The central message of author Niki Jabbour's new book, Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans that will change the way you grow your garden is that food can be grown anywhere when cultivated a little creative thinking.
Niki Jabbour, author of Groundbreaking Food Gardens
Those of you who have follow this blog will know that I have been a fan of Niki's writing for sometime.
She's a smart, passionate Canadian gardener whose innovative use of cold frames to extend the gardening season inspired hubby and I to design a way to transform one of our raised beds into a cold frame each fall.
It takes less than an hour to transform the raised bed into a cold frame. You simply fit the cold frame sides into position like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle (no nails) and attach the three plexi-glass doors on hinges. We store the component pieces in a shed during the summer. If you missed my posts on our cold frame design here are the links: About the Cold Frame and the "How to" post.
In her continuing search for inventive ways to grow food, Niki has collected 73 themed garden plans from a diverse and varied group of gardening experts.
The list of contributors is impressive and reads like a who's who of the gardening world. There are well known American writer's like Amy Stewart, whose "Cocktail Garden" is filled the ingredients sure to add a fresh zip to evening cocktails.
The book also contains original designs from prominent Canadan writers like Marjorie Harris, who offers a "Partially Shaded Vegetable Plan" for less than ideal light conditions, and Liz Primeau, whose "Garlic Sampler" mixes a flavourful range of garlic bulbs, with plants like thyme to suppress weed growth, and keep your garlic patch low maintenance.
Each of the book's plans includes a profile of the contributor, the concept behind their design....
Illustration courtesy of Storey Publishing © 2014 by Niki Jabbour
Groundbreaking Food Gardens, Storey Publishing
a beautiful illustration...
Illustration courtesy of Storey Publishing © 2014 by Niki Jabbour,
Groundbreaking Food Gardens, Storey Publishing
and a plant list.
The design themes vary widely in style and include everything from a "Chicago Hot-Dog Garden" from writer Amanda Thomsen (author of Kiss My Aster) to an "Elizabethan Garden" by Stephen Wescott-Gratton, senior horticultural editor of Canadian Gardening magazine.
Challenges like size and location are also addressed with ideas like a rooftop farm and an apartment balcony container garden by Canadian garden writer Andrea Bellamy.
Even if you are not looking for a whole new garden design, there are an abundance elements that you can adapt to an existing garden.
Illustration courtesy of Storey Publishing © 2014 by Niki Jabbour
Groundbreaking Food Gardens, Storey Publishing
This "Comfrey Tower" contributed by author and blogger Emma Cooper caught my interest.
It produces a "comfrey tea" that is rich in potassium and nitrogen. (Comfrey is a deep-rooted, leafy perennial that is rich in these nutrients.)
Here is how Emma's Comfrey Tower works in a nutshell: Comfrey leaves are loaded into the top of an 8" PVC pipe. The rotting leaves form a "tea" that drips down through a mesh screen into a bucket at the base of the tower. When diluted with water, the Comfrey "tea" makes an excellent fertilizer for food crops like tomatoes, fruits and peppers which love the high-potash feed.
For so many of us, it has been a long winter and a cold, wet start to the gardening season.
I think that exciting 2014 book releases like Groundbreaking Food Gardens may be the perfect inspiration to finally get things growing this spring!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!
I have a copy of Groundbreaking Food Gardens which I am going to give away in a draw.
To enter the book draw, please leave a comment below. I ask all entrants to make sure there is some kind of link available to their email address. (I need to have a way to get hold of you should you be a winner!)
The Groundbreaking Food Gardens book draw will remain open for one full week.
About Niki Jabbour:
Niki is a garden writer and radio host from Halifax, Nova Scotia. In her first award winning book, The Year Round Vegetable Gardener (also Storey Publishing) Niki showed us it was possible to have homegrown, organic produce 365 days a year.
Niki's radio show the Weekend Gardener airs live on news957.com and is also available in podcast form. Niki's work can also be found in Gardens East, Garden Making and Canadian Gardening magazines. Follow Niki's adventures on Facebook or at http://yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.com
Canadians can purchase of Groundbreaking Food Gardens by clicking here.
You may also purchase a copy of the book on Amazon.com by clicking here.
