Alright, eager gardeners. This time I wanted to do a spotlight on a book that might be of use to you. This book was given to me by my sister-in-law and I’ve really enjoyed it. The book is Grow Great Grub and it is written by Gayla Trail, an urban gardener from the land of the Mounties (Oh Canada!). The thing that’s nice about this book is that it is geared towards people who don’t have that ‘perfect garden spot.’ Increasingly, more Americans find themselves in this situation. So how do you grow stuff if you live in an apartment or in the city with no yard? Or in Canada? Gayla gives lots of creative growing solutions that are space-friendly. But that’s not all. Even those with a good spot to dig in a garden (like me, currently) can find lots of helpful info about avoiding pests, maintaining nutrients and the like. And, best of all, Gayla takes an eco-friendly approach to gardening, so you can feel good about taking care of your garden. Here’s some of the highlights of the book:
Eco-friendly ways to beat pests and diseases
Co-planting to maximize your plants’ potential
How to get essential plant nutrients and when you need them
A breakdown of several veggies, fruits and herbs with a basic how-to-grow
How to harvest and store your plants (canning, freezing, etc.)
Gayla has also helped Jenna and I overcome our failure streak with carrots! To put things in perspective, here’s what I wrote about carrots in our garden journal last year: “Make no mistake orange, rooty things: you will be conquered! Veni vidi vici mangé! ‘And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ So, all things considered, I highly recommend Gayla’s book as an introduction to gardening or to hone your skills. And that’s even taking into consideration the masculinity crisis I had over reading something by the author of You Grow Girl, (also written by Ms. Trail).
PS – One of the many benefits we’ve had from composting (see others here) is the surprise growths we’ve had out of the pile. It started with an onion back in Texas, led to a boss-awesome sweet potato plant last year, and this year, to a breathtaking surprise of kale. Here it is:
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