A Seasonal Gardener's Handbook: Simple Gardening

By Donna L. Long

After reading this guide you will create your own seasonal gardening calendar using the natural signs of the Earth. This book includes information on growing flowers, trees, shrubs, fruits, and vegetables.

 

After reading this book you will know:

• when not to prune
• roots and how they grow
• how to have a simple compost pile
• how to harden off step-by-step
• the importance of chilling hours for some plants planting by the phases of the Moon
• the different types of annuals and when to plant them

• why you must be careful of adding nitrogen to the soil

Also included is a four-season guide to caring for your garden and a resource guide of top quality information.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Donna L. Long
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393589761

Donna L. Long

Donna L. Long is a Philadelphia writer, gardener, environmental science educator, and trained naturalist who writes on organic gardening, natural history, and environmental topics. She writes to call attention to those everyday joys and wonders, that make living here on planet Earth so good. 

Book preview

Part I

The Basics

Temperature and Frosts

Frost happens when the air temperature is thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) or less. At these temperatures, water freezes. Plants being filled with water will freeze and be killed at these temperatures. Understanding and watching out for frost is key to being a successful gardener.

The days from the last killing frost (32 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius) in the spring until the first killing frost in the autumn are the frost-free days and are called "the growing season". The Philadelphia growing season is counted as about 180 days long. This is calculated from April 30th to October 30th. Compared to growing seasons in the U.S. southern states which can stretch from 240 to 320 days, Philadelphia has a medium-length growing season. But the warm summer temperatures, plenty of rainfall, and loamy, acidic soil here are good. This makes the Delaware River Valley a great gardening