| Introduction |
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1 | (6) |
| About This Book |
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2 | (2) |
| Part I: The Creative Part |
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3 | (1) |
| Part II: Vegging Out |
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3 | (1) |
| Part III: Green Acres...or Yards...or Feet: The Get-Down-and-Dirty Part |
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4 | (1) |
| Part IV: The Part of Tens |
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4 | (1) |
| Appendix |
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4 | (1) |
| Icons Used in This Book |
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4 | (2) |
| Silencing the Excuses |
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6 | (1) |
| Part I: The Creative Part |
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7 | (32) |
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Chapter 1: Beauty and a Feast |
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9 | (8) |
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Planting Plots with Personality |
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10 | (2) |
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Ornamental edible gardens |
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10 | (1) |
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11 | (1) |
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12 | (4) |
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Hybrids: Arranged marriages |
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14 | (1) |
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Open pollination: A plant free-for-all |
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15 | (1) |
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Heirlooms: Like granny used to grow |
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15 | (1) |
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Altered genes: The next generation |
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15 | (1) |
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Gardening to Prevent Pest Problems |
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16 | (1) |
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Chapter 2: Choosing Your Spot and Using It Well |
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17 | (12) |
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18 | (3) |
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19 | (1) |
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Rain, rain, go away; my soil needs to drain today |
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20 | (1) |
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Getting the scoop on slopes |
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21 | (1) |
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21 | (6) |
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Deciding on rows, hills, or raised beds |
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22 | (2) |
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24 | (2) |
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26 | (1) |
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Gliding down the Garden Paths |
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27 | (2) |
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Chapter 3: Working with Mother Nature |
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29 | (10) |
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Some Like It Cool, Some Like It Hot |
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29 | (1) |
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Frost Dates and the Length of the Growing Season |
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30 | (2) |
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If It's Not Too Cold, It's Too Hot |
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32 | (1) |
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Planting Guides Just for You |
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32 | (7) |
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33 | (1) |
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And a little farther north in Michigan |
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34 | (1) |
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35 | (2) |
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37 | (2) |
| Part II: Vegging Out |
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39 | (156) |
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Chapter 4: And the Winner Is...Tomatoes |
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41 | (16) |
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42 | (6) |
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44 | (1) |
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45 | (1) |
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46 | (1) |
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47 | (1) |
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48 | (1) |
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48 | (5) |
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Planting on and up: Staking, caging, and trellising |
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49 | (2) |
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Fertilizing and maintaining |
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51 | (1) |
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52 | (1) |
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53 | (3) |
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54 | (1) |
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54 | (2) |
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56 | (1) |
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Chapter 5: Tomato Cousins: Peppers and Eggplants |
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57 | (16) |
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58 | (7) |
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58 | (2) |
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60 | (1) |
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61 | (3) |
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Pretty peppers: The ornamentals |
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64 | (1) |
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65 | (1) |
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65 | (1) |
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65 | (1) |
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66 | (1) |
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66 | (5) |
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Fertilizing and watering tips |
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68 | (1) |
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69 | (1) |
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70 | (1) |
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Healthful Tips and a Recipe |
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71 | (2) |
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Chapter 6: The Big Three Root Crops: Carrots, Onions, and Potatoes |
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73 | (18) |
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74 | (2) |
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74 | (1) |
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75 | (1) |
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76 | (4) |
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77 | (2) |
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79 | (1) |
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80 | (2) |
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81 | (1) |
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Favorite potato varieties |
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81 | (1) |
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The Root to Grow and Gather |
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82 | (5) |
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84 | (1) |
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84 | (1) |
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85 | (2) |
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87 | (1) |
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88 | (1) |
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Healthy Roots and a Recipe |
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89 | (2) |
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Chapter 7: Lovely Legumes: Peas and Beans |
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91 | (16) |
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91 | (6) |
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93 | (1) |
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94 | (1) |
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94 | (2) |
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96 | (1) |
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97 | (2) |
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97 | (1) |
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98 | (1) |
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99 | (1) |
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99 | (7) |
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99 | (3) |
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Keep on pickin': Harvesting your crop |
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102 | (2) |
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Thwarting pests and diseases |
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104 | (2) |
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106 | (1) |
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Chapter 8: The Viners: Cucumbers, Melons, Pumpkins, and Squash |
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107 | (18) |
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108 | (2) |
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110 | (2) |
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112 | (3) |
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The Great Pumpkins: Squash with Culture |
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115 | (2) |
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117 | (6) |
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117 | (1) |
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118 | (1) |
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The birds and bees: Ensuring proper pollination |
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119 | (2) |
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Harvesting your vining crop |
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121 | (1) |
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Controlling pests and diseases |
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122 | (1) |
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123 | (2) |
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Chapter 9: King Cole Crops: Cauliflower, Cabbage, Broccoli, and Brussels Sprouts |
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125 | (14) |
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126 | (6) |
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126 | (2) |
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Bringing on the Brussels sprouts |
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128 | (1) |
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129 | (2) |
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131 | (1) |
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132 | (2) |
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Planting summer cole crops |
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133 | (1) |
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133 | (1) |
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134 | (1) |
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134 | (3) |
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134 | (1) |
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Harvesting Brussels sprouts |
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135 | (1) |
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135 | (1) |
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136 | (1) |
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Putting a Stop to Pesky Pest Problems |
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137 | (1) |
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137 | (2) |
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Chapter 10: It's Easy Being Greens: Lettuce, Spinach, Mesclun, and Swiss Chard |
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139 | (14) |
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140 | (2) |
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142 | (2) |
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Some savoy-spinach standouts |
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142 | (1) |
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Smooth and spinachlike standouts |
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143 | (1) |
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The Show Stopper: Swiss Chard |
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144 | (1) |
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A Taste of the Exotic: Specialty Greens |
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144 | (2) |
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146 | (5) |
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Exercise your "greens" thumb year-round |
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147 | (1) |
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148 | (1) |
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Add fishy fertilizer for needed nitrogen |
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149 | (1) |
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149 | (1) |
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Water to win the war against wilt |
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149 | (1) |
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To harvest: Cut and come again |
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149 | (1) |
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Work out the bugs (and other common ailments) |
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150 | (1) |
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Souping Up Your Body with Greens |
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151 | (2) |
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Chapter 11: Sweet Corn + 30 Extraordinary Veggies |
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153 | (28) |
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Sweet Corn and Its Relatives |
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154 | (4) |
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154 | (3) |
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157 | (1) |
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157 | (1) |
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More Extraordinary Vegetables |
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158 | (23) |
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158 | (1) |
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158 | (2) |
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160 | (1) |
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161 | (1) |
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162 | (1) |
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162 | (1) |
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163 | (1) |
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164 | (1) |
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164 | (1) |
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164 | (1) |
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165 | (1) |
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165 | (2) |
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167 | (1) |
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168 | (1) |
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168 | (1) |
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169 | (1) |
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170 | (1) |
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171 | (1) |
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171 | (1) |
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171 | (1) |
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172 | (1) |
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172 | (1) |
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173 | (1) |
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174 | (1) |
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175 | (1) |
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176 | (1) |
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177 | (1) |
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Salsify and black salsify |
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177 | (1) |
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178 | (1) |
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178 | (2) |
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180 | (1) |
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Chapter 12: Herbs, Berries, and More: Not Veggies, but They Sure Taste Good |
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181 | (14) |
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181 | (10) |
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182 | (1) |
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183 | (1) |
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184 | (1) |
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185 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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186 | (1) |
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187 | (1) |
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188 | (1) |
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189 | (2) |
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191 | (1) |
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191 | (1) |
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191 | (1) |
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Blackberries and raspberries |
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192 | (1) |
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192 | (1) |
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193 | (2) |
| Part III: Green Acres...or Yards...or Feet: The Get-Down-and-Dirty Part |
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195 | (106) |
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Chapter 13: On Your Mark, Get Set...Grow! |
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197 | (20) |
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Choosing Seeds or Transplants |
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198 | (2) |
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Direct seeding versus seeding indoors |
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199 | (1) |
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200 | (8) |
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Containing your seeds and seedlings |
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200 | (2) |
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Adding a little dirtless soil (or is it soilless dirt?) |
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202 | (1) |
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Sowing your seeds in containers |
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202 | (2) |
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204 | (1) |
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205 | (1) |
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Thinning and transplanting indoors |
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206 | (1) |
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207 | (1) |
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Transplanting Indoor Seedlings and Starter Plants |
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208 | (3) |
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208 | (1) |
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Toughening up transplants |
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209 | (1) |
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Planting roots in the ground |
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209 | (2) |
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Sowing Seeds Directly in Your Garden |
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211 | (6) |
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Choosing a seed-planting method |
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212 | (3) |
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Thinning seedlings in your garden |
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215 | (2) |
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Chapter 14: Workin' the Dirt |
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217 | (16) |
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217 | (3) |
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Killing weeds and aggressive grasses |
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218 | (1) |
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219 | (1) |
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Analyzing and Improving Your Soil |
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220 | (7) |
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Putting your soil to the test |
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221 | (2) |
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223 | (2) |
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Adding dead stuff to your soil |
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225 | (2) |
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227 | (1) |
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228 | (5) |
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How to build a compost pile |
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229 | (1) |
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Materials that don't belong in compost |
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230 | (1) |
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Moisten and turn your compost pile |
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231 | (2) |
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Chapter 15: Maintaining Your Vegetable Garden |
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233 | (26) |
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233 | (3) |
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How to tell when your veggies are thirsty |
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234 | (2) |
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Some general watering tips |
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236 | (1) |
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Ways to Water Your Vegetable Garden |
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236 | (6) |
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236 | (1) |
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237 | (1) |
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237 | (1) |
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238 | (1) |
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239 | (1) |
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Drip irrigation and microsprinklers |
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239 | (3) |
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242 | (4) |
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242 | (2) |
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244 | (2) |
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Knowing when and which mulch to use |
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246 | (1) |
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Determining What Notable Nutrients Your Soil Needs |
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246 | (2) |
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Using Fertilizer in Your Vegetable Garden |
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248 | (6) |
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Reading a fertilizer label |
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249 | (1) |
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Choosing a fertilizer: Chemical or organic |
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249 | (2) |
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251 | (3) |
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Supporting Your Vegetables |
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254 | (2) |
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256 | (3) |
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Battling weeds before planting |
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256 | (1) |
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Battling weeds after planting |
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257 | (2) |
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Chapter 16: Some Cool Farmer Techniques |
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259 | (8) |
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Cover Crops and Green Manures |
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259 | (3) |
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260 | (1) |
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261 | (1) |
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262 | (1) |
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263 | (1) |
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264 | (1) |
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265 | (1) |
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Planting by Phases of the Moon |
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265 | (1) |
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266 | (1) |
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Chapter 17: Growing Vegetables in Containers |
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267 | (10) |
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What Type of Container Should You Use? |
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268 | (1) |
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269 | (1) |
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Which Vegetables Grow in Pots |
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270 | (2) |
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272 | (1) |
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Caring for Container Veggies |
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273 | (2) |
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Some Bee-U-tee-ful Vegetable Combos |
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275 | (1) |
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Greenhouses and Hydroponics |
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276 | (1) |
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Chapter 18: Off with the Bugs: Keeping Plants Pest-Free and Healthy |
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277 | (16) |
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For Pest Control: Empower the Good Guys |
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278 | (9) |
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Know your enemy: A bad-bug roundup |
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279 | (4) |
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283 | (4) |
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Gardening to Eliminate Diseases |
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287 | (2) |
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Keeping Animals Out of Your Garden |
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289 | (4) |
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Chapter 19: Harvesting and Storage |
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293 | (8) |
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293 | (3) |
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Pick 'em, Eat 'em, or Put 'em Away |
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296 | (3) |
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Freezing, Canning, and Drying Veggies |
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299 | (1) |
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300 | (1) |
| Part IV: The Part of Tens |
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301 | (18) |
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Chapter 20: Sets of Ten Special-Purpose Vegetables |
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303 | (2) |
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Chapter 21: Ten Tools of the Trade |
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305 | (8) |
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306 | (1) |
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306 | (1) |
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307 | (1) |
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307 | (2) |
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309 | (1) |
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310 | (1) |
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310 | (1) |
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Buckets, wagons, and baskets |
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310 | (1) |
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Wheelbarrows and garden carts |
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311 | (1) |
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311 | (2) |
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Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Extend Your Growing Season |
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313 | (6) |
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Location, location, location |
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313 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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314 | (1) |
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315 | (1) |
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316 | (1) |
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317 | (1) |
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Growing in containers or indoors |
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318 | (1) |
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318 | (1) |
| Appendix: Planning Guide and Other Resources |
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319 | (20) |
| Guidelines for Planting |
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319 | (4) |
| Frost Dates and Length of Growing Season |
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323 | (4) |
| Check Out Your Hardiness Zone |
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327 | (1) |
| Where to Find Seeds and Other Resources |
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327 | (8) |
| Vegetables, herbs, and flowers |
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328 | (4) |
| Seed-savers |
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332 | (1) |
| Fruits and berries |
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332 | (1) |
| Tools and supplies |
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333 | (2) |
| U.S. and Canadian Master Gardeners |
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335 | (1) |
| Web Sites about Vegetables |
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336 | (3) |
| State sites |
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337 | (1) |
| Cyber-veggies |
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337 | (1) |
| Magazines |
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338 | (1) |
| Index |
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339 | |
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Book Registration Information |
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Back of Book | |
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