Overview

Mid-South Gardening is the definitive guide to growing vegetables in the Middle South (Zones 6-7 of Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and North Carolina). Over a century of intensive farming of corn, cotton, and soybeans have destroyed many of the soils of this region, such that vegetable gardeners often have to contend with depleted soils, soils without any topsoil remaining, or soils contaminated with weedkillers and pesticides. In addition, the Mid-South is known for its variable climate, with hot, humid summers that nevertheless often bring weeks or months of drought, and cold, muddy winters when warm, sunny days may alternate with freezing rain and temperatures in the teens. Climate change is likely to make this unpredictability much worse. First-time gardeners in the South face these challenges, plus weed and insect pressure far beyond what most Maine or California gardeners will ever see. Author John Wages has drawn on his years of experience with organic gardening not only in the South, but also on the East and West Coasts, to explain the best strategies for dealing with the unique problems faced by gardeners in the South. Written with the new gardener or the transplanted Northerner in mind, this book guides the gardener on the best ways to overcome these challenges. The heart of the book is a compendium of usual and unusual vegetables, venturing from beans, okra, and tomatoes to huazontle, edible gourds, air potatoes, and Lagos spinach, with detailed growing recommendations for each, plus tips for growing broccoli, kale, and other cool-weather vegetables in the South. Emphasizing organic gardening methods, the author also covers the advantages of a permaculture approach, incorporating diversity in plantings to attract pollinators and other beneficial insects, and many other techniques. Resource lists, including other books on Southern gardening, links to state agricultural resources, and seed companies, round out the offering. Gardeners in difficult climates or on problem soils-not only in the South-will find tools for success in this book.

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9781727513158

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John Wages publishes Permaculture Design magazine, a quarterly magazine of solutions based on ecological design founded in 1985. John grew up in northeast Mississippi, in the countryside just beyond the city limits of Tupelo, the birthplace of Elvis Presley. Much of what John learned about growing traditional Southern vegetables came from his parents and grandparents. He has always gardened, whether behind a townhouse in suburban Maryland, during a year in the Willamette Valley in Oregon, or in his ocean-facing backyard in coastal northern California. He now lives at home again in north MS, where he gardens on the same soils where he and his grandmother once grew lima beans and turnip greens. He earned a B.S. in biochemistry from Mississippi State University and a Master's degree in biology from Johns Hopkins and has worked over 20 years in biomedical research and development. This deep grounding in chemistry and biology guide his understanding of soil and plant science, from understanding soil test results to explaining the differences between heirloom, hybrid, and GMO vegetables.

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