The Berry Grower's Companion

About this book

Bowling uses her twenty years of personal experience and professional expertise to illuminate the art and science of growing strawberries brambles (including raspberries and blackberries) blueberries grapes and a host of minor small fruits such as kiwi currants and gooseberries. A chapter is devoted to each of the main berry types and includes cultural requirements botanical traits the history of the plant in cultivation and in commerce appropriate cultivars for each region of the United States and pest and disease considerations. Because berry fruits are all too often ignored for their aesthetic and practical benefits Bowling includes a chapter on their contributions to the garden landscape. Full of good humor and infectious enthusiasm Bowling discusses practical considerations (What soils do the plants require? Which cultivars are best for a given site?) as well as philosophical concerns (What can we learn by growing food crops? What approach should we take with regard to pesticide use?).