A couple of days ago I recieved my copy of Fresh Food From Small Spaces by R.J. Ruppenthal. For a couple of years I had been growing small things like herbs and chili peppers in small containers with some amount of minor success. I had even built hanging "window" boxes to start sprouts of lettuces and tomatoes to little avail. They sprouted but either were killed by my ineptitude or by my laziness. I didn't really understand what I was doing but the idea of growing some of my own food was extremely intriguing to me.
This year as I may actually get a tomato and tomatillo yield and my struggling chilies are producing like mad, I am eager to expand. Granted I finally have some decent porch space and solar exposure to exploit but as I have recently become aware that wasn't my entire problem.
It was my technique.
Fresh Food From Small Spaces provides step by step instructions for not only starting your small gardens (broken up by sun type, vertical/horizontal and seasonal) but keeping your plants alive and productive. There are techniques for building your own containers and tips for prolonging your growing season, even through winter with the use of some small solar boxes and careful plant selections. You can find information on yogurts (and other fermented foods), some tips on beekeeping or raising urban chickens (worst band name ever), growing mushrooms and composting to build your own fertilizer.
It was a quick read and since it is laid out like a reference book with resource links and notes, it will function more as a guide than just a good evening read.
Despite some of the chapter headings there really isn't much doomsday talk but there is some information regarding the true cost of food. The issues of creating a sustainable food system are raised although not to an level that would be found annoying, instead it serves as a gentle reminder that some foods may be economically cheap but the hidden costs are important.
I enjoyed the book immensely and have already started planning for my post tomato planting and harvest (I'm thinking peas) and am considering how best to execute a winter garden on my porch (maybe make a pitched glass tent and insulate the heck out of my earthbox - it was a gift from a long time ago).
This year as I may actually get a tomato and tomatillo yield and my struggling chilies are producing like mad, I am eager to expand. Granted I finally have some decent porch space and solar exposure to exploit but as I have recently become aware that wasn't my entire problem.
It was my technique.
Fresh Food From Small Spaces provides step by step instructions for not only starting your small gardens (broken up by sun type, vertical/horizontal and seasonal) but keeping your plants alive and productive. There are techniques for building your own containers and tips for prolonging your growing season, even through winter with the use of some small solar boxes and careful plant selections. You can find information on yogurts (and other fermented foods), some tips on beekeeping or raising urban chickens (worst band name ever), growing mushrooms and composting to build your own fertilizer.
It was a quick read and since it is laid out like a reference book with resource links and notes, it will function more as a guide than just a good evening read.
Despite some of the chapter headings there really isn't much doomsday talk but there is some information regarding the true cost of food. The issues of creating a sustainable food system are raised although not to an level that would be found annoying, instead it serves as a gentle reminder that some foods may be economically cheap but the hidden costs are important.
I enjoyed the book immensely and have already started planning for my post tomato planting and harvest (I'm thinking peas) and am considering how best to execute a winter garden on my porch (maybe make a pitched glass tent and insulate the heck out of my earthbox - it was a gift from a long time ago).
tomatoes trying oh so hard and chilies coming in like mad!
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