Paradise Lot by Eric Toensmeier

Paradise Lot: Two Plant Geeks, One-Tenth of an Acre and The Making of an Edible Garden Oasis in the City, Eric Toensmeier and with contributions by Jonathan Bates. White River Junction VT.: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2013. e-book, 234 pps.

The city referenced in the sub-title is Holyoke in Massachusetts not to be confused with the college. [The college is Mt. Holyoke and its environs are totally different than the city of Holyoke. Just saying.]. 

Two guys who were friends [not lovers] bought a duplex in the urban sprawl that is Holyoke in Massachusetts. They converted their backyard to a sustainable garden. Each of them found a woman and married her. All of them lived there for a long time.

     Paradise Lot is far more than the summary suggests. The two guys utilized principles of permaculture to create something natural. The plants they planted had to serve as food sources as well as for "pretty." Included in the grand experiment were nitrogen fixers, edibles, and nectar sources. Thus the soil and the humans and the wildlife were happy and flourishing along with the garden.

sapphoq reviews says: This is the practical application of permaculture to an urban garden not located in Australia [from whence the movement originated]. People with gardens and people who like urban stuff, nature, and chickens will enjoy this book. Highly endorsed.

Guerrilla Gardening by David Tracey

Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto, David Tracey.  Gabriola Island BC Canada: New Society Publishers, 2007.  e-book, 226 pps.


Guerrilla Gardening: A Manualfesto is not a new item for me.  I love it and since I've recently re-read it, I thought I would share its goodness with you.  I like gardening.  I like direct action stuff.  I like making a difference.  Guerrilla gardening is a movement to green up the urban sprawl by organizing a community garden, throwing seed bombs into vacant lots, planting a dwarf fruit tree in the park at midnight, and other happy stuff.  The book includes some charming black and white photos from around Vancouver but the information can be and has been applied elsewhere.  

sapphoq reviews says:  If you live within the urban sprawl and long for some community green, Guerrilla Gardening is the book for you.  After all it takes one person to start a revolution; one and a friend to gain momentum.  So yeah, get this book.  And then do it!

BIRD-BY-BIRD GARDENING by Sally Roth 1/13/07

Bird-by-Bird Gardening, by Sally Roth. Rodale Books, 2006. Hardback, 392pp.

Yes, this book was another find during today's bookstore trip.

I got turned on to birds when I first got clean. There were a couple of co-workers who were serious birders and they took me along to Montezuma Reserve outside of Syracuse and up Cathead Mountain in the snow. Then there was my dog's best dog friend who had an old woodsman attached to her and he also was avid about the avians. I have long enjoyed the birds flocking outside my gram's kitchen window in the countryside. My current urban environ has a variety of feeders and bushes and trees and boxes which welcome cardinals, hummingbirds, house sparrows, house wrens, and others on a regular basis. Bird-by-Bird Gardening, with its' bright orange and black cover featuring an oriole, begged me to pick it up.

And this is what I found: Several chapters of introductory material concerning bird families and identifying characteristics, followed by chapters which flush out the requirements of each family. The book is easy reading, full of tips, and has some great color shots of birds.

Highly recommended for the birder who wishes to take their backyard habitats to the next level and for the gardener who wishes to add some color to the garden.

sapphoq reviews

DOWN AND DIRTY by Ellen Zachos 1/13/07

Down and Dirty: 43 Fun and Funky First-Time Projects and Activities to Get You Gardening,
by Ellen Zachos. Boston: Storey Books, 2007. Photography by Adam Mastoon. 248 pp. glossy large paperback.

Something about dreary winter days and hot chocolate and a pile of books go well together in the NorthEast. The grayness promises no relief. El Nino is blamed for sucking snow out of the weather. But here in the bookstore, ensconced in an overstuffed chair, I don't care. From the pile, I extract Down n Dirty! and I quickly fall in love.

Ellen Zachos, with the help of photographer Adam Mastoon, creates gardening adventures for those who are rank beginners. The photos are colorful. The text invites us to pick a project and get moving. The book divides itself into Basics, Projects, Adventures, and Plants; Recipes, Container Gardens, Kids and Families.

There are instructions for winter flower boxes, homemade strawberry ice cream, and forcing spring bulbs. There are gardens for the birds, gardens for kitties, and gardens for those who have no gardening space.

Highly recommended.

sapphoq reviews