Cool season gardener : extend the harvest, plan ahead, and grow vegetables year round

How would you like to serve your own carrots for Thanksgiving, or fresh-from-the-garden salad at the winter solstice? Or how about collards for Christmas, leeks on New Year's, and lovely red beets for Valentine's Day, all right from your own garden? You can, without much trouble, by practicing winter, or cool-season gardening. __Cool Season Gardener__ is longtime garden writer Bill Thorness's friendly guide to maintaining your garden year-round in mild maritime climates. He shows you how to keep the garden in production in the colder months, practice succession planning for sowing and transplanting, plant cover crops, and much more.Season extension techniques are given full attention, with many techniques described for using floating row cover, raised beds, cloches, cold frames, hot caps--even polytunnels and greenhouses. The book includes step-by-step, illustrated DIY building projects to help you easily build your own cloches, cold frames, and trellises. It also shows and tells you how to make the most of recycled materials in the garden.Useful charts in the book:* Vegetable varieties for cool-season gardening, including sowing and growing temperatures, days to maturity and what season extension techniques work best * What to grow when in Bill's "Seven Seasons of Veggies" * Floating row cover specs and sources * Sizing a hoop house * Plastic sheeting specs and sources for larger cloches * Fertilizers and soil nutrients * Fall cover crop types and planting dates Even avid gardeners might be surprised to learn all the benefits of cool season gardening--the fact that it is often less work than summer gardening due to slower growth and less frequent need for maintenance, or the seasonal bonus of having fewer pests. Not to mention that year-round gardening will help you run a more sustainable household, while at the same time yielding fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year How would you like to serve your own carrots for Thanksgiving, or fresh-from-the-garden salad at the winter solstice? Or how about collards for Christmas, leeks on New Year's, and lovely red beets for Valentine's Day, all right from your own garden? You can, without much trouble, by practicing winter, or cool-season gardening. Cool Season Gardener is longtime garden writer Bill Thorness's friendly guide to maintaining your garden year-round in mild maritime climates. He shows you how to keep the garden in production in the colder months, practice succession planning for sowing and transplanting, plant cover crops, and much more. Season extension techniques are given full attention, with many techniques described for using floating row cover, raised beds, cloches, cold frames, hot caps--even polytunnels and greenhouses. The book includes step-by-step, illustrated DIY building projects to help you easily build your own cloches, cold frames, and trellises. It also shows and tells you how to make the most of recycled materials in the garden. Useful charts in the book: Vegetable varieties for cool-season gardening, including sowing and growing temperatures, days to maturity and what season extension techniques work best What to grow when in Bill's "Seven Seasons of Veggies" Floating row cover specs and sources Sizing a hoop house Plastic sheeting specs and sources for larger cloches Fertilizers and soil nutrients Fall cover crop types and planting dates Even avid gardeners might be surprised to learn all the benefits of cool season gardening--the fact that it is often less work than summer gardening due to slower growth and less frequent need for maintenance, or the seasonal bonus of having fewer pests. Not to mention that year-round gardening will help you run a more sustainable household, while at the same time yielding fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year CLICK HERE to download the chapter with "Steps to Extend Your Growing Season" from Cool Season Gardener (Provide us with a little information and we'll send your download directly to your inbox) "Along comes Bill Thorness, beautifully encouraging gardeners to take their edibles to the next level." —Edible Seattle * The first wholly new, focused, and comprehensive guide to growing winter crops in the Pacific Northwest and other maritime climates * Promotes year-round outdoor activity, food and garden sustainability, and a smaller carbon footprint How would you like to serve your own carrots for Thanksgiving next year, or fresh-from-the-garden salad at the winter solstice? Or how about collards for Christmas, leeks on New Year's, and lovely red beets for Valentine's Day, all right from your own garden? You can, without much trouble, by practicing winter, or "cool-season," gardening. Cool Season Gardener is longtime gardening writer Bill Thorness's friendly guide to maintaining your garden year-round even in dark, damp, maritime climates. He shows you how to keep the garden in production in cold months, practice succession planning for sowing and transplanting, plant cover crops, utilize homemade garden structures, and more. Even the most avid gardeners might be surprised to learn all the benefits of cool season gardening—the fact that it is often less work than summer gardening due to slower growth and less maintenance, or the seasonal bonus of having fewer pests. Not to mention that year-round gardening will create substantial savings on your food bill, while at the same time yielding fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year. And Thorness wants you to know it's easier than you think! How would you like to serve fresh-from-the-garden salad for Thanksgiving and sweet parsnips at the winter solstice? Or dish up collards for Christmas, leeks on New Year's, and lovely red beets for Valentine's Day--all right from your own garden? You can, by practicing "cool-season" gardening. A wholly new and comprehensive guide to growing winter crops in the Pacific Northwest, Cool Season Gardener is author Bill Thorness's friendly guide to maintaining your garden, even during the dark, damp months of our maritime climate. He shows you how to keep the garden producing year round, utilize season extension, practice succession planting, build useful garden structures, and more. Slower growth, less maintenance, and fewer pests--cool-season gardening is easier than you think! From sowing to harvest, you'll also learn: When to plant and what to expect, with detailed tables; How to read the weather and know your microclimate; Best ways to site your cool-season garden; Seed starting, transplanting, and sowing techniques; Bill's "Seven Seasons of Veggies"; Economical ways to build soil fertility; Organic solutions for common problems, pests, and diseases; DIY building plans for cloches, cold frames, and more; Best spring, fall, and over-wintering vegetable varieties; "Cool-Season Keys" to success for every topic. Bill emphasizes food and garden sustainability, which will result in savings on your food bill, a smaller carbon footprint, a stronger connection to nature, and fresh, homegrown produce for your family. Cool Season Gardener will inspire the year-round gardener in you! --back cover "...this guide is a must-have reference for any vegetable gardener working in the region's unique maritime climate." -- Caroline Bristol, The American Gardener magazine "Along comes Bill Thorness, beautifully encouraging gardeners to take their edibles to the next level." Jill Lightner, Editor, Edible Seattle How would you like to serve your own vegetables on Thanksgiving, or a fresh-from-the-garden salad at the winter solstice? Or how about collards for Christmas, leeks on New Year's, and lovely red beets for Valentine's Day, all right from your own garden? If you live in a mild climate, you can, without much trouble, by practicing winter, or "cool-season," gardening. Cool Season Gardener is longtime gardening writer Bill Thorness's friendly guide to maintaining your garden year-round in maritime climates that don't get hard winters. He shows you how to keep the garden in production in cold months, practice succession planning for sowing and transplanting, plant cover crops, utilize homemade garden structures, and more. Even the most avid gardeners might be surprised to learn all the benefits of cool season gardeningthe fact that it is often less work than summer gardening due to slower growth and less maintenance, or the seasonal bonus of having fewer pests. Not to mention that year-round gardening will create substantial savings on your food bill, while at the same time yielding fresh, homegrown produce on your table every month of the year. And Thorness wants you to know it's easier than you think!