Fabulous Food from Every Small Garden

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CSIRO Publishing Gardening Guides By: Mary Horsfall

eBook - August 2009 - eRetailers

A practical guide to growing different types of food at home in even the smallest of spaces.

Fabulous Food from Every Small Garden shows how to grow food at home in even the smallest of spaces. It explores the reasons for growing your own food, including the many potential benefits such as improved taste, freshness and nutrition. Many types of food are covered, including vegetables, fruits, herbs, bush tucker plants and edible flowers. + Full description

The book provides detailed instructions for successfully growing plants from seeds, and explains the use of organic pest and weed control and efficient watering methods. In addition, readers are shown how to improve soil fertility by making their own fertiliser.

Written by the author of the best-selling Creating Your Eco-friendly Garden, this practical book also offers solutions on incorporating food plants with other plants to create beautiful gardens in spaces such as balconies and flowerbeds. This is complemented with information on innovative techniques such as aquaponics, hydroponics, wicking beds and grid gardening to achieve high productivity in small spaces. The final chapters concern growing, harvesting and storing produce, and contain some simple recipes.

- Short description

News

This title is no longer available in print. The eBook edition is still available; see links at the top of this page.

Reviews

"This is a book packed with information, so it’s hard to single out any one aspect that draws more attention than others. For this reviewer it was the detailed information about growing vegetables: for each one there is a general description, when to sow, what soil type is required/ideal, use (ie how to cook and what part/s of the vegetable to eat), nutrition factor, how to harvest and store, and how to save the seeds for future plantings."
Highlife Magazine, 2011

"…a great book for those of us who live in a small space but would dearly love to grow our own produce."
Your Garden, Summer 2010

"…provides a wealth of information on different techniques and products that can assist the size-challenged-but-keenness-endowed vegie gardener. As you would expect from CSIRO there’s plenty of technical detail, especially regarding soil and nutrients, however on the whole the text is very chatty and reader friendly.”
Zoe Carter, Out in Perth-Gay and Lesbian Perth WA News, 22 October 2010

"Horsfall combines technical detail with practical gardening experience and personal opinions based on her philosophies of self sufficiency and low impact gardening to make Fabulous Food from Every Small Garden an easy-to-read yet comprehensive book, of value to both first-time and experienced gardeners alike, and a book that should stand the test of time."
Andrew Maloy, The New Zealand Garden Journal, December 2009

"So many guides to growing backyard organic vegies have been published recently it’s hard to know which one to choose. If you’re looking for such a book, put this one on your short list. There’s heaps of information and it’s written for Australian conditions."
Simon Webster, Organic Gardener, January/February 2010

"This continues the high standard of garden books from CSIRO and is serious value for money. There are clear instructions on growing and the book is profusely illustrated."
Cedric Bryant, Sunday Canberra Times, 13 September 2009

"This is one of the most informative vegie gardening books I have ever read…Everything is explained in clear, easy to follow language, leaving even a relatively inexperienced gardener like myself ready to tackle hydroponics or aquaculture. Full of economical and inspiring ideas for any gardener, this is a terrific book."
Department of Defence Intranet, February 2010

Details

ePDF | August 2009
ISBN: 9780643097957
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

ePUB | August 2009
ISBN: 9780643098893
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Available from eRetailers

Features

Gives innovative and economical methods for growing food in restricted spaces, even indoors
Shows how to incorporate a wide variety of food plants into a garden
Suggests spaces not normally thought of for growing food
Follows a chemical-free approach to gardening
Shows how to create free garden nutrients from kitchen waste
Based on the author's first-hand experience and 20 years as editor of Grass Roots magazine

Acknowledgements
Introduction

Part One – All about the garden

Why grow your own? – 10 good reasons
Where and what? – First thoughts
High productivity from small spaces – Some special techniques
Creating super soil – Soil biota and fertility
Making the most of your space – Plants for places
Getting started with vegetables – Seeds and seedlings
Plant care – Weeding, watering, controlling pests

Part Two – All about the plants

Vegetables
Fruits
Bush foods
Herbs and flowers
A taste for all seasons
Final words

Appendix 1 Suppliers and information
Appendix 2 Bibliography
Index

Authors

Mary Horsfall has had over 30 years’ experience in organic gardening, including 23 years growing self-sufficiency food crops organically in a harsh, dry-summer environment with only dam and tank water. She is currently editor and writer for Grass Roots magazine, where she has worked for 20 years.