Whether you are a beginning or experienced gardening enthusiasts, a student of gradening, or a horticultural professional, The Why and How of Home Horticulture, Second Edition will prepare you to face virtually any gardening situation. Like no other gardening book, it supports its practical, how-to-do-it guidelines with clear explanations of the relevant scientific principles of horticulture. You will know what steps to take--and why those steps are working. The Why and How of Home Horticulture ranges from the aesthetics and history of gardening to essential techniques and practices for indoor or outdoor ornamental gardens, vegetable gardens, and home orchards. Thoroughly updated, this new edition includes information and issues that have emerged in the last decade, particularly in the areas of organic gardening, biotechnology, and genetic engineering. And as before, the final chapter is a complete, self-contained gardening handbook offering practical tips for everything from soil preparation to processing the harvest. The Why and How of Home Horticulture, Second Edition--no other horticulture guidebook so clearly articulates the science, the skills, and the pleasures of gardening.