"Jim Stephens knows his vegetables. Follow his advice and you will have a successful, fruitful, pest-free garden--whether it is in a pot on your deck or a quarter-acre out back."--Marina Blomberg, garden editor, Gainesville Sun


With full-color photographs and detailed expert advice, this affordable paperback describes how to grow abundant vegetables and edible herbs in gardens anywhere in Florida.
Whether you’re planting spring peas and sweet corn or crisp cucumbers and the dill you need to can them, Jim Stephens offers clear explanations of useful gardening terms and practices and joins popular growing concepts with the expertise of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.
Combining his personal background with decades of experience as Florida Cooperative Extension Service vegetable specialist, Stephens explains
· types of gardens (including hydroponic and organic),
· site selection,
· vegetable variety selection,
· garden establishment and care,
· soil fertilization and management,
· climatic implications,
· cultivation practices, and
· harvesting and storing.

He also addresses the challenge of pests and diseases and includes a detailed and illustrated description of all the major and minor crops usually grown in Florida.

And he doesn’t overlook the basic, practical advice: thin the turnips, Stephens says; keep your tools sharp and clean; don’t use lawn fertilizer on those vegetables. His guide will be indispensable to county agents, school teachers, garden writers, and anyone who enjoys a juicy, homegrown tomato.

James M. Stephens is professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida and State Extension vegetable specialist in charge of educational programs for home gardeners. He was a founder of Florida’s Master Gardener program, the Florida Urban Gardening program, and the Organic Gardening Research and Education Center at the University of Florida. He is the author of more than 300 publications and articles and more than 200 radio and television talks on gardening

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"Jim Stephens knows everything about vegetable gardening. The state's expert is a card-carrying Cracker and a lover of the land. . . . As the chief vegetable garden agent for the state, he advises homeowners on what to plant in their backyard plots." -- St. Petersburg Times
--St. Petersburg Times

"A complete primer to growing abundant vegetables and edible herbs in Florida's unique climatic conditions. This is by far the best book I've seen for growing vegetables in our area." -- Jacksonville Times-Union
--Jacksonville Times-Union

"What a bargain! For the price of a couple of magazines, you get a complete and thorough guide to growing vegetables in Florida. This paperback book is packed full of information and illustrations." -- Garden News
--Garden News

"Cultivating vegetables in Central Florida will always be a challenge due to our sandy soils, humidity and profusion of pests. But Stephens' richly illustrated, 135 page guide demystifies the process and boils some confusing issues down to their basics.

From preparing a vegetable plot to its layout and what to grow in it, the author takes gardeners on a step-by-step path up to and beyond the harvest." -- Lakeland Ledger
--Lakeland Ledger

"If you grow vegetables, there's a new book out that has the expert advice you need to get the most out of your garden. Vegetable Gardening in Florida by James M. Stephens, is about as comprehensive a book on the subject as I have ever read. This guide will be indispensable to anyone who wants to get more and better crops from their home garden." -- Melbourne Florida Today
--Melbourne Florida Today

"A handy 135-page guide loaded with appetizing illustrations."-- Stuart News
--Stuart News

"If you don't know all there is to know about vegetable gardening in southern Florida, and you want to grow some, read this book first. You won't be sorry."-- Boca Raton News
--Boca Raton News

"Arguably no one knows more about how to grow a successful vegetable garden in Florida than James M. Stephens. . . . As Florida's premier vegetable expert and founder of the state's Master Gardener program, Stephens knows all the answers to gardeners' questions. . . . Vegetable Gardening in Florida is a must-have for the serious gardener."-- Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
--Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

"Offers more good information than most and is certainly more bang for the buck. There are important differences in this book and the popular competition. This is a book you can trust. The information presented is solid, science-based, and without the fluff and mythology often included at no extra charge in popular books on vegetable gardening. Vegetable Gardening in Florida is highly recommended to the general public anywhere in the country and especially to extension agents for reference or for use in their Master Gardener programs."-- HortTechnology
--HortTechnology

"Vegetable Gardening in Florida is all about the basics. It is all a beginner needs to know - selecting the site, planning, soil preparation, fertilizing, insects, diseases, etc. It includes a discussion of specific crops listed alphabetically and filled with useful and interesting information on each plant." -- The Florida Gardener
--Florida Gardener

"This book assembles more practical information on its subject than any other." - SouthernGardening.com
--SouthernGardening.com

" An excellent publication, " Vegetable Gardening In Florida", an easy to read, 125-page book, for the home vegetable gardener."
--Star-Banner

'Chock full of illustrations, photographs and enough information to turn even brown thumbs green."
--Jacksonville Magazine

"A wonderful, complete guide to gardening in Florida and it's got a lot of pictures. This book realizes the difference between Miami and Gainesville. It's a really good book for anyone who wants to vegetable garden."--Wendy Wilbur, horticulture coordinator at the Alachua County IFAS Extension Office
--Gainesville Magazine