Grow your own sustainable clothes!From seed to shirt, Cindy Conner shows you how to plant, grow, harvest, process, spin, and weave cotton and flax into cloth from which you can sew your own clothes. And since cotton and flax are made from plants, when your clothes' usefulness has passed they can also return to the environment without causing harm--a truly renewable and sustainable option for clothing.Whether you live in colder climates where flax can thrive, or warmer clima...

Community-based initiatives to preserve and protect our food supplyHistorically, seed companies were generally small, often family-run businesses. Because they were regionally based, they could focus on varieties well-suited to the local environment. A Pacific Northwest company, for example, would specialize in different cultivars than a company based in the Southeast. However the absorption of these small, independent seed businesses into large multinationals, com...

Row by row - maximize your harvest and feed your soil by developing a customized plan for your gardenEveryone loves to prepare a meal with ingredients fresh from their own garden. But for most of us, no matter how plentiful our harvest, homegrown produce comprises only a fraction of what we eat. And while many gardening guides will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about individual crops, few tackle the more involved task of helping you maximize the perce...

Desert or Paradise is a practical guide to restoring damaged, unproductive land by constructing or restoring lakes and ponds to support abundant edible landscapes. These provide fresh water mixed aquacultures, orchards and crops planted along the banks and literally reaquify the surrounding landscape to turn back the tide of encroaching desertification. Desert or Paradise will explain why natural water management is at the centre of any earth restoration; how to design water retention areas t...

In this authoritative guide, Ed Smith shares how to grow a thriving and bountiful vegetable garden through his high-yield method that emphasizes wide rows, organic methods, raised beds, and deep soil.Succeed with fussy plants, try new and unusual varieties, and learn how to innovatively extend your growing season. With thorough profiles of hundreds of popular varieties, The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible provides expert information and an inspiring roadmap for...

Develop mature compost right in your garden. Barbara Pleasant and Deborah Martin explain their six-way compost gardening system in this informative guide that will have you rethinking how you create and use your compost. With your plants and compost living together from the beginning, your garden will become a nourishing and organic environment that encourages growth and sustainability. You’ll also find that the enriched soil requires less tending, weeding, and mulching, so you can do less...

A practical guide to repelling indoor and outdoor pests using organic methods, updated with new information on getting rid of bedbugs and dust mites, plus includes updated online resources.If you’ve ever had a swarm of fruit flies in your kitchen or a gopher wreaking havoc in your yard, you may have wondered what a conscientious gardener or homeowner can do short of heavy-duty chemical warfare. Dead Snails Leave No Trails is a comprehensive guide to repell...

Rodale was founded on the belief that organic gardening is the key to better health both for us and for the planet, and never has this message been more urgent. Now, with Organic Manifesto, Maria Rodale, chairman of Rodale, sheds new light on the state of 21st century farming. She examines the unholy alliances that have formed between the chemical companies that produce fertilizer and genetically altered seeds, the agricultural educational system that is virtually subsidized by th...

"Would You Like To Learn How to Grow Organic, Juicy, Mouth-Watering Tomatoes In Your Own Backyard?" It may surprise you but growing tomatoes at home is not the easiest thing in the world. In order to get the perfect crop, many things must be done at just the right time. Missing any of these crucial steps will cause your efforts to go down the drain and ruin your tomato crop. Fortunately, most of the things you need to know aren't ...

Want to compost but aren't sure where to start? Need a little help with a compost pile that's already in the garden? Compostology 1-2-3 is the answer! It's simply the best--and most complete--guide to successful composting for every garden size, and it answers the most-asked questions: What is compost? Why is it important? How do you make compost? And how do you use compost?The experts at Organic Gardening share their years of experience with composting, blending ...

Straw bale gardening is an inexpensive, low-maintenance way to grow a bounty of food in a small space. All you need is a bale of straw, some fertilizer, and your favorite vegetable seeds! Craig LeHoullier's step-by-step instructions show you how to do everything from sourcing the straw and setting up your bale to planting, dealing with weeds and pests, and harvesting.

The number of beekeepers has been doubled or trebled in many localities according to the statistics of Beekeepers' Associations and doubtless the total production of home-produced honey has been stepped up considerably. It is to be hoped this increase in the Nation's annual honey crop will continue, and, what is of even greater importance, that this increase in the nation's bee population will also be maintained, for it has been proved that the main value of the honey bee in the national e...