cover image The Kitchen Garden: A Practical Guide to Planning & Planting

The Kitchen Garden: A Practical Guide to Planning & Planting

Andi Clevely, A. M. Clevely. Sterling Publishing (NY), $21.95 (128pp) ISBN 978-0-8069-4264-3

The kitchen garden is back in favor, and while fashion and fantasy enhance today's versions of the old vegetable patch, these family-size potageres continue to nourish bodies and nurture souls. Successfully adapted from the original British publication to accommodate American climates and gardeners, this Wayside Gardens edition leads readers through the steps of planning, prepping, maintaining and harvesting the veggies and fruits, herbs and flowers typically grown in the backyard plot. Color photos and line drawings illustrate a variety of kitchen garden designs (e.g., square or narrow beds) and approaches (raised or on sloped ground). Soil maintenance, crop rotation and seasonal chores are covered, while extensive chapters detailing vegetables and fruits offer a wealth of advice and tricks of the trade--e.g., growing celery in a trench, forcing rhubarb through a pot, training an apple tree to grow flat as an espalier against a fence or wall and starting fruit trees from hardwood cuttings. This pointed and clear combination of text, charts, drawings and photos, anticipates and answers concerns likely to be raised by both first-timers and experienced gardeners. (July)