| Pages: | 240 pages |
| Book Art: | Color photographs throughout |
| Size: | 7.4 x 9.7 inch |
| Publisher: | Permanent Publications |
| Pub. Date: | May 31, 2023 |
| ISBN: | 9781856232647 |
The Seasoned Gardener
Exploring the rhythm of the gardening year
*From Liz Zorab, Winner of the Garden Media Guild Award Vlog of the Year 2022
Dig deeper into the processes of growing your own organic food with Liz Zorab, self-sufficiency practitioner.
In this personal gardening journey, she explores seasonal harvests and how the vegetable garden sits within the wider context of the gardening landscape – including weather, microclimates, water cycles, light levels, seasons and the gardener’s personal tastes.
Liz’s salt of the earth approach to life and to the garden and her gentle humor makes The Seasoned Gardener an easily digestible read. She provides hundreds of practical tips, including how-to guides, observations and inspiration for both the beginner and practiced gardener alike.
Unlike many gardening books that run from January to December, this book starts in the autumn, when harvesting is at its peak. Most of the fruit, vegetables, herbs and flowers highlighted are grouped according to when we enjoy them most – at the point of harvest.
The Seasoned Gardener will show you how to:
- Enjoy the abundance of each month of the year
- Decide which plants are best to grow in your garden
- Find pleasure in your growing space year-round
- Avoid the pitfalls of doing too much at once
- Be creative with your garden resources
- Make the most of your time and energy
- Celebrate nature’s productivity as much as your own
This is a journey of experimentation and learning that will inspire you to grow tastier food and savor the experience.
Reviews and Praise
- "Knapp combines a science background with experience running his own farm, and after speaking with cold storage innovators across the country, he is sharing what he has learned . . . [With] practical know-how [Beyond the Root Cellar] ultimately shows that cold storage is within reach for all farmers."—Modern Farmer
More Reviews and Praise
- “Beyond the Root Cellar is the best resource on storing vegetables that I know of. This is next-level market gardening. Knapp is practical and inspiring—he shows modern methods for storing food and makes a strong case for why you should probably be storing more food on your own farm. Storing food is a win for customers, for farmers, and for the planet. If you grow vegetables, I recommend that you pick up a copy of this book.”—Ben Hartman, author of The Lean Micro Farm
- “As a seasoned practitioner and teacher of market gardening, it’s rare for a book to ignite my passion, but Sam’s work does just that. Overflowing with invaluable tips and innovative strategies, this guide goes beyond the typical fast crops seen in most market gardens. It dives deep into storage vegetables for year-round growing, empowering growers to extend their season. In the face of constraints, we discover our greatest teachers, and Sam’s insights from Alaska and its short growing season have broadened his perspective. This new book has certainly broadened mine, and I encourage all growers to study it and level up their farming game.”—Jean-Martin Fortier, author of The Market Gardener and The Winter Market Gardener
- “This book is the next step in creating resilient food systems and communities, telling us how to provide high-quality, nutritious local vegetables all year rather than importing them from warmer places in the winter. It is a vital resource for small farmers and home gardeners who want to extend their growing and selling season. Sam presents extensive and detailed information about the best varieties for long-term winter storage; which crops to harvest first when a fall cold snap is predicted and everything needs to be done at once; how to prepare crops for storage with curing, precooling, and proper washing; appropriate storage containers; and optimal storage conditions for each crop. I wish I had read this before I designed my own root cellar!”—Helen Atthowe, author of The Ecological Farm
- “Beyond the Root Cellar is a must-read for anyone who wants to store produce for any length of time. It’s too much work and investment to grow produce, only for it to decline in quality in storage. Produce can rot surprisingly quickly when stored under the wrong conditions, but it can also last for a surprisingly long time under the right conditions. Sam Knapp shows us the reality that vegetables will last only if harvested at the right stage, with the proper postharvest handling, temperature, humidity, and other factors. Detailing everything from the produce itself to the infrastructure you need to store it and the equipment that will help you maintain the right conditions, this book is an important contribution to making the entire year local food season! Even if you don’t plan on storing produce all winter, this book will show you how to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible.”—Andrew Mefferd, editor, Growing for Market magazine, author of The Greenhouse and Hoophouse Grower’s Handbook
- “Beyond the Root Cellar is a very thorough exposition of how to build, stock, and manage a root cellar. While it is definitely most helpful to large commercial operations that are mechanized, it goes into great detail across the board. Sam Kapp lays out the proper crops to store in a root cellar, along with their varying temperature and humidity needs. Because he lives in Alaska, it is particularly impressive what he has done to raise high-quality produce and then store it for later sale. An impressive and highly detailed book!”—Julie Rawson, organic farmer; author of Many Hands Make a Farm
- "[A] creative guide that demonstrates how growers can select, harvest, store, and market vegetables during the off-season. . . This practical, comprehensive book . . . is packed with valuable insights and unique strategies for readers looking to innovate their winter farming practices. It's a great resource for gardeners, farmers, homesteaders, and curious readers."—Library Journal
About Liz Zorab
Liz Zorab is the author of the bestseller Grounded: A Gardener's Journey to Abundance and Self-Sufficiency. She spent more than 20 years working with specialist housing charities and in community development, with an emphasis on innovative volunteering practices. An award-winning gardener, she gained an RHS Silver Medal for a community-led garden featured on BBC's 'Gardeners World Live' in 2002. A health crisis led Liz to turn to her life-long passion for gardening and growing food as a career. Liz spent several years transforming her 0.8-acre plot in Monmouthshire into an abundant smallholding. She is now regenerating a tired, over-grazed 4.5-acre site using permaculture practices. On less than an acre, she grows most of the food and drink her family enjoys each year, giving them food security, resilience and increased self-reliance. She enjoys spending time with Mr J (her husband) and her family, watching rugby and creative handicrafts, and has a distinct dislike of housework. Liz regularly writes for Permaculture Magazine, teaches gardening and self-sufficiency skills and encourages thousands of people to take up their trowels and live their dreams through a vibrant YouTube Channel, Liz Zorab – Byther Farm.
Books by Liz Zorab
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