RHS: Get Growing

HOLLY FARRELL is the author of Planting Plans for your Kitchen Garden (2013, How To Books) and RHS Plants from Pips (2015, Mitchell Beazley). She contributes to gardening magazines such as The Garden and Kitchen Garden, and has a blog at www.hollyefarrell.com.  Holly trained at RHS Gardens Wisley where she gained the Wisley Diploma in Practical Horticulture and the RHS Certificate and Diploma, both with Commendation. After working as Head Gardener on a private estate she now combines her career as a garden writer with freelance work as a consultant on kitchen gardens for private clients. Holly has been growing her own fruit and vegetables for many years, in a variety of settings from allotments to container gardens. Holly is also a keen and experienced baker, and while she's happy to produce wedding cakes for friends or hundreds of biscuits for a Christmas market stall, she doesn't need a reason to bake! The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 and has established itself as the leading gardening charity, with the aim of inspiring passion and excellence in the science, art and practice of horticulture. The world-famous RHS Lindley Library holds unique collections of early printed books on gardening, botanical art and photographs.

Introduction
How to use this book
 
1. WHERE CAN YOU GROW?
How does your garden grow?
In the ground
In raised beds
In containers
Growing up
Growing inside
Other options for getting growing
Gardens for tricky situations
 
2. HOW DO PLANTS WORK?
Roots and shoots
Making food from light
The water chain
Energy storage
Nature’s recycling
Ecosystems
 
3. THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF GARDENING
How to identify a plant
Where to get plants
What else will I need?
Sowing seeds
Planting in pots and in the ground
Watering your plants
Feeding your plants 5
Cultivating a healthy garden
Weeds and weeding
 
4. GET GROWING… VEG
Peas and broad beans
Carrots
Climbing beans
Sweetcorn
Salad leaves
Tomatoes
Pumpkins and courgettes
Chillies
Potatoes
 
5. GET GROWING… FRUIT
Strawberries
Raspberries
Currants
Blueberries
Apples and pears
Cherries and plums
Fruit trees from pips
 
6. GET GROWING… HERBS
Basil
Thyme and chamomile
Lavender
Lemon verbena
Mint and lemon balm
Edible flowers
Design a herb garden
 
7. GET GROWING… FLOWERS AND WILDLIFE GARDENS
Types of flowers
A cut flower patch
A pot of flowers for every season
Where the wild things are
A pond in a bucket
Art in the garden
 
8. GET GROWING… HOUSEPLANTS
Desert landscape – growing succulents
Leafy plants
Plants for free – pups and cuttings
Air plants
Grow a living screen
Carnivorous plants
Jungle plants and ferns
 
9. WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR GARDEN IN
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter
 
EXPERIMENT RESULTS AND EXPLANATIONS
 
Glossary
Further resources
Index
Credits