Urban Gardening
By Carol Hand, 2016 Lerner Publishing Group
For nearly thirty years, I tried “suburban” gardening. It took many hours to rototill the grass and then fill the space with dirt and compost. I enjoyed working in the garden and found pulling weeds relaxing after a day or week at work. I planted perennial bulbs for the beauty of flowers but most of the space was reserved for vegetables and herbs. Everything was going to be organic; no chemicals for me!
I dutifully planted peas, lettuce, and spinach in the spring. Once the weather warmed up, I planted beans and tomatoes. Did I ever harvest enough to feed two people? Never! I only managed to feed slugs, rabbits, deer, and racoons. I applied coyote urine (yes, you can order it online!), little saucers of beer for the slugs, and solar lights that flashed to scare off the racoons. I hung small flags that flapped in the breeze to scare the deer when the coyote urine didn’t work. I tried multiple sprays that were supposed to deter rabbits and deer. I had the most expensive failure of a garden ever.
I recently moved from that house to an apartment. I still have that gardening bug and now have pots on the balcony with herbs and tomatoes. No deer, no rabbits, no raccoons. I have only myself to blame if nothing grows. That’s why I picked up this book, Urban Gardening. I quickly realized that it was written for kids, but I still found it interesting. There is a brief introduction to the history of gardening and farming. During World War II, people were urged to grow their own food so that commercial food was available for soldiers.
With increasing concern for our environment, “urban gardening reduces the energy needed to process and transport food.” I learned that during the one to two weeks most food spends in transit or on store shelves, almost 50% of it spoils (Urban Gardening p37).
The book describes rooftop gardens, vertical gardens, keyhole gardens, and container gardens. It suggests community garden projects and rainscaping. It talks about pollinators as well as pests that attack plants.
This small book packs in a lot of information and has a Selected Bibliography and resources for further information. If you have an interest in urban gardening, this book is a great place to start.
Reviewed by Barbara Racine, who spent 40 plus years working at independent college bookstores.
