In the 1970s when I was learning how to grow my family’s produce organically, John Jeavons’ “How to Grow More Vegetables” helped show me the way.
Considered the father of the modern biointensive gardening movement, Jeavons is still at it, with his updated ninth edition (Ten Speed Press/Penguin Random House, 2017) recently released.
The staying power of this book speaks for itself, with yet another generation eager to learn how to grow more food on less land with less water, even if you have to start out gardening in a plot that has very poor soil.
This isn’t a fancy book. There are some sketches and lots of charts, plus just a couple of black and white photographs. The emphasis is on building a healthy soil, creating quality compost, companion planting for pest control, nourishing the soil, and using uncommon tools and techniques.
One of the more unusual themes involves how to maintain healthy, productive soil over time without bringing in any bagged materials. If we can use our intelligence and skill to get to the moon and back, Jeavons reasons, we can learn to grow soil--a living “sponge cake”--to grow healthful food as well as our own compost materials. You can learn more about Jeavens and his methods at www.growbiointensive.org.
Recently, a new edition of another old favorite dedicated to building soil has also been issued. It’s the late Mary Appelhof’s guide to worm composting, “Worms Eat My Garbage.” Joanne Olszewski has revised and updated this originally self-published 35-year-old classic (Storey Publishing, 2017).
As the proud owner of a successful worm composting operation in my basement, I heartily recommend getting on board with this fun and easy project, if you haven’t already. It’s really nice to have a ready supply of homegrown worm castings ready to add whenever your garden soil needs a boost.
For an encyclopedic guide with lots of colorful photos, there’s John Whitman’s “Fresh from the Garden: An Organic Guide to Growing Vegetables, Berries, and Herbs in Cold Climates” (University of Minnesota Press, 2017). Although a new book, it’s by an old gardener who has more than 50 years’ experience growing produce. The photos are his own, taken in his own gardens.
Weighing almost 6 pounds and filling more than 500 pages, this book isn’t one you’ll want to take to bed with you for late-night reading. It is instead an easy-to-use reference book, with a large portion of the book devoted to individual crops alphabetically arranged. Along with all the common plantings, there are also sure to be some you haven’t yet tried. Orach, salsify, lamb’s quarters, Belgian endive, and cardoon, perhaps?
