Sustainable Gardening: Grow a "Greener" Low-Maintenance Landscape with Fewer Resources

There Are Much Better Books On The Subject

Sustainable Gardening: Grow a "Greener" Low-Maintenance Landscape with Fewer Resources by Vincent A. Simeone

I'm a full time Eco farmer with well over a decade of farming experience. I still love to read books on growing things, even beginner books as I almost always learn something or am refreshed on something I may have forgotten. Plus, these books are often inspirational & especially fun to read in the winter when the back breaking labors of spring through fall are but a memory.

The thing with this book is it's too basic. The author discusses sustainability, but I don't feel like he really digs in deep enough or provides enough ideas, examples, or projects to help someone along a greener path.

I was also disappointed in the short blurb about organic gardening. The author almost seems to have a bias against organic gardening. Mainly he insists that it's more expensive & that's it's biggest downfall. I'm really at a loss over this view point. I can't speak for others, but to me sustainability & organic go hand in hand. Yes, certified organic seeds are more expensive & using OMRI approved products when needed is also more expensive. But when you are being sustainable, you are supposed to be utilizing more of what you have right where you are. Plus, you don't use a bunch of toxic chemicals in organic. Matter of fact, all I use each year is my own compost to enrich my soils. Acid loving blueberry bushes get OMRI approved fertilizer. Young heirloom cotton plants may get some neem &/or peppermint oil to deter aphids & the ants who milk them. But that's it. How on earth is this expensive?

The meat of the book is various plants the author feels are worth growing in a sustainable environment. Many species are not native & some are considered invasive. I found it odd to not include things like blueberry bushes. They produce nice hedgerows, berries, & stunning fall foliage. Yet somehow they don't make the grade.

I feel it is also important to point out that the section with the various plants doesn't include what zone these plants are suitable for. Basically, if you think one of the plants mentioned in this book might work for you, you'll have to look into it further to make sure it works in your area. That seems to defeat the point of the book.

The last of the book mentions things like pests, water management, lawn free choices, composting & soil management. The only thing that I found useful to me was the permeable pavers. I'd love to have these to drive on, but they are way beyond affordable for me unfortunately. There were also a few photos that gave me some ideas for projects on my own farm. But for the most part, this book wasn't worth my time.

There are an endless amount of books available for living more sustainably that provide much better in depth & useful information than this book. With all of these options, I really don't think there is any need to bother with this particular book.