Peter Shepperd

Everything a Millennial Needed

I have to say gardening used to be my most hated chore when I was a kid and probably still is, but I like to think of myself as an adult and I wanted to contribute more to my environmentalism than just conscientious use of chemicals and water usage. I figured if I have access to it why not grow things I can use, which was my biggest complaint as a child. Why plant something pretty if it’s just going to die? I was lucky that I had access to most of the things needed for a beginner b/c of my grandmother and have some very vague skills as a handyman in my own house. For anyone else who is an extreme newbie, ask your handy friend (and we all have one) to help or a trusted relative, otherwise you may want to peruse some YouTube videos on basic building techniques or for the brave souls ask a friendly worker at a greenhouse or ace hardware store, especially the smaller ones, but as the author says have a plan for what you’re looking for and what exactly you want help with specifically. Most people I find are kind enough to give help and offer advice on new things. But this book is easy to understand, the right amount of explanation without being patronizing, and charming enough to make you want to give it a go even if you’re not a hundred percent confident. I’m going to give this a go this summer and if all works out I will definitely be checking out this authors other works for advice if need be.… (més)

First off this book is well written and easy to read for the non gardener or if you were like me the eternally tortured with the trauma of landscaping and planting as a child. To this day, I have an aversion to the gardening section of the store. Besides that this book has reintroduced the idea of sustainability and ecological responsibility in a way that is NOT intimidating. The author is very funny and allows for questions and avenues to explore without saying "This is the holy commands of gardening thoust shall follow". Basically it is a very friendly advice and fun nonfiction read for people looking to explore horticulture or just the idea they want better veggies or as in my case suddenly having the avenue, ability, and time to maybe grow something.
I only noticed 2 typos overall (pg 170 boof and pg 226 and then instead of I think it's supposed to be them) and only maybe 3 things that I didn't really understand, which I highlighted in my copy (pg 185 in reference to a vegetable grater? Unclear if this a different side to the box cheese grater or if he is referencing the closest thing I could find, a mandolin grater?; Neem is a little unclear here as I had never heard of it but google managed fairly well on that piece; pg 226 when he refers to washing beans top and tail? Does he cut off a part of them? and lastly pg.s 228-229 Maybe this is more a question for preservers out there but how long do vegetables last in jars like this?; Also pg 249-250 coir and blood meal are googleable but something I would consider need either description or defined?.) They were mostly easily googleable to figure out, but for complete noobies, it might be a little confusing.
So considering all of this I still put 5 stars here b/c he made me laugh and gave me good ideas and information to keep in mind as I embark on my gardening adventure. Overall I had 14 quotes that cracked me up and about 13 pieces of information I had not considered before. I enjoyed this book and this author's writing so I will be looking out for more from him.… (més)