Incredible Vegetables from Self-Watering Containers: Using Ed's Amazing POTS System Book

Shiny green cucumbers; firm, juicy tomatoes; baby lettuces handpicked one salad at a time—these are the tasty benefits of the backyard vegetable garden. But earth gardens are a lot of work. They require a plot of plantable land and a significant time commitment to sowing, watering, weeding, and tending each plant.

Is there a solution? Self-watering containers allow vegetable gardeners—from the casual weekender interested in a tomato plant or two to the very dedicated gardener with limited space—to grow richly producing plants in a controlled, low-maintenance environment.

Lifelong gardener Ed Smith became fascinated with the possibilities of self-watering containers and began testing dozens of vegetables in various containers, experimenting with nutrients, soil mixtures, plant varieties, and container positioning. Now Smith is here to tell gardeners that anyone can grow and enjoy wonderful organic vegetables, using pots with continuous- flow watering systems.

Smith shares advice on choosing appropriate containers, how to provide balanced nutrition using his secret soil formula, and what additional tools benefit the container gardener. The reader will also find advice on starting from seed versus buying plants, which vegetables thrive in containers and which might be a bit more challenging, along with space-saving tips on pairing plants in single containers. After the last green tomato has been picked and is ripening on the windowsill, Smith wraps everything up with a chapter on fall clean-up and preparing for next spring. Now there’s really no excuse for store-bought tomatoes!

Library Journal

The vegetable gardening genre grows with these two titles. Bradley and Courtier have a lot of experience in that field and have written an easy-to-understand, comprehensive guide to growing vegetables and herbs with mainly organic methods. They begin by describing planning the garden, preparing the soil, sowing, planting, cultivating, and harvesting; individual entries for each plant including detailed instructions for planting, starting seeds, caring, and harvesting follow. "Problem Solver" boxes share how to deal with insect pests and plant diseases specific to the plant, while "Best of the Bunch" lists suggest varieties with descriptions. Packed with information, this beautifully illustrated book for both experienced and novice gardeners is highly recommended for libraries needing an additional book on how to grow vegetables. Smith (The Vegetable Gardener's Bible) writes for those who don't have the room-or the inclination-for an in-ground vegetable garden. Although many container gardening books detail how to grow vegetables like tomatoes in pots, Smith also shows us how to grow cauliflower, brussels sprouts, and many other vegetables in self-watering containers. He begins with general information about choosing pots and soil, starting transplants, cultivating, and managing pests and diseases; next, he shares in-depth instructions for organically growing each vegetable, herb, or edible flower in a pot. For each plant, he includes suggestions for pot sizes and information on planting, cultivating, harvesting, suggested varieties, and which plants grow best in pots. Illustrated with stunning photographs throughout, Smith's book is highly recommended for all libraries.-Sue O'Brien, Downers Grove P.L., IL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.