The Cottage Smallholder

Photo: The Alternative Kitchen Garden an A-Z

I’m always really pleased when bloggers publish books as it proves to me that books are still treasured and valued. Who wants to stare at a computer screen for hours even though there’s access to an unbelievable breadth of knowledge and experience. There’s nothing to beat opening a really good book. And this is one that I’d highly recommend.

When Emma Cooper emailed me asking if I’d be interested in doing a review of The Alternative kitchen Garden an A-Z  I was pleased but had that slightly panicky feeling that I might not like the book. And then what? Nothing to do with Emma as I enjoy her blog The Fluffius Muppetus. She writes very well and her blog is always bursting with new ideas. I also like the way she has experimented with growing vegetables in containers. You don’t need endless acres to grow tasty stuff.

So I checked the prepublication reviews on Amazon. They were so good that I was emailing her in seconds.

This is a great book for anyone interested in gardening, from the newbie gardener to the experienced old sage. It’s hugely readable and each article is packed with interesting facts and ideas. The book is divided into alphabetical sections. For example, G has articles on, Garden Organic, Garlic, Grains, Greenhouses, Green Manure, Goji Berries. Each article takes up just two pages, including photograph. The perfect layout for browsing. I read her article on tubers and by the end was making a list of things we could plant here – multi coloured carrots and Chinese water mushrooms. The large council recycling box would be perfect for the latter.

This book has lain beside me on the capacious spare room bed for a couple of weeks now. It is a good companion for sleepless nights and just lolling and learning. Even though I probably have the largest private collection of gardening books in Europe, I would hate to give this one away.