First-Time Gardener's Guides

There are no stupid questions here. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers, Sean and Allison McManus, the gardening pros behind the popular website and podcast Spoken Garden, answer all of your questions and more. Caring for outdoor plantings can be intimidating, especially if the process is completely new to you. Before running to the hardware store to stock up on plastic bags of mulch and tools you don't really need, arm yourself with the know-how to plant and tend outdoor areas correctly and safely. Doing so saves you time, money, and energy-and helps make the process a whole lot more fun! With help from this easy-to-follow beginner gardening guide, you'll learn: • Tips for selecting the best plants and flowers for your growing conditions • The best planting techniques for different types of plants • How to mulch trees, shrubs, and garden beds correctly • Pruning dos and don'ts for common garden plants • Ways to keep weeds out of outdoor areas-without using synthetic herbicides • How to recognize and manage different pests and diseases naturally • Insider tips on everything from the difference between annuals and perennials to choosing the best organic fertilizer • Plus, you'll find time-management advice and tips for effective, resource-conscious gardening You will close the book not only knowing how to care for your home's outdoor plantings using earth-friendly methods, but also knowing the satisfaction of a beautiful, all-natural landscape. This book is part of The First-Time Gardener Guide series from Cool Springs Press, which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables. Each book in The First-Time Gardener Guide series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear, fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way, including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout.

Setting up your first raised bed garden? With help from YouTube gardening star CaliKim, you'll soon be growing your own fresh, organic vegetables, herbs, and flowers like a pro. Whether your yard is big or small, raised beds are the perfect fit. They allow you to create a controlled growing environment, filled with fertile soil, where plants thrive. Raised beds help gardeners overcome rocky or less-than-ideal soils, there's little to no weeding involved, and they can be as large or as petite as you'd like. You can even use an elevated or mobile raised bed if the only sunny space you have to grow is on a patio, deck, or driveway. In The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening, you'll learn how to select the best raised bed for your space, what to fill it with, and tips for staking and trellising plants to save space and improve yields. Additional advice found inside includes: • DIY plans for building quick-and-simple beds • Info on the best soil mixes for filling raised beds • How to mulch, water, and fertilize your new garden • Illustrated planting plans to help you determine how many plants fit in each bed • Step-by-step project plans for unique raised bed trellising systems • The best beginner-friendly crops to get you started • How to maximize production from a small raised bed garden • Tips to get growing in a way that won't leave you feeling overwhelmed halfway through the season Raised bed gardening is perfect for beginners, as long as you have a pro like CaliKim sharing her essential know-how and cheering you on to veggie-growing victory. This book is part of The First-Time Gardener's Guides series from Cool Springs Press, which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers and The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables. Each book in The First-Time Gardener's Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear, fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way, including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout.

You're excited to plant your first vegetable garden-but where to start? In The First-Time Gardener: Growing Vegetables, you'll find the answers you're looking for. Homesteader Jessica Sowards, the warm and energetic host of YouTube's Roots and Refuge Farm, is the perfect teacher for new gardeners, offering not just know-how but inspiration and time-management tips for success. Before you sink your hands into the soil, she'll answer all those questions rolling around inside your head: • Where do I put my new garden? • How do I prepare the soil? • What vegetables should I plant? • Is it better to start new plants from seed or should I buy transplants? • What about watering, feeding, and taking care of my garden? • What do I do if bugs show up? There are no stupid questions here. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all. Not only will you learn how to prepare, plant, and tend your first vegetable garden, you'll also learn: • How to design an eco-friendly layout • How to grow with the seasons • How to maximize your harvest, even if you only grow in a small space Jessica wants your first food-growing experience to be a positive one, and she's prepared to go the distance to make sure tending the earth becomes your new favorite hobby. A single growing season is all it takes to fall in love with growing your own healthy, organic, nutrient-dense food. With Jessica as your guide, you'll soon discover all the satisfactions, challenges, and great joys of growing your own food garden. This book is part of The First-Time Gardener's Guides series from Cool Springs Press, which also includes The First-Time Gardener: Growing Plants and Flowers and The First-Time Gardener: Raised Bed Gardening. Each book in The First-Time Gardener's Guides series is aimed at beginner gardeners and offers clear, fact-based information that's presented in a friendly and accessible way, including step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations throughout.