Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners

Jean Ann has just written a new book on gardening called Growing Food: A Guide for Beginners and it could not have come at a better time. With the current economic crisis, many people are turning to their gardens for both food and comfort. Even First Lady, Michelle Obama, is getting in on the action. But not everyone knows exactly how to go about growing food. In fact, if you are a newbie, it can be down right intimidating!Wouldn’t it would be helpful to have a special gardening friend for help and advice when you are starting a new veggie garden? That is what you find in Growing Food. This book helps take the intimidation out of the garden.

Jean Ann speaks to the reader as if she is talking to a neighbor over the garden fence. Her book is a combination of Victory Garden/Cookbook/Resource Guide all rolled into one. I love what she says in the introduction titled: “Can You Survive Without a Grocery Store?” As she is talking about America’s shift over the last 50 years from home gardeners to people who only buy their vegetables from the grocery store, she says this:

In her book, Jean Ann shows the reader how to reclaim their past and start growing food again. She covers all the basics such as raised beds, soil amendments, compost and small space gardening and then moves into how to handle pests and diseases using organic methods. The remainder of the book is Jean Ann’s “Top Ten (Eleven) Vegetables to Grow” featuring tips, special info and even recipes for how to use what you grow.

But what makes this book even more special, is the valuable “Resource Section” at the end. You see, Jean Ann knows electronic media and she understands the importance of being able to connect via the Web with other gardeners. The resource section is a listing of garden Websites, Blogs, and Networks that connect the reader for further research. Most of her recommendations are the same places I visit on a regular basis so I can confirm that they are top-notch listings.