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By growing vegetables in containers, even novice gardeners can reap a bounty of organic food in very small spaces. Anyone can harvest tomatoes on a patio, produce a pumpkin in a planter, or grow broccoli on a balcony — it’s easy! Bestselling author Ed Smith shows you how to choose the right plants, select containers and tools, care for plants throughout the growing season, control pests without chemicals, and much more. He even includes plans for small-space container gardens that are perfect for urban and suburban gardeners.

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CLEARANCE ITEM. PREVIOUS RETAIL PRICE WAS $16.95. AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Whether we are nearing the end of oil or merely nearing the end of inexpensive oil, it is becoming increasingly clear that we need to find alternative ways to meet our energy needs. Biodiesel is one such alternative, and it's one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. economy.

Biodiesel in North America is in its infancy. As air quality deteriorates in major centers, governments are scrambling for ways to reduce emissions and are embracing biodiesel in their fleets. Conferences on biodiesel are often "inaugural," as society begins discussing this fuel in earnest.

Biodiesel Power is a chronicle of this emerging industry. Lightly touching on the technical aspects of the fuel, its qualities and specifications, the book is largely about the people and stories of the biodiesel movement. It explores the tensions between:

• grassroots activists and their altruistic co-ops
• the profit-minded commercial producers and the voices of agribusiness
• the government

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With this book in hand, readers of any age will discover — just outside their own doors, no matter where they live—a world they never knew existed. Stunning photography is combined with expert information to create an up-close-and-personal tour of the hidden lives of spiders, beetles, butterflies, moths, crickets, dragonflies, damselflies, grasshoppers, aphids and many other backyard residents. You won’t believe your eyes! Each creature is shown in its natural setting, and many are shown progressing through the stages of their life cycles. This is a one-of-a-kind look at some of life’s most fascinating mysteries — surprising, captivating, and perfect for nature lovers of all ages.

About the authors
Sister and brother Judy Burris and Wayne Richards are the co-authors of The Life Cycles of Butterflies, winner of Learning Magazine’s 2007 Teacher’s Choice Award for “Children’s Books” and “Product of Excellence for the Family.” Richards' butterfly garden won the Cincinnati Horticultural Society’s Gardener Recognition Award. Burris and Richards' articles and photography, as well as many stories written about them, have been published in Butterfly Gardener, Birds and Blooms, The Cincinnati Enquirer, Better Homes and Gardens, Cincinnati, and Backyard Living.

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Learn how to collect, save, and cultivate the seeds from more than 300 vegetables, herbs, fruits, flowers, trees and shrubs. It’s easy, and it’s fun! Authors Robert Gough and Cheryl Moore-Gough thoroughly explain every step in the seed-saving process. Descriptions of seed biology; tips on how to select plants for the best seeds; and advice on harvesting and cleaning, proper storage and care, and propagating and caring for new seedlings are all presented with clear, easy-to-follow instructions.

Chapters dedicated to individual plants contain species-specific directions and detailed information. Gardeners of any experience level will find all the information they need to extend the life of their favorite plants to the next generation and beyond.

About the authors
Robert Gough holds a doctorate in botany and is Professor Emeritus of Horticulture at the College of Agriculture, Montana State University. He is the author of 17 gardening books, 500 extension service publications, and articles for Fine Gardening, Country Journal, National Gardening, Zone 4, Montana Magazine, and Harrowsmith. He served as Extension Horticulturalist in Montana, hosted the popular Dr. Bob’s Northern Gardening Tips radio program for 10 years, and was a panel member on PBS’s Montana Ag Live for 15 years. He is a Fellow of both the American Society for Horticultural Science and the North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture, as well as a member of the advisory board of Zone 4.

Cheryl Moore-Gough holds an M.S. in Plant Sciences from Montana State University, where she retired as State Extension Horticulturalist in Montana; she is currently adjunct assistant professor in Horticulture. Moore-Gough has instructed and coordinated the Montana Master Gardener program as well as various undergraduate classes at MSU, and has published numerous works alone and with her husband, Dr. Robert Moore, including five gardening books. She has written for Montana Magazine, Fine Gardening, American Nurseryman, Zone 4 Magazine, and hosts “Northern Gardening Tips” carried by radio stations throughout Montana, Wyoming, and South Dakota on the Northern News Network. She has been gardening and saving seeds in Montana for 30 years.

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CLEARANCE ITEM. PREVIOUS RETAIL PRICE WAS $24.95 AVAILABLE ONLY WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!

Plan a flower garden for season-round beauty and color with this indispensable reference to growing 541 annuals, perennials and bulbs. Each plant listed features precise information on regional suitability; how to sow seeds indoors and out; how and when to transplant seedlings; general plant care; when to expect the plant to flower; and how to propagate the plant. An at-a-glance design planner lists bloom time, color, height, and site requirements for more than 1700 species. All this, plus a full-color gallery of more than 500 flowers, makes this the essential Potting Bench Reference Book for every flower gardener.

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Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory is a must-have reference for all backyard fruit growers and commercial orchardists who care about the rich diversity of fruit, berry and nut varieties offered by mail order nurseries in the United States This comprehensive “catalog of catalogs” is now available in its newly updated fourth edition, which lists 280 nurseries offering nearly 6,000 varieties of fruits, berries and nuts — everything from apples and bananas to tangerines and buartnuts.

The information presented in this book is so unique and invaluable that fruit growers everywhere will turn to it again and again, looking for sources that offer rare nineteenth-century apples, or for descriptions of newly bred grapes, or even for unusual varieties of tropical fruits. Where else could you find sources for Maiden Blush apple (1817), African Rhino Horn banana, Leningrad Giant currant, Adriatic fig, Pineapple grape, Dr. Beaumont macadamia, Choctaw pecan or Yellow Egg plum?

Backyard and commercial growers concerned with the loss of biodiversity will deeply appreciate Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory. Fruit breeders, plant collectors and amateur growers can tell quickly which varieties are being offered by only one or two companies and need to be purchased while sources still exist and permanently maintained to prevent being lost forever. Everything commercially available can be scanned to find varieties perfect for specific climates or resistant to local diseases and pests. Northern and high-altitude growers can use the book to find exceptionally hardy, short-season varieties that will survive and mature in their locations. Orchards, nurseries and botanical gardens can use it to find sources for unique plant material.

The fruits, berries and nuts available today are the result of centuries of collection and amateur development, further refined by the world’s finest breeding programs. Growers and breeders have developed regionally adapted varieties with superior taste, disease resistance and countless other virtues. Fruit, Berry and Nut Inventory opens the orchard’s gate and invites us to discover them.

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More than a blank book, here is a unique guided journal with just the right amount of inspiration and ample room to record all your reflections on nature.

About the author
Clare Walker Leslie is a nationally known wildlife artist, author and educator. She has connected people of all ages to nature using drawing, writing, and observing the outdoors for the last 30 years. Her previous books include Nature Drawing: A Tool for Learning and Keeping A Nature Journal. She lives in Cambridge, Mass. and Granville, Vt. with her husband.

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When should you prune? How much should you remove? What’s the difference between pinching and heading back? How can you be sure that you’re not harming your plants? For all of your pruning questions, The Pruning Answer Book has the answers. Clear instructions, expert advice, and detailed illustrations give you everything you need to successfully prune flowering trees, fruit and nut trees, shrubs, brambles, evergreens, vines, groundcovers and more.