Mediterranean Kitchen Garden

Explaining how to meet the particular challenges of growing edible plants in the hot, dry Mediterranean climate, this book brings the expertise of Spain's top organic gardener to an English-speaking audience. As well as outlining the principles of gardening organically, it provides full practical information on how to grow vegetables, fruit and herbs in Mediterranean conditions. It advises on matters such as irrigation, climatic factors and inherent characteristics of the region, and describes the kitchen garden through the gardening year.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1. THE VEGETABLE GARDEN The space Light and orientation Water Seeds and seed beds Feeding the earth Garden design What would you like to eat? Planning The garden through the year Garden construction Sunken, level or raised beds Bed construction Raised beds Level beds Tools Construction Maintenance Earth and digging Propagation Sowing Cuttings Layering Plant division Compost and fertilizer Copying nature Surface decomposition Composting methods Irrigation Irrigation methods How much water and how often? Plant protection Cold Greenhouses Tunnels Cones Wind Windbreakers Mulching Possible problems Prejudices Plagues Crop rotation Plant associations Gardening tips Tools and equipment Pruning Trees and bushes Climate Plants and climate Climatic maps Climate zones Hours of sunshine Last and first frosts Cosmic influences and the lunar calendar Moon planting The biodynamic cycle The garden through the year Winter in the garden Winter tasks The garden in spring Spring tasks The garden in summer Monitor the watering Abundant harvests Summer tasks The orchard The garden in autumn Autumn tasks Garden vegetables Artichokes Aubergines Beans: broad Green Beetroot Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflowers Celery Courgettes Cucumbers Escarole Fennel Garlic Kohlrabi Lamb's lettuce (corn salad) Leeks Lettuces Melons Onions Parsley Peas Peppers Potatoes Radishes Spinach Squash Strawberries Sweetcorn Swiss chard Tomatoes Turnips 2. THE AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL GARDEN Vitality in diversity Choosing plants Design and distribution Herbs and aromatic and medicinal plants Aloe Angelica Anise Basil Bay Borage Calendula Camomile Caraway Castor oil plant Comfrey Coriander Echinacea Elder Hyssop Lavender and lavendin Lemon balm Lemon verbena Marjoram Mint Nasturtium Nettle Pyrethrum (pellitory) Rosemary Sage Savory Stevia Tansy Thyme Valerian Wormwood and mugwort 3. THE ORCHARD Fruit trees Planning the orchard Problems with fruit trees Problem-free fruit trees Choosing fruit trees Plant or sow? Planting a tree step-by-step Digging Mulching: pros and cons Other means of propagation Grafting Pruning Popular fruit trees Citrus fruits Oranges Mandarins Lemons and limes Avocados Apricots Cherries Plums Pomegranates Figs Kiwis Apples Peaches Quince Loquat Medlars Pears Grapes BOX Plagues and parasites Appendices Seed saving Pests and diseases Drip irrigation system Plant associations and rotations

About the Author :
Mariano Bueno is Spain's top organic gardener and the author of a number of gardening books. Evelyn Fitzherbert is the granddaughter of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. She lives in Spain

Review :
I like the Bueno style and his plant associations and rotations are just as valid in the UK as in the Mediterranean. He seems very much at home with the plants he describes. Rosemary, he says, "generates a good presence." Yes. That's it exactly. -- Anna Pavord Independent