Archive for the ‘Gardening’ Category

“Change Comes to Dinner,” Katherine Gustafson

Friday, April 6th, 2012

Pros: A cornucopia of ideas and inspiration for those who want to make a difference
Cons: Brief tonal confusion at first, and obviously there are no easy, one-size-fits-all answers
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Review book provided courtesy of the publisher

 

Journalist Katherine Gustafson spent a lot of time reporting on food and environmental issues. Unfortunately, she found that these issues tend to be depressing, and after a while people don’t want to hear about them any more—we all have a limited tolerance for bad news. So she set about looking for good news to counter the bad, or as she likes to say, “hoperaking” to counter the muckraking. Back and forth she went, examining businesses, farms, and initiatives that struggle to find a new way to bring healthy, organic (or close to it), well-treated food to those who want and need it.

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“Organic Gardening,” Charles Dowding

Tuesday, July 15th, 2008

Pros: A thorough guide to organic gardening
Cons: Definitely most useful to British readers
Rating: 4 out of 5

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“How to Store Your Garden Produce,” Piers Warren

Tuesday, July 1st, 2008

Pros: Very thorough; addresses all aspects of producing enough fruits and vegetables for your own use year-round
Cons: Some information won’t be quite as useful to non-Brit readers
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

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“Let it Rot!” Stu Campbell

Friday, February 8th, 2008

Pros: Fantastic comprehensive guide to composting
Cons: None
Rating: 5 out of 5

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“The Smith & Hawkens Gardeners’ Community Cookbook”

Tuesday, August 15th, 2006

Pros: Lots of recipes; inventive recipes; delicious recipes
Cons: Just short of outstanding
Rating: 4 out of 5

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“Too Many Tomatoes,” Myers and Landau

Monday, August 14th, 2006

Pros: Fantastic concept
Cons: No photos; poor layout; mediocre results; inconsistent information; flawed recipes
Rating: 2 out of 5

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Gardens Alive!

Thursday, June 1st, 2006

Pros: Wonderful quality; amazing customer service; great products
Cons: Web site a little tough to navigate; prices a bit higher to pay for that customer service
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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“Starting Seeds Indoors,” Ann Reilly

Thursday, June 1st, 2006

Pros: Cheap; handy; detailed; quick read
Cons: Narrow focus; some information of limited value
Rating: 4 out of 5
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“The New Complete Guide to Gardening,” Susan A. Roth

Thursday, June 1st, 2006

Pros: Information about EVERYTHING
Cons: Assumes a high level of dedication; some information out of date?
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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“Gardening for Dummies 2nd Edition,” MacCaskey, Marken, et. al.

Thursday, June 1st, 2006

Pros: Lots and lots of helpful information in non-threatening form
Cons: Light on plant details; lacks depth in a few areas
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
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