From the foremost authority in American gardening comes a must-have handbook for home gardeners who want a productive organic vegetable garden. In their first new book in over two decades, the American Horticultural Society offers indispensable insight into growing a modern edible garden at home, regardless of whether home is in the desert Southwest, the Midwestern plains, or on the shores of New England. Starting with a unique look at the history of vegetable gardening in North America, from indigenous cultures to Victory Gardeners to today's biodiversity-nurturing growers, Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening then digs into everything you need to know to cultivate a successful and productive vegetable garden without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers. Includes advice on:

• Choosing the best design and planting style for your site, from raised beds and row gardens to matrix plantings and food forests
• Deciding which varieties to plant, from heirlooms and ancestral selections to modern hybrids
• Fostering resiliency in the face of weather extremes, invasive pests, and other challenges
• Nurturing the garden as an ecosystem to preserve and protect soil life, pollinators, and other wildlife
• Conducting at-home soil assessments for compaction, biological activity, texture, and drainage
• Caring for the garden using natural techniques and products, including pinching, pruning, staking, fertilizing, and pest and disease control

The new American vegetable garden is a place of beauty and productivity with a diverse selection of edible crops and flowers that create a haven for plants, pollinators, and people as they fill your kitchen with flavor and nutrition.Whether you're a new garden lover or a long-time veggie grower, Essential Guide to Organic Vegetable Gardening has the science-based information you need to overcome today's gardening challenges and cultivate success. Also included in this series are Essential Guide to Perennial Gardening and Essential Guide to Ecological Gardening.