McGee & Stuckey's the Bountiful Container : A Container Garden of Vegetables, Herbs, Fruits and Edible Flowers

With few exceptions-such as corn and pumpkins-everything edible that's grown in a traditional garden can be raised in a container. And with only one exception-watering-container gardening is a whole lot easier. Beginning with the down-to-earth basics of soil, sun and water, fertilizer, seeds and propagation, The Bountiful Container is an extraordinarily complete, plant-by-plant guide. Written by two seasoned container gardeners and writers, The Bountiful Container covers Vegetables-not just tomatoes (17 varieties) and peppers (19 varieties), butharicots verts, fava beans, Thumbelina carrots, Chioggia beets, and sugarsnap peas. Herbs, from basil to thyme, and including bay leaves, fennel, and saffron crocus. Edible Flowers, such as begonias, calendula, pansies, violets, and roses. And perhaps most surprising, Fruits, including apples, peaches, Meyer lemons, blueberries, currants, and figs-yes, even in the colder parts of the country. (Another benefit of container gardening: You can bring the less hardy perennials in over the winter.) There are theme gardens (an Italian cook's garden, a Four Seasons garden), lists of sources, and dozens of sidebars on everything from how to be a human honeybee to seeds that are All America Selections.

With few exceptions-such as corn and pumpkins-everything edible that's grown in a traditional garden can be raised in a container. And with only one exception-watering-container gardening is a whole lot easier. Beginning with the down-to-earth basics of soil, sun and water, fertilizer, seeds and propagation, The Bountiful Container is an extraordinarily complete, plant-by-plant guide.

Written by two seasoned container gardeners and writers, The Bountiful Container covers Vegetables-not just tomatoes (17 varieties) and peppers (19 varieties), butharicots verts, fava beans, Thumbelina carrots, Chioggia beets, and sugarsnap peas. Herbs, from basil to thyme, and including bay leaves, fennel, and saffron crocus. Edible Flowers, such as begonias, calendula, pansies, violets, and roses. And perhaps most surprising, Fruits, including apples, peaches, Meyer lemons, blueberries, currants, and figs-yes, even in the colder parts of the country. (Another benefit of container gardening: You can bring the less hardy perennials in over the winter.) There are theme gardens (an Italian cook's garden, a Four Seasons garden), lists of sources, and dozens of sidebars on everything from how to be a human honeybee to seeds that are All America Selections.

Publishers Weekly

McGee (Basic Herb Cookery) and veteran gardening writer Stuckey (Gardening from the Ground Up) share their expertise and experience in the art of container gardening. Armed with this manual, frustrated apartment dwellers can indulge their passion for growing edible things. If there is an available balcony, porch, front or back steps, according to the authors, growing produce in containers can be easy and rewarding. With some limitations, it is even possible to grow foods in a window box or on an indoor windowsill. This compendium of practical advice includes detailed information on the types of containers to use, equipment needed, the right soil, when to plant which seeds and how best to deal with problems such as too much or too little sunlight. They also explain more sophisticated techniques like succession planting, whereby ongoing seasonal planting takes place in the same container. This can yield a harvest of peas in early summer, tomatoes in late summer to early fall and kale that will grow into winter. Included are mouth-watering recipes for harvested container crops. Written for the beginner as well as for those with a background in gardening, McGee and Stuckey's directions are comprehensive, clearly written and frequently inspiring. Illus. (May) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Title Page......Page 2 Quote......Page 3 Acknowledgments......Page 4 Contents......Page 5 Preface......Page 9 Introduction: From Our Gardens to Yours......Page 12 Part One: You and Your Garden......Page 19 Chapter1 Managing Your Space......Page 20 Chapter 2 Planning For Good Taste......Page 30 Chapter 3 Making Your Garden Beautiful......Page 40 Part Two: Down-To-Earth Basics......Page 51 Chapter 4 Hardware: Containers, Trellises, Tools, and Storage......Page 52 Chapter 5 Software: Soil, Seeds, and Plants......Page 75 Chapter 6 Keeping A Healthy Garden......Page 96 Part Three: Plants For The Bountiful Container......Page 111 Chapter 7 Vegetables......Page 112 Beans......Page 114 Beets......Page 127 Carrots......Page 131 Cucumbers......Page 134 Eggplant......Page 141 Leafy Greens......Page 144 Lettuce and Other Salad Greens......Page 152 Onion Family: Scallions, Leeks, and Green Garlic......Page 165 Peas......Page 171 Peppers......Page 185 Potatoes......Page 193 Radishes......Page 199 Spinach and Spinach Substitutes......Page 202 Squash......Page 207 Tomatoes......Page 214 Chapter 8 Herbs......Page 228 Basil......Page 232 Bay......Page 236 Borage......Page 242 Chamomile......Page 246 Chervil......Page 250 Chives......Page 257 Cilantro......Page 263 Dill......Page 266 Fennel......Page 270 Feverfew......Page 273 Lavender......Page 277 Lemongrass......Page 286 Lemon Verbena......Page 290 Marjoram......Page 297 Mint......Page 301 Monarda......Page 308 Oregano......Page 315 Parsley......Page 319 Rosemary......Page 324 Saffron Crocus......Page 330 Sage......Page 338 Salad Burnet......Page 349 Scented Geraniums......Page 352 Stevia......Page 357 Sweet Woodruff......Page 360 Tarragon......Page 363 Thyme......Page 371 Chapter 9 Fruits......Page 380 Apples......Page 389 Blueberries......Page 404 Citrus......Page 409 Currants and Gooseberries......Page 414 Figs......Page 424 Grapes......Page 432 Peaches and Nectarines......Page 443 Strawberries......Page 450 Chapter 10 Edible Flowers......Page 458 Begonias......Page 461 Calendulas......Page 469 Chrysanthemums......Page 474 Daylilies......Page 478 Dianthus......Page 482 Marigolds......Page 487 Nasturtiums......Page 490 Pansies, Violas, and Violets......Page 497 Roses......Page 508 Sunflowers......Page 524 Tulips......Page 530 Appendix......Page 541 U.S.D.A. Hardiness Zone Map......Page 542 Mail-Order Sources......Page 543 Index......Page 563 Copyright Page......Page 625 About the Authors......Page 626 Also by......Page 627 Every gardener since Nebuchadnezzar, the visionary responsible for the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, has had to begin at the same starting point: evaluating the physical characteristics of the garden space itself. Two expert horticulturists show how to create container gardens of vegetables, herbs, fruits, and edible flowers. Two-color line art and halftones throughout.