{"title":"Steve Solomon","description":"Steve Solomon  is a well-known west coast gardening guru, and author of five previous books. The founder of Territorial Seed Company, he has taught Master Gardener and Urban Farm classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene. His book, Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades has appeared in five editions","products":[{"product_id":"gardening-when-it-counts-growing-food-in-hard-times-paperback","title":"Gardening When It Counts: Growing Food in Hard Times - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Shows us how to garden like our ancestors gardened . . . with just four basic hand tools, and with little or no electricity or irrigation.\" --Carol Deppe, author of \u003cem\u003eThe Resilient Gardener \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering. This book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household wastewater, perhaps two hundred dollars' worth of hand tools.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGardening When It Counts \u003c\/em\u003ehelps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food. Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to the new circumstances we find ourselves in. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDesigned for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, \u003cem\u003eGardening When It Counts \u003c\/em\u003eis inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Delightfully informative and abundantly rich with humor and grandfatherly wisdom. A must-read for anyone wanting a feast off the land of their own making.\" --Elaine Smitha, host of the \"Evolving Ideas\" cable talk show and author of \u003cem\u003eIf You Make the Rules, How Come You're Not Boss?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack Jacket\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \"... a magnificent synthesis of garden science, original garden research, and agricultural history. It shows us how to garden like our ancestors gardened - how to grow all our family's food with just hand labor, with just four basic hand tools, and with little or no electricity or irrigation.\" \u003cbr\u003e -- Carol Deppe, Ph.D., author of \u003cem\u003e Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties: The Gardener's and Farmer's Guide to Plant Breeding and Seed Saving. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e The decline of cheap oil and the threat of harder times to come is prompting people to grow more food themselves. But currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods depend on cheap oil, requiring high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter. Prior to the 1970s, home food growing used more land because wider plant spacing reduces the need for irrigation and requires lower levels of soil fertility to be productive -- and well-spaced plants can be weeded rapidly and conveniently with hand tools while standing upright. But these efficient systems have been largely forgotten. \u003cem\u003e Gardening When It Counts \u003c\/em\u003e helps readers rediscover these traditional low-input gardening methods in their quest to produce healthy and affordable food. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e Applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 square feet of garden land can halve their food costs in most climates using just the odd bucketful of household waste water, a few hand tools, and a few hundred dollars per year spent on supplies and seeds -- working just an average of two hours a day during the peak growing season. Helpfully illustrated, it covers a host of material including: \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Vegetables ranked by how difficult they are to grow \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Root systems as the key to gardening mastery \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Seeds, spacing and irrigation \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Home made organic fertilizer that really works \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e How to choose, use and sharpen hand tools \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Compost making, root-cellaring and irrigation \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e Chemical-free handling of insects and diseases. \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e Designed for readers with no experience, yet an eye-opener for even the seasoned gardener, \u003cem\u003e Gardening When It Counts \u003c\/em\u003e returns the backyard food garden to center stage for uncertain times ahead. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \"... delightfully informative and abundantly rich with humor and grandfatherly wisdom. A must-read for anyone wanting a feast off the land of their own making.\" \u003cbr\u003e -- Elaine Smitha, host of \"Evolving Ideas\" radio and television and author of \u003cem\u003e If You Make The Rules, How Come You're Not Boss? \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e Steve Solomon \u003c\/strong\u003e is a well-known west coast gardening guru and author of eight previous books. The founder of Territorial Seed Company, he has taught Master Gardener and Urban Farm classes at the University of Oregon in Eugene. His book, \u003cem\u003e Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades \u003c\/em\u003e has appeared in five editions since 1980. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51350717563103,"sku":"9780865715530","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/48AStx72079780865715530.webp?v=1788879074"},{"product_id":"growing-vegetables-west-of-the-cascades-35th-anniversary-edition-the-complete-guide-to-organic-gardening-paperback","title":"Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades, 35th Anniversary Edition: The Complete Guide to Organic Gardening - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe ultimate bible for organic vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest, featuring extensive updates and new material on soil health, natural pest control, and more\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Now in its seventh edition, this complete guide to organic vegetable, herb, and flower gardening addresses issues of soil, seeds, compost, and watering. \u003ci\u003eGrowing Vegetables West of the Cascades\u003c\/i\u003e has evolved from a self-published pamphlet into the master guide to organic gardening over the past thirty-five years. Steve Solomon, who founded the Territorial Seed Company, was one of the early proponents of organic gardening, and the first to codify and refine the best practices of small-plot vegetable gardening in the Pacific Northwest. The approaches to understanding and preparing soils, composting, chemical-free fertilizers, efficient uses of water, and garden planning are universal to any climate or region. Solomon gets specific in his extensive advice on growing specific crops--from tomatoes and beans to kale and turnips--in the gentle maritime Northwest climate. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis new and updated edition includes: \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e- A new formula for complete organic fertilizer and how to tweak it for different soil conditions\u003cbr\u003e- How-to sections for herbs and ornamental plants\u003cbr\u003e- New organization for better usability\u003cbr\u003e- Updated sources for appropriate seed suppliers\u003cbr\u003e- Information about natural pest controls","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51356437151967,"sku":"9781570619724","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/5TrPhviuLF9781570619724.webp?v=1788943888"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/steve-solomon.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}