Joy Of Gardening Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Joy of Gardening Tips For Beginners And Experienced Gardeners
By Jon Kryer
Both beginners and seasoned gardeners can benefit from the expert
advice contained in Dick Raymond’s Joy of Gardening. This best
seller focuses exclusively on creating a successful vegetable
garden from start to finish.
Over the years, backyard vegetable gardens have become a sweeping
sensation, as more and more Americans are looking to review their
options and save money at the grocery store by growing their own
fresh produce.
The Book For Serious Gardeners
Dick Raymond is an internationally recognized garden expert who
has more than 40 years of hands-on experience tending gardens
across the U.S., such as in Vermont, Florida, Georgia, Texas and
California, to name a few places. Highly regarded as "The
Gardening Bible," this book is a "must-have" for
all serious gardeners.
Joy of Gardening is full of valuable information for beginners
and experienced gardeners alike. First, you’ll learn about Dick
Raymond’s "wide row gardening system" and how to create
a continual harvest, save hours on weeding and watering, thin
out-of-control crops and plant multi-crop rows.
Getting The Soil Ready For Planting
You’ll learn about "Salad Gardens," "Summer Gardens"
and "Eat N’ Store Gardens." In chapter two, you will
learn about getting the soil ready, creating raised beds, testing
soil for pH and terrace gardens.
Chapter 3 advises on how to start planting and how to calculate
dates; choosing pots, soil and light; transplanting; tunnel growing
and getting an early crop of radishes. Chapter 4 provides you
with the tools you need to fight persistent weeds.
Mulching And Composting
Chapter 5 talks about garden care topics like mulching, watering,
composting, harvesting and fall gardens. Chapter 6 is about "green"
manures. Chapter 7 entails root cellar protocol.
In this book, you will also learn about a treasure trove of vegetable
growing techniques for beans, cabbage, corn, eggplants, green
veggies, okra, onions, peanuts, peppers, potatoes, root crops,
sunflowers, tomatoes, vine crops and garden perennials. You will
also gain insight into pest deterrents and disease prevention.
Growing Iceberg Lettuce In Your Garden
To grow iceberg lettuce, "All you need is some cool weather
in spring or fall," Raymond writes in Joy of Gardening (p
243). "Get started early; head lettuce needs as much time
as possible developing in cool weather, so the earlier you can
set out some plants, the better."
Six to eight weeks before the last anticipated frost, Raymond
sets to work planting his lettuce in shallow or pyramid flats.
Then, he says, "The most important step in early planting
is to harden off the plants... after they are about 4 weeks old,
I start giving them some time outdoors.
The Wonders Of Wide Rows
That way they can handle unexpected cold snaps and even a light
frost." He puts his lettuce in wide rows in a 20-inch wide
seedbed, set 10 inches apart "in a 3-2 pattern down the row,
two at the edges and one in the middle in the first row. And two
in the next row, each 5 inches in from the edges."
He trims their outside leaves to help the roots recover from
shock and he advises to harvest a few as soon as the heads are
"softball" size. As they grow, watering regularly will
be crucial.
The Information Is Timeless
Perhaps one drawback for Joy of Gardening is that it was first
written in the eighties. One reviewer commented that the book’s
pictures had an "eighties" feel to it, although most
people say that the information contained on the pages is timeless.
Dick Raymond isn’t shy about advocating tilling methods and chemical
fertilizers, he also provides readers with organic methods and
alternate techniques. This book is about organic vegetable growing,
not about flower gardens or commercial pesticides, so it’s aimed
primarily at backyard gardeners -- both beginners and pros.
All in all, this "Gardening Bible" makes a great gift,
which can be bought at www.amazon.com
or www.lehmans.com.
About the Author:
Jon Kryer has written a number of articles on gardening and landscaping
including
Hanging Flower Baskets,
Indoor Gardening,
Plant Stand.
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
Little Known Garden Products Facts....
If you think hammocks are just the slings you tie between two
trees then you have not been hammock shopping in a while. It is
true that there are some that fit this design but many manufacturers
are now designing frames to house and support the hammock.
This makes it ideal for those that do not have mature trees or
only have a back deck or small yard. You can set them up anywhere
and can instantly enjoy their swinging comfort. There are many
styles, shapes, sizes and colors just waiting for you.
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