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Gardening for Geeks
CompanionHouse Books™ is an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing
Project Team
Editor: Amy Deputato
Copy Editor: Laura Taylor
Design: Mary Ann Kahn
Index: Elizabeth Walker
Copyright © 2020 by Christy Wilhelmi and Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc.
Gardening for Geeks (978-1-62008-358-1, 2020) is an updated edition of Gardening for Geeks (978-1-4405-5779-8, Adams Media, 2013) and now includes additional plant profiles, updated research and terminology, and more photographs and illustrations.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Fox Chapel Publishing, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Print ISBN 978-1-62008-358-1
eBook ISBN 978-1-62008-359-8.
The Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.
This book has been published with the intent to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter within. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the author and publisher expressly disclaim any responsibility for any errors, omissions, or adverse effects arising from the use or application of the information contained herein.
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Dedication
For Mom and Dad
Acknowledgments
The updated version of this book would never have happened were it not for Katie Elzer-Peters, who introduced me to Bud Sperry at Fox Chapel Publishing, and everyone at Fox Chapel, who gave new life to Gardening for Geeks. Special thanks to Andrew Cheeseman, for always encouraging the best in me, and to Jonathan Blank, who knows a thing or two about book publishing and willingly spent time sharing it with me—I cannot thank you enough.
I must draw particular attention to the garden geeks who have inspired my gardening exploits throughout the years (in no particular order): John Jeavons, the late Mel Bartholomew, the late Geoff Hamilton, Rosalind Creasy, Michael Pollan, David King, Jere Gettle, Louise Riotte, Barbara Kingsolver, and everyone at Ocean View Farms organic community garden. To those who helped clarify the material for this book, I appreciate the access you afforded me: Victoria Boudman of the Square Foot Gardening Foundation, Eben Fodor of SunWorks, Master Preserver Rose Lawrence of Red Bread Bakery, irrigation wunderkind Russell Ackerman, and, again, John Jeavons of Ecology Action.
Special thanks to Martha Brown at UC Santa Cruz and David Rosenstein of Our Food for taking the time to show me around their fabulously geeky gardens. Last, but never least, I must thank my parents, Frank and Jo Wilhelmi, for being the engineer/carpenter and nurse/wonder-cook geeks who begat this geek.
Contents
Creating Your Garden Ecosystem
Keeping Order: Trellises and Cages for Crops
Appendix A: Browns and Greens for your Compost Bin
Appendix C: How to Build an Eight-Plant Tomato Crib
Appendix D: Mounds: Naturally Raised Beds
Introduction
What’s It All About?
When garden geeks get excited about a subject, they want to know everything. Gardening is an exciting topic—a vast world of soil biology, botany, and horticulture. It cross-pollinates with the insect world, meteorology, and nutrition. The more we learn about gardening, the more we realize there is to learn. It’s
