• Traditional knowledge meets new ideas: in this one-of-a-kind book, the authors – an experienced farmer and a young gardener – relate their experiences.
• What tasks do you need to attend to, and when? How do you plan and maintain mixed crops? All the tasks that need to be performed in the cottage garden, month by month.
• From your own seed to the crops’ growth, development and the final harest, this book shows you what you need to consider when managing a garden for self-sufficiey.
• The easy-to-follow checklists and practical tips will make your gardening work easier, while creative ideas and delicious recipes will inspire you and encourage you to try them out.

What should be sown in the soil this month? How long does the germination ability of seeds last? How should I arrange companion planting? For all these questions, the author Walpurga Schillinger provides answers based on her many years of experience as a self-sufficient farm woman and farmer. In this book, she shares her knowledge of the farm garden and shows how to successfully manage your vegetable garden. The young gardener Charlotte Pohse offers creative ideas from her newly established garden: for example, how to catch snails with oranges or how to build an insect hotel yourself. Fact-based gardening advice, delicious recipes, and traditional knowledge make this book a one-of-a-kind guide for all garden enthusiasts and self-sufficiency seekers.

Walburga Schillinger is a farmer, home economist, and herbal educator who has been running a historical farm garden in the Black Forest for decades, growing vegetables for family self-sufficiency. She shares her extensive gardening knowledge and experience in guided tours, workshops, and seminars.

Charlotte Pohse studied forestry and nature conservation and delved into the culture of farm gardens in her thesis. In addition to her studies, she has been involved in gardening and landscape architecture, as well as various gardening activities. She spends a lot of time with her three children and taking care of her garden.