How to Grow Your Food: A Guide for Complete Beginners

After working on various sailing yachts around the world for several years, including three transatlantic sailing crossings and a period in the merchant navy, Jon Clift settled ashore, becoming involved in teaching, sailing and outdoor pursuits. Following his first degree in education, he spent a period as Director of Outward Bound Wales and latterly ran his own sailing school in South Devon. Having always been concerned about environmental issues Jon decided to 'walk the talk' and took a Masters in Sustainable Environmental Management, working with a major water company for his dissertation. He now works as an environmental consultant, and still keeps his toes wet running sea survival courses. Jon lives in Salcombe, South Devon. Amanda Cuthbert started her working life in the theatre before becoming a founder member of Sky Television, writing, presenting and producing programmes. Sixteen years ago she left the TV life behind to run a small farm in Devon; having been concerned about environmental issues since childhood, she put her ideas into practice - growing organic vegetables, leaving fields unsprayed and raising sheep, pigs and hens organically. Author of The Dreamer's Guide to Running Holiday Accommodation (Breese Books) and co-author of The Briefcase and the Baby: A Nanny and Mother's Handbook (Mandarin) she now works as a writer and editor, and raises chickens and grows her veg in south Devon. Amanda and Jon have previously collaborated on other environmental subjects, and have written other titles in the Green Books Guides series: Water: Use Less Save More, Energy: Use Less Save More, Climate Change: Simple things you can do to make a difference, Greening Your Office: An A-Z Guide, How to be a Student and Not Destroy Planet Earth and How To Grow Your Food: A Guide for Complete Beginners.

With advice for the new gardener, covering everything from how to plant seeds, when to pull up the carrot and how to harvest potatoes, this book will sort you out - whether you have a balcony, bare concrete, a patio or a larger patch of ground.

Introduction 1 Before you start 2 The basics 3 Easy-to-grow vegetables 4 Easy-to-grow fruit 5 Easy-to-grow herbs 6 Useful gardening terms 7 Common problems