About BC Books Online
BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Description
"The Prairie Gardener guides offer tips on planning, planting and growing gardens, and troubleshooting pests and diseases." —Calgary Herald
All the most common questions about growing vegetables in the prairies are answered in this first installation of the new gardening series, Guides for the Prairie Gardener.
Too often people think of vegetable gardening in the prairies as challenging, but certified master gardeners Sheryl and Janet are here to show you how rewarding it can really be.
From planning to planting, they encourage you to take a hands-on approach with your prairie garden. They let you know when—and how!—to transplant your carefully nurtured seedlings in the spring, ways to shelter your plants from that inevitable July hailstorm, and how to determine how much irrigation is necessary in the arid prairie climate. They help you figure out if you should prune your tomatoes, how to hold up your pumpkins off the ground, and maximizing your harvest by planting in succession. And they show you how you can directly influence the quality of your produce, minimizing problems such as woody radishes, buttoning cauliflower, and split cabbage heads.
This Q&A-style resource covers all your most common questions about cultivation practices, preventing damage from frost, flood, and drought, harvest and storage, and they cover your questions about the veggies you love to grow:
- Garlic, Onions, and Leeks
- Lettuce
- Brassicas
- Carrots, Celery, and Beets
- Legumes, Corn and Other Warm Season Edibles
- Tomatoes and Peppers
- Potatoes
- Squash, Pumpkins, and Cucumbers
Whether you’ve just acquired your first garden space, or you’ve been growing vegetables for decades, gardeners are always learning and experimenting, building on the wisdom gained on their own or from others. With Sheryl and Janet on your team you’re that much closer to achieving success in your prairie garden!
Editorial Review
Praise for The Prairie Gardener’s Go-To for Vegetables
"The Prairie Gardener guides offer tips on planning, planting and growing gardens, and troubleshooting pests and diseases." —Calgary Herald
"This book provides detailed cultivation, harvesting and storage tips for the vegetables grown in our region." —Western Producer
"From planning to planting to harvesting vegetables such as onions, lettuce, carrots, celery, beets, corn, legumes, peppers, potatoes, squash and more, this Q & A– style guide covers common questions about cultivation practices, preventing damage from frost, flood, and drought, and harvest and storage." —Prairie Books NOW
"If you’re a prairie gardener looking for a quick reference guide as to what could be eating or ailing your perennials, trees or shrubs, or why your vegetables are not growing as they should, you’re in luck . . . these books are especially helpful for beginner gardeners and as a quick reference throughout the gardening season." —The Gardener for Canadian Climates
Praise for Janet Melrose and Sheryl Normandeau
Honorable Mention at the American Horticultural Society Book Awards
"The Prairie Gardener's Go-To series comes in mighty yet digestible volumes covering popular topics like seeds, vegetables, and soil. . . Although each guide touches on regionally specific information, the wisdom of these seasoned gardeners applies to any garden, wherever it may be." —Acadia Tucker, author of Growing Perennial Foods
"Whether you’re looking for information on that one tiny pest you just can’t control, or are talking a new gardener through their first planting season, these slim but mighty volumes make great companions at the height of summer in the garden trenches and during cold winter days planning the next season.” —Floral Acres Greenhouse & Garden Centre
"The books are a pleasure just to leaf through, but the accessible writing and level of expertise makes them essential to any gardener’s library... Well-indexed, to help you find solutions to elusive problems. Highly recommended!"—Diane Miessler, Certified Permaculture Designer and author of Grow Your Soil
"Reading the Prairie Gardener's Go-To series is like sitting down with your friendly local master gardener. Delivers practice guidance that will leave you feeling confident and inspired." —Andrea Bellamy, author of Small-Space Vegetable Gardens
“The Prairie Gardener’s Go-To series offers knowledgeable yet accessible answers to questions covering a broad range of topics to help you cultivate garden success. Get growing!” —Lorene Edwards Forkner, gardener, writer, author of Color In and Out of the Garden
"A great resource for gardeners everywhere." —Quill & Quire
"In a digital world full of general information, their books provide specific knowledge for gardening in climates like Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Plus, everything they write about is based on their own experience." —Helpful Gardeners Podcast
"Melrose and Normandeau answer all the questions that the two experts could think of when it came to horticulture on the prairies." —Edify Edmonton
"Helping gardeners across the prairies succeed in growing food, flowers and everything in between." —Medicine Hat News
"Herbs offers highly local advice on how to grow herbs for your kitchen in our climate." —Savour Calgary
"With advice on which native grasses to use—and why—the book gives gardeners both inspiration and knowledge." —Alberta Views
"This go-to paperback addresses many issues of perennial plants that will prove extremely useful to gardeners." —Calgary Horticultural Society
"Advice on container gardens, raised beds, small plots and postage-stamp sized yards, and how to try your hand at vertical gardening." —Garden Making
“Written with wit and charm, Janet and Sheryl have given us the comprehensive, gardener-friendly guide to soil science everyone who grows a garden needs to read.” —Daryl Beyers, gardening instructor and author of The New Gardener’s Handbook
