Table of Contents
Foreword 6
Starting Out
Planning 12
Clearing Overgrown Land 21
Improving the Soil 23
Composting and Amending 25
Improving Drainage 27
Digging 28
Fences and Other Boundaries 30
Tools and Equipment 33
The Greenhouse 34
Greenhouse Management 37
Cloches 39
Crop Rotation 40
Watering and Irrigation 42
Calendar of Seasonal Tasks
The Year in the Garden 48
Spring 49
Summer 51
Fall 54
Winter 55
Growing Vegetables
Growing Vegetables 58
Raising vegetable Seedlings 59
Growing Cole Crops 62
Growing Root Vegetables 66
Growing Beans and Peas 73
Growing Potatoes 79
Growing Salad Greens 82
Growing Tomatoes 87
Other Vegetable Crops 92
Growing Asparagus 99
Greenhouse Vegetable 101
Growing Herbs 104
Growing Fruit
Growing Fruit 110
Planting Out 111
Growing Apples 113
Growing Pears 118
Other Tree Fruit 119
Growing Figs and Grapes 124
Greenhouse Fruit 126
Growing Rhubarb 128
Growing Strawberries 129
Other Berries 132
Directory of Pests and Diseases
Preventing Pests and Diseases 142
Treating Plant Problems 143
Visible Pests 144
Leaves with Holes 144
Distorted Leaves 145
Discolored Leaves 146
Distorted or Wilted Shoots 147
Problems with Stems, Bark, or Branches 147
Wilting or Withered Plant 148
Fruit Disorders 149
Problems with Beans, Peas, and Tomatoes 150
Root Vegetable Disorders 151
Keeping Animals
Keeping Animals 154
Keeping Pigs 155
Keeping Goats 160
Keeping Chickens 166
Ducks, Geese, and Turkeys 171
Keeping Bees 175
Food from Nature
Gathering from the Wild 180
Herbs and Plants 181
Fruit and Nuts 186
Mushrooms 190
Fishing 195
Food from the Ocean 198
Hunting 201
Gathering Firewood 202
Preserving Your Produce
Preserving Your Produce 206
Preserving Vegetables 207
Equipment for Making Preserves 212
Pickles, Chutney, and Relishes 214
Preserving Herbs 219
Preserving Fruit 220
Canning Fruit 224
Making Jams and Jellies 226
Making Wine and Cider 230
Goat Milk 235
Preserving Meat and Fish 237
Water and Energy Conservation
The Self-Sufficient Home 240
Conserving Energy 241
Keeping in the Heat 243
Solar Power 244
Alternative Energy Sources 246
Saving and Recycling Water 247
