Edible Landscaping: Urban Food Gardens That Look Great, by Senga Lindsay: a Review

Edible Landscaping: Urban Food Gardens That Look Great by Senga Lindsay

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


If you are looking for a book to give you examples of different types of areas that can be landscaped for edible purposes, this is a good book. If you are looking for copious example pictures to inspire you, this is not the book you are looking for. If you are looking for a quick run down of various different colored common edibles, this is a good book for you. If you are looking for a long list of edible plants, their growing requirements, and a few edibles one might not think of on their own, this is not the book for you. It's a good starting point with some great ideas for gardening with kids in mind as well as good information you will be able to use when you start planning your garden, but it will have to be a companion book to a more extensive one that deals more with plants than garden form.

Little House in the Suburbs: Backyard Farming and Home Skills for Self-Sufficient Living by Deanna Caswell - A Review

Little House in the Suburbs: Backyard Farming and Home Skills for Self-Sufficient Living by Deanna Caswell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The only thing I didn't like about this book is the fact that it made me want goats and chickens as pets for my kids. Slyly, it avoided talking about the inherent problem with animal ownership: someone has to care for those animals, even when you're not there, and therefore travel is complicated. Obviously, this means I should not be a goat or hen owner.

This is supposed to be a book review, not a discussion on why I shouldn't own farm animals, inside the village limits, that my son would love to pieces all while helping us be somewhat more self sufficient.

Okay, back on track. I love that this book deals with not only growing things and self-sufficiency from a production standpoint, but also gives concrete examples of what one can do with the things one has grown. Caswell and Siskin make a point of having practical advice, and even go so far as to include possible garden layout suggestions that actively include pest deterrents. Companion plant list? Yes, please.

I know that in the past I've occasionally voiced irritation with informational books written in an overly anecdotal and conversational format, but here the "blogger" feel translates well.

I enjoyed the book, and most importantly, learned even more than I knew this morning, including exactly what is happening to my squash.