, from the best known to the highly unusual, including hybrid and heirloom varieties. He covers the specifics of cultivation, nutritional values, storage techniques, and culinary usage. Dedicated to organic practices, for the health of gardener and garden alike, the information and advice in Fresh from the Garden will enrich the experience of cold climate gardeners.  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780816698394
Publisher:	University of Minnesota Press
Publication date:	01/10/2017
Pages:	536
Sales rank:	665,263
Product dimensions:	8.80(w) x 10.80(h) x 1.60(d)

About the Author

All of John Whitman's gardening knowledge comes from hands-on experience acquired as a professional grower and an avid backyard vegetable gardener for more than fifty years. His book Starting from Scratch: A Guide to Indoor Gardening was a main selection of the Organic Gardening Book Club. He wrote the vegetable section of the Better Homes and Gardens New Garden Book and was the sole author of the Better Homes and Gardens New Houseplants Book. Whitman is the creator and coauthor of the other three volumes in the cold climate gardening series: Growing Perennials in Cold Climates, Growing Shrubs and Small Trees in Cold Climates, and Growing Roses in Cold Climates.

Table of Contents

Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction

Part I. The Basics of Growing Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs

1. Where to Plant
Tips on Choosing a Garden Site
Types of Gardens
Soil

2. Planting Seed in the Garden
Buying Seed
Planting Seed
Spacing
When to Plant
Mail Order Sources

3. Starting Vegetables From Seed Indoors (Transplanting)
About Seed Starting Indoors
Step-by-Step Guide to Planting Seeds Indoors
Buying Potted Plants

4. Caring for Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs
Watering
Mulch
Fertilizing
Support
Weeding
Thinning
Pruning
Winter Protection
Extending the Growing Season

5. Propagation

6. Solving Growing Problems
Basic Tips That Help Reduce the Use of Pesticides
Using Organic Chemicals
Insects
Disease
Crop Rotation
Solarization
Marauders
Physiological Problems

7. Harvesting and Culinary Uses
Harvesting
Yield
Storing
Culinary Uses
Nutrition

8. Tools, Materials, and Gardening Aids

Part II. Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs

Individual Listings

Amaranth (see Greens)
Artichoke, globe (see Unique Plants)
Artichoke, Jerusalem (see Sunchoke under Unique Plants)
Arugula (see Greens)
Asparagus
Asparagus bean (see Yardlong bean under Unique Plants)
Asparagus pea (see Unique Plants)
Aubergine (see Eggplant)
Aztec Red Spinach (see Lamb’s Quarters under Greens)
Basil
Batavian endive (see Endive under Greens)
Bean
Beet (beetroot)
Belgian endive (see Unique Plants)
Bitter melon (see Gourds under Unique Plants)
Blackberry (see Raspberry)
Black-eyed pea (see Cowpea under Unique Plants)
Black salsify (see Salsify under Unique Plants)
Blueberry
Bok Choi (see Chinese cabbage)
Borage (see Herbs)
Borecole (see Kale)
Boysenberry (see Raspberry)
Broad bean
Broccoflower (see Cauliflower)
Broccoli
Broccoli raab or rabe (see Greens)
Broccolini (see Chinese broccoli under Greens)
Brokali (see Chinese broccoli under Greens)
Brussels sprouts
Burdock (see Unique Plants)
Bush bean (see Bean)
Cabbage
Cantaloupe (see Muskmelon)
Cape gooseberry (see Ground cherry under Unique Plants)
Capers (see Nasturtium for substitute)
Caraway (see Herbs)
Cardoon (see Unique Plants)
Carrot
Catgrass (see Greens)
Cat mint (see Catnip under Herbs)
Catnip (see Herbs)
Cauliflower
Celeriac (see Celery)
Celery
Celery, bulb (see Celery)
Celery, stem (see Celery)
Celery cabbage (see Chinese cabbage)
Celery root (see Celery)
Celtuce (see Lettuce)
Ceylon spinach (see Malabar spinach under Greens)
Chamomile (see Herbs)
Chard (see Swiss Chard)
Chervil (see Herbs)
Chickpea (see Unique Plants)
Chicory, Belgian endive (see Belgian endive under Unique Plants)
Chicory, Italian dandelion (see Italian dandelion under Greens)
Chicory, Radicchio (see Radicchio under Unique Plants)
Chicory, Witloof (see Belgian endive under Unique Plants)
Chinese broccoli (see Greens)
Chinese cabbage (see Greens)
Chinese flowering cabbage (see Chinese cabbage under Greens)
Chinese kale (see Chinese broccoli under Greens)
Chinese mustard (see Greens)
Chinese spinach (see Amaranth under Greens)
Chives (see Herbs)
Choi (choy) sum (see Chinese cabbage under Greens)
Chrysanthemum (see Greens)
Chop

Editorial Reviews

"In Fresh from the Garden, John Whitman folds together the joy of gardening and a love of cooking with wit and wisdom. Addressing the challenges and rewards of our cold climate, he shares his vast experience, deep knowledge, and passion for nature’s bounty. This is a monumental work—inspiring, instructive, timeless."—Beth Dooley, author of In Winter’s Kitchen: Growing Roots and Breaking Bread in the Northern Heartland

"The extensive individual plant profiles...are in-depth and extremely helpful."—Library Journal

"An excellent resource for home gardeners at any level, especially beginners, offering a thorough introduction to the basics of organic gardening."—Booklist

"This book is an invaluable resource not just for gardeners who live in the North, but for any gardener who wants to extend both ends of the growing season."—Country Gardens

"A marvelous book. While Fresh From the Garden is invaluable for gardeners in cold areas, the basic information is relevant anywhere."—Rhobin’s Garden

"Whitman’s almost encyclopedic seed-to-table approach in “Fresh from the Garden” covers every aspect of the growing enterprise."—Maine Organic Farmer Gardener

"Whitman is full of such practical advice, offered in straightforward prose. This handy book is much like having a master gardener at your elbow, whispering words of wisdom."—Midwest Home

"Will provide you with a single, encyclopedic source of detailed, time-tested, organic gardening advice that will help you raise your best produce yet."—The American Gardener

"After decades of gardening, Whitman is still discovering new horticultural frontiers."—Columbus Dispatch 

"It really is quite an achievement, with a refreshing candor that you don’t often find in reference books."—Cold Climate Gardening

"It’s the perfect gift for the fanatical vegetable grower in your life."—Portland Press Herald

From the Publisher

12/01/2016
In his latest book, companion to the other three volumes in his cold climate gardening series, Whitman (gardening, Univ. of Minnesota; Growing Perennials in Cold Climates) describes how gardeners with short growing seasons can pick the best plants for their areas as well as extend their harvests. Part 1 of this guide covers the basics any good gardening manual should—where to plant, how to plant, and what to do with the plants—and includes tips on cooking and a glossary of culinary terms. But the bulk lies in the extensive individual plant profiles that make up the second part. Expanding in greater detail on the topics covered in the first section, these specific descriptions, including a segment on unique plants, are in-depth and extremely helpful. One caveat: Whitman sometimes recommends nonorganic products and materials, which he will point out and often explain why they were chosen even though they may not be approved by "organic purists." VERDICT This volume deserves a place on the shelf next to the bible of cold climate gardening, Eliot Coleman's classic Four-Season Harvest, because of the extensive information on individual plants.—Venessa Hughes, Buffalo

Library Journal