The decline of cheap oil is inspiring increasing numbers of North Americans to achieve some measure of backyard food self-sufficiency. In hard times, the family can be greatly helped by growing a highly productive food garden, requiring little cash outlay or watering.
Currently popular intensive vegetable gardening methods are largely inappropriate to this new circumstance. Crowded raised beds require high inputs of water, fertility and organic matter, and demand large amounts of human time and effort. But, except for labor, these inputs depend on the price of oil. Prior to the 1970s, North American home food growing used more land with less labor, with wider plant spacing, with less or no irrigation, and all done with sharp hand tools. But these sustainable systems have been largely forgotten. Gardening When It Counts helps readers rediscover traditional low-input gardening methods to produce healthy food.
Designed for readers with no experience and applicable to most areas in the English-speaking world except the tropics and hot deserts, this book shows that any family with access to 3-5,000 sq. ft. of garden land can halve their food costs using a growing system requiring just the odd bucketful of household waste water, perhaps two hundred dollars worth of hand tools, and about the same amount spent on supplies - working an average of two hours a day during the growing season.
Steve Solomon is a well-known west coast gardener and author of five previous books, including Growing Vegetables West of the Cascades which has appeared in five editions.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Easy to use for both beginners and advanced gardeners:
This book is easy to read and comprhensive. It even tells a person how to start a garden in the spring. Great for first timers who didn't know to get the garden prepared the Autumn before. It also provides lists on which veggies are easy to grow and hearty and which require more care and are delicate.
Sound Gardening Advice:
Comprehensive, to the points, easily read but full of gardening goodness. I would HIGHLY recommend anyone considering a garden reading this book first to ensure you don't waste: money, time, or energy. My family put off building our garden just so we can finish the book and ensure we build it right the first time.
practical advice not found in other gardening manuals:
Whoa... talk about turning my whole world of gardening upside-down! This tome has earned a permanent spot on my bookshelf by telling me things that make good common sense I've never read elsewhere. Solomon really laid it out to me about composting. It turns out everything I've thought I should do... like turning my compost frequently and chopping it into tiny bits to get it to decompose faster... burns up much of the nutritional value of the stuff by making it burn too hot. The most earth-shattering for me... more info
Things I Never Knew About Gardening!:
I am a gardener and I read books and magazines in addition to my hands on efforts. This book has made me think about the way I have been gardening and the complications that I have put on my efforts. This is a much more simple way to do things and I have learned so much about larger spaces, the effort levels of fruits and vegetables, simple tool use and care and water resources. Excellent book. Although I bought it for myself, I had to get it away from my husband.
