Last year we planted our first garden. If was rough. Our pepper plants only produced one pepper a piece. The onions failed. The only plants that did very well at all were the tomatoes, which we couldn't keep up with, and the cucumbers, which an inexperienced pickler accidentally let rot in the fridge. This year I set out to learn something about gardening before starting again. I wanted some nice, easy advice to get me started and maybe some encouragement too.
I chose Owens's book because of the subtitle. I've spent a lot of time in the past year or so thinking about the quality of food I am eating and what it would mean to improve it. Gardening was one of my fights for better food and growing it was an attempt to save money. I am also in a constant pursuit of happiness and wisdom so this seemed like an all around good bet for me.
Now that I'm done with it, I'm just not sure. I feel like maybe I took some information from it. I found myself arguing about hybrid versus heirloom with my boyfriend in the store the other day and I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that a week ago. I also feel inspired to try new things. I also feel a little less worried. Owens argues that the best way to plant a garden is to throw some seeds down and see what happens which is the kind of laid back approach I am all for.
I did have issues with this book. Ownes's voice tends to take on a snooty tone at times. By the end of the book I felt like she was telling me that she was better than everyone because she had a garden and she eats locally. Sometimes, her point gets a little lost. She is honest enough to say that there may not be enough evidence to support her argument, which I appreciate because it is honest but after a while it feels like there isn't enough evidence to support most of her arguments.
If I could have given a 2.5 star to this book, I would have. It was right in the middle for me.
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