If you want to grow healthy vegetables at home, but have hesitated because it seems too hard and time consuming, Organic Gardening for Everyone is your perfect hands-on guide—an “if I can do it, you can do it” case study that addresses your concerns and gets you started.

Loaded with practical advice and step-by-step guidance, Organic Gardening for Everyone takes a very personal and friendly approach to a subject that can be intimidating. It is a first-class primer on organic vegetable gardening, and an inspirational story about how anyone can balance the rigors of gardening with the demands of a modern, family-oriented lifestyle.

Plant a pumpkinseed with a child and cultivate wonder. This simple act of reconnecting children with nature is Sharon Lovejoy's purpose and joy and gift. In her newest book, Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, she presents 12 spirited, easy-to-implement ideas for theme gardens that parents and kids can grow together. Illustrated throughout by the author's own lyrical watercolors, each garden includes a plan, the planting recipe (seeds, seedlings, and growing instructions spelled out step by step), and activities. There's the Pizza Patch, a giant wheel garden planted in "slices" of tomatoes, zucchini, oregano, and basil. There’s a Flowery Maze to get lost in, and a Moon Garden of night-blooming flowers (including a moonflower tent). And there’s Mother Nature's Medicine Chest.

For ages 4-10.

Master gardener Barbara Pleasant takes the guesswork and anxiety out of growing food, explaining in simple language exactly how to start, maintain and eventually expand an organic vegetable garden, even in the smallest of spaces. Choose one of 24 no-fail, small-scale garden plans and find out how easy it is to enjoy your own fresh food all season long!

If you’re interested in homesteading, livestock, natural health, gardening, DIY projects, renewable energy, or cooking, you don’t want to miss this issue! Mother Earth News has compiled more than 45 articles into The Best of Mother Earth News, 2018 to help guide you through whatever project you’re currently tackling or that you plan to take on in the future. From learning how to grow an aquaponics aquaculture to building a beehive and keeping bees to making homegrown olive oil, this issue is here for you.

This must-have reference will help you navigate the complex world of science. It defines more than 6,000 words from 16 branches of science that are of particular interest to gardeners, from abscission (a plant’s rejection of an organ) to zoochory (the dispersal of seeds by animals). Hundreds of illustrations clarify key definitions and help explain abstract concepts.

• Definitions reflect the latest developments in science.
• The book covers topical issues such as climate change, ecology and native plants.
• The Dictionary of Science for Gardeners is indispensable for home gardeners and nursery professionals alike.

The Ecological Gardener will give you the tools to create an abundant, healthy garden from the soil up—a garden that welcomes birds and bees and allows native planting and wild flowers to flourish, with minimal carbon impact or need for fresh water.

Grow a year’s worth of food for your family!

Do something good for your loved ones by learning how to plant a garden that will yield wholesome, organic fruits and vegetables in surprisingly less space than you would think. Melissa K. Norris, fifth-generation homesteader and host of the popular Pioneering Today podcast, walks you through each step of the process, including how to:

• Decide which food crops are best for your area and family
• Plan your garden to maximize the space you have
• Protect your garden from common pests and diseases naturally
• Determine when your fruits and vegetables are ready to be harvested
• Improve soil health with simple techniques like crop rotation and backyard composting

Planting your first vegetable garden can be intimidating; it’s tough to know where to start. Before you sink your hands into the soil, you want answers to all of those questions rolling around inside your head. In The First-Time Gardener's Guide to Growing Vegetables, you'll find the answers you're looking for.

You can keep gardening for life, you just need to make adjustments as you age. In The Lifelong Gardener, adaptive gardening expert Toni Gattone shares her proven methods for making your favorite hobby easier on your aging body. Her techniques will help you garden smarter, not harder! Eliminate the physical strain of gardening through this helpful guide’s dozens of tried-and-true methods (like buying ergonomic tools, using raised beds, and moving tools around in bins on wheels). The Lifelong Gardener celebrates the joy of gardening, and Gattone’s message of empowerment will stir you to find joy in your garden for years to come.

The New Gardener’s Handbook is a comprehensive overview of the fundamentals of gardening, based on the introductory gardening class that Beyers teaches at NYBG. Readers will learn about soil, plant selection, propagation, planting and mulching, watering and feeding, pruning, and weeds, pests, and diseases. The information applies to both ornamental and edible plants. Featuring inspiring photography and helpful illustrations, The New Gardener’s Handbook gives home gardeners a foundation upon which they can grow, and encourages them to apply the lessons they’ve learned in an intuitive, natural way.

With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions, veteran horticulture teacher Miranda Smith provides a complete reference showing every step for cultivating new plants—whether from seed or cuttings or with techniques such as layering, grafting, and budding.