Sunday, June 20, 2021

The Heirloom Gardener: Traditional Plants and Skills for the Modern World

54110491

The Heirloom Gardener is a multi-purpose gardening and philosophy guide by John Forti. Due out 22nd June 2021 from Workman Publishing on their Timber Press imprint, it's 264 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

The author has collected culture tips, some traditional skills, and philosophy in an alphabetical primer format. The chapters are arranged from angelica to zucchini and visit such skills as foraging (safely), grafting, and foraging and using kelp to help increase biomass and trace minerals in soil along the way. 

There are no photographs nor step-by-step tutorials. The illustrations (see cover) are woodcut primitive style and really suit the "old farmer's almanac" traditional vibe. This one fits in my library alongside the John Seymour books and more philosophy minded conservation books such as Muir and Carson.

I would recommend this to smallholders, gardeners interested in more gentle, conservation minded, and traditional methods of culture, gardening groups, allotments and community gardens, schools, urban gardens, and similar. 

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.


No comments:

Post a Comment