Lawn, Garden and Farm: alphabetical order starting with "BEARING, FLANGED BALL 1/2" X 1-3/8""

The Lawn & Garden Owner's Manual
by Lewis Hill, Nancy Hill

Full of useful information on refreshing tired-out lawns and gardens, The Lawn and Garden Owner's Manual is a terrific, comprehensive guide to ongoing care and maintenance of those long-suffering lawns, fruit trees, and ornamental trimmings. Emphasizing care of plants that are already installed and in need of some tender loving care, there are lots of helpful charts and calendars to help you time your tasks properly. Troubleshooting areas are especially helpful for the lawn--you'll learn just how to fix those spots of patchy growth or yellow grass. Plant choices are aimed at providing attractive, low-maintenance options for all types of growing conditions. From grasses to vines, you'll find lots to update your existing lawn.

There's both organic and chemical solutions to pest and disease control. The authors caution you never to expect an instant fix for long-term problems--rather than being discouraging, this tactic will be reassuring to novices. There's lots of insight provided into why all these types of upkeep are necessary, and questions like "is pruning really worth it?" are answered in a straightforward manner. Whenever possible, replacements are offered for high-maintenance areas such as enormous lawns or disease-prone roses, and these replacements are often more attractive than the originals. Plenty of eye-pleasing color photos round out this handy, colorful addition to the gardening shelf. --Jill Lightner
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Successful Small-Scale Farming: An Organic Approach (Down-To-Earth Book)
by Karl Schwenke

Synopsis
Instructs the beginning farmer in evaluating and preserving the soil, acquiring and maintaining machinery, and raising a successful crop through sound farming practices.

From the Back Cover
"When I first wrote Successful Small-Scale Farming eleven years ago," writes Karl Schwenke in the preface to this new edition, "an 'organic farmer' was synonymous with a 'lonely hippie troublemaker.' Today he is classed somewhere between a high-priced elitist and an opportunistic liar."

So begins this classic guide to organic small-scale agriculture, fully updated and revised for the 1990s -- for a new generation of readers who would like to live closer to the earth.

Successful Small-Scale Farming introduces anyone owning (or planning to own) a small farm to both the harsh realities and the real potential involved in making a full- or part-time living on the land. Karl Schwenke's clear-eyed approach to the best farming methods covers a wide range of proven techniques and practical advice, including:

* How to improve, conserve, and enrich your soil organically, to ensure the highest (and healthiest) yields.
* What machinery you'll need and how to use it.
* The best "cash crops" and specialty crops to grow for profit and how to raise them.
* How to use innovative strategies to find or create a market "niche" for your farm's crops or services.
* A concise overview of essential farmstead skills, such as haying, fencing, and managing a woodlot.
* Numerous charts and tables that put useful calculations at your fingertips. top of page

With today's increased concern for the quality of the food we eat and the health of our environment, Successful Small-Scale Farming offers a unique and invaluable perspective on the future of agriculture. Karl Schwenke's message -- that small-scale farms can be cleaner, smarter, and more efficient than corporate agribusiness -- has never been so relevant as it is today. top of page

About the Author
Husband-and-wife author team Karl and Sue Schwenke live on a farm in Newbury, Vermont, where they have raised strawberries, pigs and hay among other crops. Sue is a teacher and Karl has been a professioanl writer for over 30 years. Together, this couple has written the book Build Your Own Stone House and Karl wrote the Storey title Successful Small-Scale Farming. His other work includes Sierra North and Sierra South from Wilderness Press, an organization in Berkeley, California, that he co-founded after graduating from college. Karl has also written In a Pig's Eye (Chelsea Green Publishing). top of page

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Proper Pruning Techniques

Pruning is a vital part of plant and tree care. This task can be confusing so we developed the following guide to help you prune properly.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

1. When Do Roses Need To Be Pruned?

Prune in winter or early spring when plants are still dormant. Prune plants to maintain symmetrical bushes and to encourage strong new growth. Cut back all previous years growth as much as one-third its length. Remove branches that cross through center and remove plants understock. Also prune weak and dead stems as needed. This will also encourage strong new growth.

2. When Do Crepe Myrtles Need To Be Pruned?

The best time to prune crepe myrtles is in February. Prune out twiggy stems and any dead wood. Thin out crossing or crowding branches in the plants center. If tree form, prune lower branches. Prune top to maintain symmetry. Each year after flowering, cut 12 to 18 inches off the tips of branches that have bloomed.

3. When Do Hollies Need To Be Pruned?

Prune in winter or early spring mostly to shape plants. Cut back wayward branches and prune out weak unproductive dead stems as needed.

4. When Do Butterfly Bushes Need To Be Pruned?

Butterfly bushes bloom in summer on new spring growth. They can be pruned in late winter or early spring. By pruning old blooms you will encourage new flowers. Also prune out old dead and unproductive branches.

5. When Do Hydrangeas Need To Be Pruned?

Hydrangeas fall into two groups. Some you prune in early spring and others after the flowers fade.

Early Spring Pruning
Hydrangeas bloom on new growth. These plants are Climbing Hydrangea, Annabelle, Grandiflora, and PeeGees.
After-Bloom Pruning
Hydrangeas bloom on last years stems. These include Bigleaf Hydrangeas, Oakleaf Hydrangeas, Lacecaps, SummerBeauty, and Nikko Blue. Pruning should be done when the flower has faded. Cut back the flowering stems to the strongest pair of new shoots. As plants mature, begin to thin out the oldest woody stems. Remove crowded crossing, broken, or dead branches.

6. When Do Clematis Need To Be Pruned?

Clematis can be put in three categories: Spring-flowering, summer-flowering , and twice-flowering.

Spring-blooming
Clematis produce flowers on stems that grew during the previous year. Prune when flowers are done blooming. Cut back the flowers that are now dead. Prune out any old dead stems as well.
Summer-blooming
Plants bloom on new growth produced in the spring. Cut back stems before new growth begins. Late autumn or early spring is a good time to prune. Cut back about 12 inches of old growth. Each year the vine will grow larger and stronger.
Twice-blooming
Plants first bloom in spring on stems produced the previous year. Late summer or fall will be the next bloom time. In late fall or very early spring, prune lightly to thin the stems. After the spring bloom, prune more heavily for more healthy stems to develop for the next bloom. After a second bloom, prune old flowers away.

7. When Do Fruit Trees Need To Be Pruned?

The most common fruit trees are apple, peach, pear and cherry.

Apple Trees
Apple trees should be pruned in late winter or early spring before new growth starts. Always remove all suckers (summer is a great time). Also remove dead and other unproductive branches as needed.
Peach Trees
Peach trees are fast growing and need to be pruned in winter. Without pruning the peaches will grow farther away from the tree's center. This will put great strain on the branches, causing them to break. In winter, thin out upward-growing branches that cross in tree's center.
Pear Trees
Prune back in early spring. Always prune dead and unproductive branches as needed.
Cherry Trees
Prune in winter. Prune out branches that cross in center and dead unproductive branches as needed.

8. When Do Azaleas and Rhododendrons Need To Be Pruned?

They can be pruned in winter or early spring. However pruning at this time will prevent plants from producing many blooms. The best time to prune azaleas and rhododendrons is just after their blooming period in spring. If you prune at this time , no additional pruning will be necessary.

9 When Do Junipers Need To Be Pruned?

Junipers need very minimal pruning. They should be pruned to correct their shape, to accent their form, or to limit their size. This should be done during the juniper's growing stages in mid-summer.

10. When Do Flowering Trees Need To Be Pruned?

Flowering trees should be pruned after they have finished blooming. Prune as little as possible. Dead branches, branches that cross in the center, and branches that are unproductive should be pruned out.

Three basic tools suffice for most pruning jobs: shears, loppers, and a pruning saw. Keep them sharp for clean cuts; disinfect after pruning diseased material.

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