Showing titles in Gardening & Horticulture

What could be fresher than farm-to-table terms than vegetables you've grown at home? The new edition of Vegetable Gardening for Dummies puts you in touch with your roots in a thousands of years old farming tradition by demonstrating how easy it is to grow your own. In a friendly, come-relax-in-my-garden style Charlie Nardozzi-leading horticultural writer and guest expert on shows such as Martha Stewart Living Radio - shares the nutritious results of a lifetime of vegetable-growing experience to delve into the nitty-gritty of micro-farming.

Douglas W. Tallamy's first book, Bringing Nature Home, awakened thousands of individuals to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives. In this new book, Tallamy takes the next step and outlines his vision for a grassroots approach to conservation.

Across the world, chefs, farmers, plant scientists and backyard growers are doing something extraordinary: creating new generations of fruit, vegetables and cereals, all bred specifically to flourish locally, taste delicious, and contribute to our food future. In The Accidental Seed Heroes, Adam Alexander dons his seed detective homburg to meet these twenty-first century seed heroes, who are not only championing traditional varieties but also breeding delicious new ones that will help create a sustainable future for our planet.

Marijuana has been grown for thousands of years and has been used as a way of relaxing for much of that time. Long illegal to possess in many places, the world is slowly coming around to the fact that it is less harmful than many other vices, such as alcohol, and can act as an immense relief for many people who suffer with chronic pain.

Our modern-day cities might seem to represent our separation from the natural world. In fact, as Ben Wilson reveals in this captivating re-examination of urban landscapes around the world, nature has always been at the heart of the city. Wilson explores the wild side of cities, past, present and future: the middens, abandoned sites and strips of land alongside railway lines.

Join Joe Sugg, our favourite YouTube star, on a journey to discover the healing powers of nature in a noisy digital world. Having grown-up in the rise of the digital age and as one of the UKs biggest TV and online stars, Joe knows better than anyone how it feels to be overwhelmed by the world wide web and its endless stream of content. Experiencing feelings of anxiety and burnout, Joe has come up with his very own creative and practical ways to let nature in, that are accessible no matter where in the world you live, from the city to the seaside.

Compact Farms is a guide for anyone dreaming of starting, expanding, or perfecting a profitable farming enterprise on five acres or less. The farm plans explain how to harness an area's water supply, orientation, and geography in order to maximize efficiency and productivity while minimizing effort. Profiles of well-known farmers such as Eliot Coleman and Jean-Martin Fortier show that farming on a small scale in any region, in both urban and rural settings, can provide enough income to turn the endeavor from hobby to career.

Herbal Remedies for Menopause: Your Path to Natural Hormonal Balance Are you navigating the life-changing journey of menopause and searching for safe, natural ways to restore balance and vitality? Herbal Remedies for Menopause is your ultimate guide to thriving through every stage of menopause with the wisdom of nature. This comprehensive and empowering book unravels the mysteries of menopause, offering practical, evidence-based solutions for managing symptoms such as hot flashes, mood swings, sleep disruptions, and more.

Japanese by birth but transplanted to Europe in adulthood, Miki Sakamoto has spent a lifetime tending her garden and reflecting on its mysteries. Why do primulas bloom in snow? Do the trees really ‘talk’ to one another? What are the blackbirds saying today? And is there a mindful way to deal with an aphid infestation? From rising early to walk barefoot on the grass each morning, to afternoons and evenings spent sipping tea in her gazebo or watching fireflies as she recalls her childhood in Japan, Sakamoto shares observations from a life spent in contemplation – and cultivation – of nature.

A garden fork. Preferably forged from a single piece of steel. Not because, given a good enough shove, its tines would pierce a zombie's skull as easily as an overripe melon but because come the end of the world, gardening will be what saves your skin. This book, which is aimed at beginners and more seasoned gardeners alike, will tell you what you need; provide the basics of gardening language and technique; provide a planting plan; debunk gardening myths; and show you how to preserve your food and grow your own medicine even if there are no zombies around.

Penelope Lively has always been a keen gardener. This audiobook is partly a memoir of her own life in gardens: the large garden at home in Cairo where she spent most of her childhood, her grandmother's garden in a sloping Somerset field, then two successive Oxfordshire gardens of her own and the smaller urban garden in the North London home she lives in today. It's also a wise, engaging exploration of gardens in literature, from Paradise Lost to Alice in Wonderland.

In Japanese gardens, composition follows from placement of the first stone; all elements and plantings become interconnected. These eight essays on Kyoto gardens similarly begin with keen description and build into richly meditative excursions into art, Buddhism, nature, and science. Landscape architect Marc Keane shows how Japanese gardens are both a microcosm of the natural universe and a clear expression of our humanity, mirroring how we think, worship, and organize our lives and communities.

Have you ever wondered why the leaves of the Swiss cheese plant have holes? How aloe vera came to be harnessed as a medicinal powerhouse? Or why—despite your best efforts—you can’t keep your Venus flytrap alive? You are not alone: houseplant expert Jane Perrone has asked herself those very questions, and in Legends of the Leaf she digs deep beneath the surface to reveal the answers.

This essential hydroponics guide gives you the proven step-by-step methods for creating and managing your own successful hydroponic system. With this, you will have the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to grow a selection of herbs, vegetables, and flowers at home - without the use of any soil!

Written with beginners and experienced gardeners alike in mind, this book covers everything from picking the right plants for your space to making them fit right in with decorative pots and hanging baskets. Experience the emotional and psychological benefits of keeping houseplants, which have been shown to reduce feelings of depression and provide an outlet to those with anxiety. Your small corner of the world will grow a bit greener when you learn about the best indoor plants for all types of caretakers, why succulents are so popular, and more.

In an era of rapid climate change, this vital account of how agriculture can address major issues is an Australian story with global ramifications. Patrice is at the front line of enormous challenges, from water scarcity and land stewardship to food security and the rural-urban divide. The devastation of drought and the crises created by industrial-scale chemically dependent primary production are discussed and alternatives proposed - along with bold ideas for new sources of energy.

Permaculture, a Portmanteau of "permanent" and "agriculture" is growing in popularity around the world and for a good reason too. First introduced to protect nature and humankind, permaculture is both a philosophy and a practical approach to sustainable development.

In THE POLLINATOR GARDEN - How to Attract Nature’s Heroes - Planting for Birds, Bees, and Butterflies, you will uncover the secrets to creating a vibrant pollinator garden - even if your previous attempts have been less than successful. The advice is straightforward to implement, giving you the confidence to transform your garden into a haven for pollinators. The survival of Pollinators is threatened, and their decline has devastating consequences for our food system, biodiversity, and ecosystems.

In both history and fiction, some of the most dramatic, notorious deaths have been through poisonings. Concealed and deliberate, it's a crime that requires advance planning and that for many centuries could go virtually undetected. And yet there is a fine line between healing and killing: The difference lies only in the dosage!

Spending time in nature is good for both our bodies and minds - but with our hectic lives (not to mention the unreliable British weather), it can be hard to get outside as much as we'd like. But fear not: we've selected some of BBC Radio 4's best nature documentaries to transport you to the great outdoors - and encourage you to take your own trip into the wild.