Most beginning gardeners aren't familiar with the concept of permaculture and might be overwhelmed by books about it, but this quick guide with lots oMost beginning gardeners aren't familiar with the concept of permaculture and might be overwhelmed by books about it, but this quick guide with lots of full-color photos and helpful tips demystifies the topic and makes designing and planting an edible landscape both appealing and straightforward. After a brief explanation of why food-producing gardens are more beneficial than lawns, the authors invite readers to explore their outdoor spaces and get to know them before planning their gardens. Then they walk the reader through various kinds of garden design, from containers kept close to the home to raised beds and even a food forest.
Many of the basics are covered here: understanding the conditions your garden is working with (sun, rain, soil), discovering the variety of foods you can grow at home, and tending and maintaining crops and garden spaces. But the book also gives examples of themed gardens, from edible flowers or a tea garden to perennial vegetables. Side bars throughout the book explain different terms or concepts, like a sun map or sheet mulching, and also provide multiple budget-saving tips for the home gardener.
Overall, it's a vibrant and inspiring introduction for gardeners who want not just to grow their own food but to do so in a sustainable way. 4 stars.
Thank you, Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own....more
If you tend to follow the rules laid out in many gardening books, you might approach gardening as a bit of a chore. But Trimble's latest offering showIf you tend to follow the rules laid out in many gardening books, you might approach gardening as a bit of a chore. But Trimble's latest offering shows readers how to find ways to bend the rules and take a more creative, joyful approach to gardening, using both head and heart to design a food landscape that meets your particular needs and dreams.
Trimble suggests we rethink the rules of gardening: garden beds don't need to be straight rows or rectangular raised beds, perennials and annuals can grow side by side, plantings can be mixed, and some herbs and vegetables can be used as living mulches. She reminds the gardener to work with nature, choosing native plants and allowing space and resources for beneficial insects and pollinators. Above all, she wants gardeners to experience abundance: not just of the food produced in the garden, but of good health, joy, calm, play, and connections with others.
This delightful full-color book includes many photos as well as profiles on other gardeners along with their design ideas, small charts on things like pairings for companion planting or the medicinal properties of food plants, and tables on plant families and life cycles. While it could benefit from a brief bibliography that would offer titles with more information on some of the topics covered, overall this guide offers ideas for readers who are ready to put a more personal stamp on their gardens.
Thank you, Storey Publishing and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own....more
Beginning gardeners and even some long-time gardeners will find useful tips here for growing a healthy garden and maintaining it through the seasons. Beginning gardeners and even some long-time gardeners will find useful tips here for growing a healthy garden and maintaining it through the seasons. While this book features Ohio, a state with a long history of agriculture and an abundant diversity of crops, the series includes many other books tailored to individual states.
The book begins with information on understanding climate and microclimates, basics for gardening, and suggestions for garden planning before launching into a month-by-month look at your garden. Each month includes to-do lists for planning, preparing/maintaining, planting, and harvesting, as well as a more detailed information on topics ranging from seed starting to seed saving, from extending the growing season with a small hoop house to nurturing the soil with compost, mulch, and cover crops. The book also includes very useful planting/harvesting charts along with 1-2 page profiles of plants from Arugula to Zucchini. The resource section gives information on seed companies and web sites along with places for other garden supplies.
Overall, this book provides a handy quick reference guide that will meet the needs of most home gardeners, especially those just starting out.
Thank you, Timber Press and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own....more
Good as an intro for those starting to think about homesteading, but once you've decided to tackle one of the skill sets in more depth, the book lacksGood as an intro for those starting to think about homesteading, but once you've decided to tackle one of the skill sets in more depth, the book lacks any direction for further resources....more
Maybe I've read too many of these "Self-reliance" guidebooks recently, but this one just didn't grab me. Plenty of good information, but not as appealMaybe I've read too many of these "Self-reliance" guidebooks recently, but this one just didn't grab me. Plenty of good information, but not as appealing to me. (It didn't help that the editing in the first chapter at least was pretty poor.)...more
Though this book seems aimed at a younger, hipper audience, I found it paled in comparison to Carla Emery's classic The Encyclopedia of Country LivingThough this book seems aimed at a younger, hipper audience, I found it paled in comparison to Carla Emery's classic The Encyclopedia of Country Living. (And it needed a much better editor -- so many typos and incoherent phrases!)...more
I had never read any of Kingsolver's work prior to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but since then I've stumbled across more of her articles and been drawnI had never read any of Kingsolver's work prior to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, but since then I've stumbled across more of her articles and been drawn in by her evocative writing. This is the first of her novels in my "to read" pile, and it stunned me with its poetry -- with her ability to use words to wrap you in the scents and temperatures and lush senses of summertime in Appalachia. The interwoven trio of stories, which mesh together in a surprising but exquisite pattern by the end, allow Kingsolver to explore her own ideas on ecology, farming, and life -- and all their inherent conflicts and contradictions -- without becoming preachy or heavy-handed. It's a book that allows you to settle into the comforting rhythm of another world while still giving you room for deep thought....more
Between Sloane's clear, elegant, old-fashioned illustrations and his down-to-earth explanation of weather phenomena, I savored this book and learned qBetween Sloane's clear, elegant, old-fashioned illustrations and his down-to-earth explanation of weather phenomena, I savored this book and learned quite a bit about gauging the weather forecast from simple observations. I'll have to find a copy of this for my reference shelf....more
It's one thing to have a starry-eyed vision of "the simple life" -- living on a farm, having cute animals, having all the good things our grandparentsIt's one thing to have a starry-eyed vision of "the simple life" -- living on a farm, having cute animals, having all the good things our grandparents had. It's another thing to go beyond that vision, live the reality, and still retain a sense of wonder and humor along with the hard-earned wisdom that the fairy tale isn't quite what you expected. Jenna Woginrich manages to become more self-reliant through making mistakes, and even with the frank telling of her ups and downs, she still makes it sound like heaven on earth.
As homesteading how-to books go, it's on the superficial side, but its charm lies in her happy-go-lucky attitude, her modern sensibility, and her willingness to keep learning (and to offer a handful of useful resources so others can learn, too). A treasure of a read....more
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