Finally a delicious, scrumptious book about what's living with the People!
We don't want want to water grass, we're not able to water grass, we're not allowed to water grass! BUT, we are allowed, and able (Where there is a will, there is a way) to water what we eat. We grow food we like to eat, we like to eat the food we grow.
Ivette has dug deep, gone the extra mile, to entice us all to grow (more) food. And she takes us by the hand, not in a Higher Power way, but as a friend, showing us just how much there is out there you can eat!
I love the pictures, I love the suggestions of what to plant, and I love the combinations in the photos.
The book is my favorite in the gardening section, hands down. Ok, I might be a bit biased; I just planted my 30th apple tree, in the front yard, but even if I had knee high grass, I would be tempted to give this food thing a try. ( It's not going away, it's not a fad, you know...)
There is something in the book for everyone: the novice, the advanced, the lunatics (me) and I learned things about plants I grew! Did you know, for example, that you can eat the flowers of garlic after it blooms, that you can eat the leaves of nasturtiums, and that you can grow enough food for your family on a dime in the curb, if needed?
If you ever thought of trying to grow something you would like to eat, start here. You'll skip the first 3 years of the learning curve.
Whether you want to read it cover to cover, or start by looking at the pictures, or find your favorite plant first, you will have fun and many AHA- moments. Just DO IT!
Thanks Ivette, you are Earth Mama! The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden
This book makes you want to get out there and garden! Beautiful, colorful and inspiring photos, helpful tips, written in an accessible manner - Ms. Soler has thought of everything you'll need to know and what to consider about transforming your garden space, and it doesn't have to be just in your front yard.
Gardening books of this kind are often (a) less than entertaining to read; (b) impractical; or (c) in favor of making your yard look like a junkyard. I took this one along on an extremely boring business trip and the attendant flight delays and enjoyed it thoroughly. It covers both ornamental edibles and complimentary pure ornamentals; talks about practical issues like where to find hardscape materials at a bargain and why choosing regionally suitable plants is important; and the illustrations (even when built by one of the 3 garden owners featured) don't generally look like a pile of rubbish with plants growing over them, as these DIY-focused books so often do. I was a little disappointed that the author spent a lot of photo space on 3 favored gardens since all 3 gardeners live in the southwest/California area; I would have preferred something more relatable to my area. The principles were good though and I am definitely hanging onto this for reference. The chapter that covered ornamental edibles was great, and included plants suitable to all parts of the country. For future issues or an author's blog (if she has one), it would be great to cross-reference plants by the various categories she provides, such as season, type of edible, soil- and sun requirements and so on, but that's a want, not a need. This is a helpful, informative, easy-to-follow and entertaining book.
I'm a big fan of The Germinatrix (aka Ivette Soler). She does what good garden writers do best--get people into their gardens. Ivette has an infectious enthusiasm for gardening in general but particularly for her topic here, growing edibles right out front where everyone can see them. This book has lots of inspiring design ideas and plans as well as a large selection of recommended plants. Best of all The Edible Front Yard has what many other garden books lack... Ivette! She's a knowledgeable guide and cheerleader for home gardeners everywhere.
Because the book's subtitle refers to a "Plan" for a garden, I expected something a wee bit more practical. But that's just me . . . . I'm an engineer, not an artist. But what gardener wouldn't love to gaze at the gorgeous photographs in this book and imagine "what if"?
I enjoyed using the book's photographs to dream about what my edible front yard might look like if I had buckets of money, plus more tillable land than my modest urban property provides. In my neighborhood, an edible front yard might consist of Swiss chard and an eggplant growing in place of the grass normally found in a 2-foot wide boulevard between the sidewalk and the street.
The landscaping photos are beautiful, showing me what I could have if only I lived on a larger lot (suburbs, maybe?) and had the wealth to hire a landscape architect and a good contractor. But heck, there's no harm in dreaming, is there? This book makes the dreaming even more beautiful.
I was disappointed in the content of this book, as was hoping for more practical design ideas/suggestions. Book was more about discussion of why removal of non edible landscape is desireable. I know that or wouldn't be interested in ripping it all out & replacing all with edible landscaping! LOL! Was just hoping for more concrete ideas on the design of an edible garden. In all fairness however, I was a professional landscaper so this book may be of use to the novice who is not familiar with plants & trees, etc...
I don't often give a five to books. This was well-written. Living in Southern California where the author lives was nice, but I also appreciated how she emphasizes that a front yard can be edible but should not be ugly. My neighbors would not appreciate that. The only reason that I gave this four starts was the price. I would drop it to ten dollars. However, I'll admit that this may be petty. The book is printed with many nice pictures on very nice paper. - Organic Gardening - Gardening - Edible Plants - Gift Idea'
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