Incredible Edibles

You Can Grow

from A to Z
Grow your own
good food, anywhere!
Apple Kohlrabi
Apricot Leeks
Artichoke Lettuce
Arugula Melons
Asparagus Mint
Basil Mushrooms
Beans Mustard Greens
Beets Nectarines
Blackberries Okra
Blueberries Onions
Bok Choy Oregano
Broad Beans Parsley
Broccoli Parsnips
Brussels Sprouts Peaches
Cabbage Pears
Carrots Peas
Cauliflower Peppers
Celery Plums
Chard Potatoes
Cherries Pumpkins
Chives Radishes
Cilantro Raspberries
Collards Rhubarb
Corn Rosemary
Cranberries Rutabagas
Cucumber Sage
Currants Scallions
Dill Shallots
Eggplant Soybeans
Fennel Spinach
Fig Squash
Garlic Strawberries
Gooseberries Sweet potatoes
Grains Thyme
Grapes Tomatoes
Kale Turnips
Kiwi Zucchini
Table of Contents
Chapter One: Garden Style
How to infuse your personal style into your garden design

Chapter Two: Assessing Your Space

How climate, light, soil, water, and size affect your space

Chapter Three: Finding Space

Learn to garden anywhere—backyards, containers, community gardens, and more

Chapter Four: Building Your Garden

How to build your garden—in the ground, on patios, and in raised beds

Chapter Five: Planning Your Garden

Pick your plants and learn where and when to plant them

Chapter Six: Getting Dirty

Tip and tricks for healthy soil

Chapter Seven: Sowing and Growing

Sowing, feeding, planting, and transplanting

Chapter Eight: Keeping Plants Healthy

Garden maintenance and how to deal with pests and diseases

Chapter Nine: Making the Most of Limited Space

Gardening on walls, in the winter, and everywhere you can

Chapter Ten: Harvesting and Preparing for Next Year

Harvest your crops, save seeds for next year, and prepare your garden for winter

Chapter Eleven: Edibles from A to Z

How to start, grow, and harvest vegetables, fruits, herbs, grains, and mushrooms
Seeds never fail to be amazing! Incredible bounty can be harvested
from what began as tiny, shriveled specks. Some beginning gardeners
regard seed starting with a healthy dose of fear, but the fact is, seeds
are designed to survive, thrive, and eventually reproduce.

What You Need to Begin:

Soil: Seeds prefer a light, airy medium that provides good air circulation and allows for effortless root
development; it should hold moisture but should not get soggy.
Containers: Seeds can be started in pretty much anything, from recycled yogurt containers to store-bought
plastic cell packs.
Moisture: Maintaining consistent moisture is crucial to success in seed starting. The goal is to keep the soil
consistently sponge-damp; fluctuating from bone-dry to sopping wet is torture to sensitive seedlings.
Warmth: Some seeds, such as peas and other early-season vegetables, prefer cool soil. Others, such as peppers
and cucumbers, prefer a slightly balmier climate. Most seeds germinate best in temperatures from 60° to 75°F.
Light: After seedlings have emerged from the soil, they need a lot of light; without it, they grow leggy—tall, thin,
and weak. Providing the light they want—14 to 16 hours a day—is probably the biggest challenge in indoor growing.
Saving Seeds Step-by-Step
❶ Moisten the soil before saving. It should be damp but not wet—like a wrung-out
sponge.

❷ Fill containers with soil mix. Tamp it down gently, leaving 1/2 inch or so of space at
the top.

❸ Check the seed packet for information on how deep to sow the seed. As rule of
thumb, seeds can be planted at a depth of about twice their diameter.

➍ When sewing larger seeds in containers, poke a hole into the soil using a chop
stick or pencil, place one seed in, and cover it with soil. For smaller seeds,
sprinkle them on top and scratch the soil slightly to bury them.

❺ Label containers or rows when sowing more than one type of seed.
❻ Place the containers in a warm, bright area, and wait. Some seeds germinate in
days; others take weeks.
 No Yard?
No problem!
You can garden just about anywhere, as long as
you choose plants that are suited to the condi-
tions of your site. And although you probably
can’t change the amount of sunlight your plants
receive, or the fact that your rooftop space is
prone to high-speed winds, you can often make
little adjustments that will make big differences.
You may discover that you have a lot more gar-
dening space than you thought.

❶ With pots, you can have perfect soil. Plants
perform best if you cater to their soil
preferences, and containers make it easy to
give them what they want.

❷ You can move pots around. With containers,
you can move temperature-sensitive plants
into and out of the sun, extending their season.

Pots allow you to build a garden anywhere. 

❸ Sometimes
the only gardening space you have
available is on your front steps or on the edge
of a driveway. Containers don’t mind.

❹ Pots reduce compaction. With traditional in-
ground gardening, it can be difficult to avoid
stepping into your garden bed to sow, weed,
and harvest.

❺ Pests and weeds are easier to control in pots.
Because your total garden space is relatively
small, it is easier for you to keep on top of
weeding and pest control when dealing with a
potted garden
The Dirty
Dozen
Store-bought versions of these
12 crops consistently test higher
for levels of pesticide residue.
Grow them organically at home
for freshness, flavor, and safety!

Peach
Apple
Bell pepper
Celery
Nectarine
Strawberries
Cherries
Kale
Lettuce
Grapes
Carrot
Pear
 Join the grow-your-own revolution!

Grow 100% organic vegetables,

fruits, herbs, and grains
in containers, on patios, in raised beds, and just about
anywhere. Sugar Snaps and Strawberries is just what
every space-challenged begining gardener needs—
helpful advice, fun tips, step-by-step instructions, and
inspiring photos. Everything a new gardener needs to
grow their own good food.

Sugar Snaps and Strawberries

Simple Solutions for Creating Your Own Small-
Space Edible Garden
By Andrea Bellamy
ISBN: 978-1-60469-124-5, $19.95
Paperback, 224 pp, full color throughout
Ships January 2011

About The Author Publicity &

Andrea Bellamy is a professional
writer and the creator of Heavy Promotion
Petal, a Web site that focuses on Press Contact:
urban, organic vegetable gardening. publicity@timberpress.com
Heavy Petal has been featured in • Online marketing campaign
Sunset and Canadian Gardening • National publicity
and has been profiled on Apartment • West Coast author tour
Therapy and Design Sponge.

Timber Press books are distributed in the gift and book trade by Workman Publishing.
To order, please see your sales representative or call (800) 722-7202.

T I M B E R P R E S S • 133 SW Second Ave, Ste 450 • Portland, OR 97204 • 503-227-2878 • fax: 503-227-3070 • www.timberpress.com