Kitchen garden - Lucy Peel

With a comprehensive directory of vegetables, fruit and herbs, and essential information on planning, planting and care, the Collins Practical Gardener shows you how to start and maintain a gorgeous kitchen garden.

This volume in the best-selling Collins Practical Gardener series gives you the information and advice you need to cultivate a flourishing kitchen garden.

The bulk of the book comprises an exhaustive directory of plants, divided into broad sections covering fruit and vegetables, then subdivided into distinctive sub-groups. Special sections deal with herbs and edible flowers.
Each entry includes:
- Background information on general characteristics, planting and care
- A visual chart listing the most popular varieties and cultivars, with seasonal guides indicating when to plant and when to harvest
- A table of plant care with easily-accessed advice on soil, site, watering, feeding, general care, and pests and diseases
- Expert tip boxes for the best results

The book opens with a practical guide covering all the essential techniques for the kitchen gardener:
- Assessing your plot for soil quality, drainage, sun and shade
- Planning a kitchen garden
- Planting in beds and containers, and creative ideas for companion planting
- Advice on crop rotation
- Special section on growing under glass
- Extensive information on care and maintenance throughout the year
- The best methods for harvesting, storing and collecting seeds

There are also sections on the problems affecting fruit and vegetables that include:
- Trouble-shooting flow charts to identify the problem
- A directory of the most common pests and diseases and how to treat them

Closing with a calendar of the gardening year, Kitchen Garden is the only guide you'll need for growing delicious fruits, vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers in your own kitchen.