Written especially for gardeners in the Canadian Prairie Provinces and the Northern Great Plains of the United States, this book shows you how to grow fabulous fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Discover how to design a growing space of any size, from planning your first vegetable patch or collection of potted herbs, to creating an urban landscape for all seasons entirely with edibles. More than one hundred edible plants are featured, including heirloom vegetables and new fruits bred especially for the prairies, illustrated with full-colour photographs. You will find detailed instructions on when, where and how to plant and care for each crop, as well as tips for harvesting, serving and preserving your homegrown produce.

New and experienced gardeners will find plenty of solid information about the best plant varieties and environmentally sound gardening practices to be successful in a challenging climate and short growing season.

Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens is packed with practical information about: Germinating vegetable and herb seeds indoors Choosing, planning and preparing a garden site When, where and how to plant outdoors Transplanting Garden care from planting to picking Proven strategies for avoiding and solving potential problems. Growing perennial edibles such as: Herbs, Asparagus, Rhubarb, and Prairie-hardy fruit trees and shrubs,Pruning and pollination When and how to harvest each crop Saving seeds from heirloom plants.

Also included is an extensive source list of mail-order seed and plant suppliers in Canada and the United States.

Content

Acknowledgements

CHAPTER 1: Planning the Edible Garden

Why Grow Your Own?
Organic Gardening
Botany for Gardeners
Getting Started
Defining Your Outdoor Space
Designing the Seasonal GardenChoosing Edibles for the Seasonal GardenDesigning the Permanent GardenChoosing Edibles for the Permanent Garden

CHAPTER 2: Planting the Edible GardenSoilPreparing the Soil
CompostingPlanting the Seasonal GardenWhen to Plant
Seeding and Transplanting Outdoors
Extending the SeasonPlanting the Permanent Garden
Mulch
Starting Seeds Indoors
Dividing Perennial Edibles

CHAPTER 3: Growing and Harvesting the Edible GardenWatering Edible Plants
Fertilizing Edible Plants
Weeds
Pruning Woody Fruits
Pollination and Fruiting
Thinning Fruit
Pest and Disease PreventionPest and Disease Prevention in the Seasonal Garden
Disease Control in the Permanent Garden Gathering the Harvest
Saving Seeds
Closing the Growing Season

CHAPTER 4: Edible Plants for the Seasonal Garden: Annual Vegetables and HerbsCool-Season Vegetables and Herbs
Warm-Season Vegetables and Herbs

CHAPTER 5: Edible Plants for the Permanent Garden: Perennials, Fruiting Shrubs, and Fruit TreesPerennial Vegetables, Herbs, and Small Fruits
Fruiting Shrubs and Fruit Trees

Index of Seed and Plant Sources in Canada and the United States
References
Index

\"The recently released Edible Plants for Prairie Gardens by June Flanagan is a \"must read\" for both gardeners and chefs. Ms. Flanagan, who lives and gardens in Lethbridge, also wrote Native Plants for Prairie Gardens she integrates her strong botanical background with her local experience and draws on over fifty cited references to provide us with a wealth of information. . . The photographs are captivating, often mouth-watering, those raspberries and strawberries! There's much in this book for both novice and experienced prairie gardeners.\"
— The Scarboro Garden Scene, Calgary

\"This book is comprehensive and packed with the collective wisdom of most of the pre-eminent horticulturalists in the Northern Great Plains. Flanagan thoroughly describes in simple language how to achieve great results, and the book is formatted to answer the what, when, where, and how questions that gardeners pose to help achieve bountiful harvests.
The luscious photography provides visual encouragement that prairie dwellers can grow a breadth of crops well beyond what is commonly known, including: herbs and spices, vegetables, and fruit.\"
— Forrest Scharf, Provincial Specialist, Fruit Crops, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture