I’ve been reading and studying Alys Fowler’s The Thrifty Gardener, and I’m so sad I’ve come to the end. I’ve quoted and linked back to her several times in this blog series, so some of you may remember me mentioning I had ordered her book.
As my experiences in gardening for the last two years have been less than spectacular, I decided getting myself educated probably wasn’t a bad idea. Go figure.
I ordered through Amazon and the publication came right away. What a delight. The photography is lovely, and the text is educational and fun to read. Alys gardens in England, so there are fun and interesting subtle differences in the way things are stated, but the book is full of useful informatio. I am already making big and positive changes in my methods.
I love her insistence on only using sustainable methods, her interest in reusing and recycling, and her keen, creative gardening style.
Alys takes you through everything from preparing the soil (she suggests making this the biggest investment in time); choosing plants, from seeds to live plants and how to select them; propagating from seeds, cuttings and thinnings; and even “skip-diving” (what we call dumbster-diving) for resources.
She winds up with preparing for the end of gardening season, collecting seeds for the year to come, and finally a few pages—the Directory—where you have some short quick reference instructions for taking care of vegetables, herbs, and flowers.
This book is already showing signs of wear and tear as I carry it around and refer to it continuously. I’m sure it will serve as an important resource for years to come.
I’ve had lots of questions about my methods. Now, when in doubt, I’ll go ask Alys.
Order one for yourself, or read here as I post more stories about gardening successes! BTW, I do not receive anything for the sale of her books! 🙂