great fruit and vegetable guide

More than 1,000 expertly chosen varieties FRUIT GREAT VEGETABLE GUIDE & GREAT VEGET ABLE GUIDE FRUIT & LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, DELHI Project Editor Becky Shackleton Project Art Editor Rebecca Tennant Senior Editor Helen Fewster Senior Art Editor Joanne Doran Managing Editor Esther Ripley Managing Art Editor Alison Donovan Jacket Designer Mark Cavanagh Picture Researcher Sarah Hopper DK Images Claire Bowers Database Manager David Roberts Production Editor Joanna Byrne Production Controller Mandy Inness Associate Publisher Liz Wheeler Publisher Jonathan Metcalf Art Director Peter Luff North American Consultant Pamela Ruch US Editors Shannon Beatty, Margaret Parrish, Rebecca Warren Writers Ann Baggaley, Guy Barter, Helena Caldon, R.L. Rosenfeld, Pamela Ruch, Diana Vowles, Rosemary Ward First American Edition, 2011 Published in the United States by DK Publishing 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 11 12 13 14 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 001—179521—Mar/2011 Copyright © 2011 Dorling Kindersley Limited All rights reserved Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book. Published in Great Britain by Dorling Kindersley Limited. A catalog record for this book is available from the Library of Congress. ISBN 978 0 7566 7158 7 DK books are available at special discounts when purchased in bulk for sales promotions, premiums, fund-raising, or educational use. For details, contact: DK Publishing Special Markets, 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014 or SpecialSales@dk.com. Printed and bound by Star Standard, Singapore Discover more at www.dk.com GREAT VEGET ABLE GUIDE FRUIT & How to use this guide 8 Why grow your own 10 Planning your plot 12 Watering and feeding 16 Weeding and mulching 18 Pests and diseases 20 FRUIT 22 TREE FRUITS 26 Apples 28 Pears 42 Plums, Damsons, and Gages 52 Sweet and sour cherries 64 Peaches and Nectarines 74 Apricots 82 Figs 86 Medlars and Quinces 90 Citrus: lime, lemon, citron, limequat, kumquat, orange, grapefruit, calamondin, and mandarin 94 Nuts: walnuts, almonds, sweet chestnuts, pecans, cobnuts, and hazelnuts 100 SOFT FRUITS 106 Grape vines 108 Strawberries 116 Raspberries 126 Blackberries and Hybrid berries 132 Gooseberries 136 Black, White, and Red currants 142 Blueberries 148 Cranberries 154 Melons 158 VEGETABLES 166 ROOTS 170 Potatoes 172 Carrots 184 Parsnips 196 Beets. 202 Sweet potatoes 210 Rutabagas 216 Radishes 220 Turnips 228 Salsify and Scorzonera 234 Jerusalem artichokes 238 BRASSICAS AND LEAFY VEGETABLES 242 Cabbages 244 Brussels sprouts 260 Cauliflowers 266 Broccoli 276 Kale 284 CONTENTS Spinach 290 Swiss chard 296 Kohlrabi 302 Bok choy 306 Chinese cabbage 310 ONION FAMILY 314 Onions 316 Shallots 326 Leeks 332 Garlic 340 Scallions and Bunching onions 346 STEM VEGETABLES 354 Asparagus 356 Rhubarb 362 Celery 368 Celeriac 374 Florence fennel 378 PEAS AND BEANS 382 Peas 384 Runner beans 390 Green beans (bush and pole) 398 Fava beans 406 Beans for drying: kidney cannellini, lablab, lima, soybeans, haricot, borlotti, and Southern peas 410 SALAD VEGETABLES 416 Lettuces 418 Salad greens: sorrel, perilla, corn salad, komatsuna, cress, mibuna, mizuna, purslane, New Zealand spinach, arugula, tatsoi, Chinese broccoli, choy sum, chop suey greens, mustard greens, par-cel, red orache, texsel greens, and celtuce 432 Chicory 446 Endives 452 FRUITING VEGETABLES 456 Globe artichokes 458 Tomatoes 462 Peppers (sweet and chili) 480 Eggplants 496 Corn 504 CUCUMBERS AND SQUASHES 518 Cucumbers 520 Zucchini, Marrow squashes, and Summer squashes 532 Pumpkins and Winter squashes 544 Supplier list 556 Acknowledgments 560 [...]... THIS GUIDE HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE This guide showcases over 1,000 of the best available fruit and vegetable cultivars, chosen for their flavor, reliability, and ease of cultivation More than 100 different crops are covered, and each has a guide to successful growing Every entry includes a description of the cultivar’s important features and qualities, and many are also pictured ICON KEY Each fruit or vegetable. .. disease should be removed and destroyed Fruit Tree Fruits Apples Pears Plums, Damsons, and Gages Cherries Peaches and Nectarines Apricots Figs Medlars and Quinces Citrus Nuts 26 TREE FRUITS APPLES Malus domestica The quintessential tree fruit, apples offer an astounding array of varieties, wide-ranging fruit flavors, and a large choice of training forms, from freestanding trees and wall-trained cordons,... superior and sometimes unusual and little known fruits and vegetables that you’ll never find in the one-or-two-typesfits-all produce section of your local supermarket Plants are also featured that are readily available, particularly hearty or disease-resistant, and easy to grow Don’t limit your choices—there is a huge range of fruits and vegetables out there, and this book will help you to discover them and. .. WATERING AND IMPROVING THE SOIL 17 IMPROVING THE SOIL To produce healthy crops, fruit and vegetable plants remove a lot of the nutrients from the soil It’s vital to replenish these by digging in an organic material such as compost or manure and applying fertilizer during growth COMPOST AND MANURE Fill a compost bin with plant matter and kitchen waste, ensuring that you provide it with air, warmth, and moisture,... capsid bugs Net to deter birds; set up a jam-trap to attract wasps; use grease bands on the tree and its stake to keep winter moth caterpillars from climbing the trunk and laying eggs in the tree; and if aphids or apple sawfly are detected, remove damaged fruits and spray trees with a pyrethroid insecticide Resistance to pests and diseases can vary between cultivars, so check catalog for specific advice... gently from the tree and, spacing them so that they are not touching, lay them out on trays, or wrap them in tissue paper and hang in plastic bags Store them in a cool, dark, place and check the fruits regularly for signs of decay Capsid bugs (left) target young leaves, creating spots and ragged holes Wasps (right) will target damaged fruits to feast on the sweet, ripe flesh 30 TREE FRUITS ‘Cox’s Orange... warm it beforehand, then place a cloche over the plant to help to maintain a constant temperature while the seeds are germinating You can improvise a cheap and easy cloche by cutting a plastic bottle Protect your plants with a cold frame Recycle to create your own cloches 20 INTRODUCTION A HEALTHY GARDEN The varieties of fruits and vegetables in this book have been chosen for taste and reliability... bacteria They are often more difficult to prevent and contain than pests; they can be spread by spores in the air, rainwater splash, animals and insects, and also by poor garden hygiene Diseases vary in severity—some are fairly superficial and can be treated, while others are severe enough to cause the plant to die (see growing guides for specific information and advice) PREVENTION • Rotate your crops to... regular feeding, watering, and weeding • When pruning fruit trees, Gray mold coats and rots crops remove diseased or dead material immediately Be careful not to tear the wood, since this creates an open wound through which diseases might enter • Make sure that you clean and sterilize your tools and equipment regularly If you use a greenhouse or potting shed, keep it clean and ventilated—diseases will... control and garden hygiene after planting (see growing guides for advice) 12 INTRODUCTION PLANNING YOUR PLOT If you have the luxury of a large backyard or urban garden, make the most of it by ensuring that you plan your plot carefully Bear in mind that some crops require differing soil types, locations, and microclimates, and that some will spread and become quite large (see individual growing guides . More than 1,000 expertly chosen varieties FRUIT GREAT VEGETABLE GUIDE & GREAT VEGET ABLE GUIDE FRUIT & LONDON, NEW YORK, MUNICH, MELBOURNE, DELHI Project Editor. Printed and bound by Star Standard, Singapore Discover more at www.dk.com GREAT VEGET ABLE GUIDE FRUIT & How to use this guide 8 Why grow your own 10 Planning your plot 12 Watering and feeding. feeding 16 Weeding and mulching 18 Pests and diseases 20 FRUIT 22 TREE FRUITS 26 Apples 28 Pears 42 Plums, Damsons, and Gages 52 Sweet and sour cherries 64 Peaches and Nectarines