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Grow the Good Life: Why a Vegetable Garden Will Make You Happy, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise
A lively, passionate argument for the backyard vegetable garden, drawing on science, history, and stories from the author’s garden.
Our parents saw supermarkets and processed foods as the height of convenience. But nothing is more
convenient than grocery shopping in the backyard. A vegetable garden offers the best defense against
rising food prices, the most environmentally sound way to eat, and better exercise than any gym. It will
turn anyone into a wonderful cook, since nothing tastes more vibrant than homegrown. And it can take
less time every week than a trip to the supermarket.
convenient than grocery shopping in the backyard. A vegetable garden offers the best defense against
rising food prices, the most environmentally sound way to eat, and better exercise than any gym. It will
turn anyone into a wonderful cook, since nothing tastes more vibrant than homegrown. And it can take
less time every week than a trip to the supermarket.
In Grow the Good Life, Michele Owens, an amateur gardener for almost two decades, makes an entertaining and persuasive case for vegetable gardens. She starts with two simple but radical ideas: Growing food on a small scale is easy, and it is absurdly rewarding.
With her wry, funny, and accessible approach, Owens helps beginning gardeners overcome obstacles that keep them from planting a few seedlings every spring. She explains why dirt isn’t dirty; the health benefits of growing one’s own food; and that vegetable gardens are not antithetical to the frantic pace of modern life, but simple and undemanding if intelligently managed.
Grow the Good Life is not just another how-to. Instead, it will teach you the true fundamentals of vegetable growing: how to fit a garden into your life and why it’s worth the trouble.
- GenresGardeningNonfictionFood
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 15, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 7, 2011
The New York Times said this would inspire anyone who read it to grow a vegetable garden. So, as a person who has been procrastinating on that very task for four years now, I went ahead and ordered it.
I'd have to say that it didn't do its job very well. I'm sure Michelle Owens is a lovely woman, and I've checked out her Garden Rant blog, and I admire that she preaches being organic and not being consumerist about gardening. Great. But the voice she uses in this book is very difficult to like.
She starts out on the wrong foot, reporting her own foodie childhood with smug superiority, "In my childhood home there was no Wonder Bread, no Ragu, and no twinkies. There was only crusty bakery rye, homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs full of garlic and fresh herbs, and pound cakes made from scratch" She later glowingly reports that, having been raised the same way, her own daughter refuses to eat processed turkey and would rather throw away a sandwich than eat such defiled food. Really? This is the sort of thing that is supposed to sell me on growing my own vegetables? It mostly just makes me exhausted thinking that now I'll lose time both in the garden AND in the kitchen, and my children will grow up to be brats.
In this particular book, the details Owens uses to elaborate "the good life" that her vegetable garden provides don't tend toward the "anyone could do this" sort.
She celebrates the garden of her friends Bob and Gerald, who not only own an 18th century farmhouse but also have "the subtlest, warmest, earthiest, and yet most elegant possible taste in furniture, decor, art and movies." She also admits to getting tips from her friend Martha, who used to run a fine restaurant but it "eventually convinced her an advanced degree in art history was called for." Yet Martha remains "a woman who makes her own paprika from her own peppers." Throughout the book Owens insists that gardening and the eating it allows (her) isn't an elitist thing. But this comes from a woman who spends a chunk of the book complaining about how hard it is for her to live in one house while her garden is at her vacation house. This makes moments like her bubbly aside that gardening will save you time spent in the grocery store seem um, somewhat less than credible. Owens gets her manure from her neighbor, who raises alpacas. She doesn't seem to have much to say about those of us who live disorganized, budget-strapped lives in the depressed suburbs of the midwest. Hard up for cash? she asks -- Cut down small saplings from your local forest for bean-poles. You DO remember that local forest you have, don't you?
Next spring I'll probably start small, planting potatoes, tomatoes and green beans. I probably won't be very good at it, and will be busy and distracted, and still eat things out of cans and frozen food boxes. I won't become a gourmet cook (something Owens seems to believe is an inevitable result of gardening) nor will I probably lose much weight (ditto). But I don't think Owens will have much bearing on my finally getting off my butt and digging.j
I'd have to say that it didn't do its job very well. I'm sure Michelle Owens is a lovely woman, and I've checked out her Garden Rant blog, and I admire that she preaches being organic and not being consumerist about gardening. Great. But the voice she uses in this book is very difficult to like.
She starts out on the wrong foot, reporting her own foodie childhood with smug superiority, "In my childhood home there was no Wonder Bread, no Ragu, and no twinkies. There was only crusty bakery rye, homemade spaghetti sauce with meatballs full of garlic and fresh herbs, and pound cakes made from scratch" She later glowingly reports that, having been raised the same way, her own daughter refuses to eat processed turkey and would rather throw away a sandwich than eat such defiled food. Really? This is the sort of thing that is supposed to sell me on growing my own vegetables? It mostly just makes me exhausted thinking that now I'll lose time both in the garden AND in the kitchen, and my children will grow up to be brats.
In this particular book, the details Owens uses to elaborate "the good life" that her vegetable garden provides don't tend toward the "anyone could do this" sort.
She celebrates the garden of her friends Bob and Gerald, who not only own an 18th century farmhouse but also have "the subtlest, warmest, earthiest, and yet most elegant possible taste in furniture, decor, art and movies." She also admits to getting tips from her friend Martha, who used to run a fine restaurant but it "eventually convinced her an advanced degree in art history was called for." Yet Martha remains "a woman who makes her own paprika from her own peppers." Throughout the book Owens insists that gardening and the eating it allows (her) isn't an elitist thing. But this comes from a woman who spends a chunk of the book complaining about how hard it is for her to live in one house while her garden is at her vacation house. This makes moments like her bubbly aside that gardening will save you time spent in the grocery store seem um, somewhat less than credible. Owens gets her manure from her neighbor, who raises alpacas. She doesn't seem to have much to say about those of us who live disorganized, budget-strapped lives in the depressed suburbs of the midwest. Hard up for cash? she asks -- Cut down small saplings from your local forest for bean-poles. You DO remember that local forest you have, don't you?
Next spring I'll probably start small, planting potatoes, tomatoes and green beans. I probably won't be very good at it, and will be busy and distracted, and still eat things out of cans and frozen food boxes. I won't become a gourmet cook (something Owens seems to believe is an inevitable result of gardening) nor will I probably lose much weight (ditto). But I don't think Owens will have much bearing on my finally getting off my butt and digging.j
April 21, 2024
There’s definitely good advice in here, and her points are mostly valid. However, the tone is so incredibly off-putting and pretentious. Add in the constant name dropping and the attempt to create a fear of the future, and I don’t think I would have finished this if not for the fact that I’m super sick and can’t sleep.
January 27, 2024
This was a quick and engaging read! I already have a garden in the works, but Owens made me even more excited to start digging this spring. (Note: There is a bit of a waspy tone to the book, but I don't think it lowers the quality.)
January 7, 2011
I received this book through a goodreads.com giveaway.
Bearing in mind that with the exception of certain shrubs and maybe cacti, I tend to have a black thumb, but after my tiny backyard grew tumbleweed this past summer. I went into this book hoping it was a bit of a how-to - it's not but I think it's better that way.
The book focuses on talking about how gardening is good and worthwhile, which is a boost I have needed in the past to get out there and tend whatever it was I attempted to grow. The book makes me want to go outside and start planting (it's a good thing its winter, makes me plan first).
I think this book is good for beginners like me, or for people who used to garden but then got distracted outside the garden and need a gentle nudge to go play in dirt again.
Bearing in mind that with the exception of certain shrubs and maybe cacti, I tend to have a black thumb, but after my tiny backyard grew tumbleweed this past summer. I went into this book hoping it was a bit of a how-to - it's not but I think it's better that way.
The book focuses on talking about how gardening is good and worthwhile, which is a boost I have needed in the past to get out there and tend whatever it was I attempted to grow. The book makes me want to go outside and start planting (it's a good thing its winter, makes me plan first).
I think this book is good for beginners like me, or for people who used to garden but then got distracted outside the garden and need a gentle nudge to go play in dirt again.
July 4, 2012
I really liked this book and I will read again. As a new vegetable gardener, I was encouraged and prompted to do more next year with a relaxed and joyful approach that Michele Owens brings to growing things. She hooked me in the chapter, "Why Don't Americans Garden" with 'Here is what's really convenient: ending a workday by wandering out into the yard and seeing what's good for dinner right there, instead of having to get into a car to explore that supremely unpleasant landscape called a supermarket. Her's what's convenient: having ingredients at hand that are so good in themselves, they will more than make up for your limits.'
October 3, 2023
I don’t quite know what the rubric for grading a non fiction book is - but I walked away (or rather curled up tightly under my sheets as it is *checks watch* 11:42PM) yearning for a patch of land bigger than my balcony. It left me fondly anticipating the spring when I can get my planters set up with the first crops of the season.
This book is informative, funny, and easy to follow. A touching final chapter wrapped up this (actually quite a quick) read up. Commit to a couple of hours and come out of it inspired
This book is informative, funny, and easy to follow. A touching final chapter wrapped up this (actually quite a quick) read up. Commit to a couple of hours and come out of it inspired
November 8, 2012
I really wanted to like this book, but after a while, it was clear that the author suffers from "Iknowitallitus". She sounds so strident & nasty at folks who decide to go to the gym vs. garden. Why all the hostility?
May 25, 2019
As a gardener I found it amusing, light reading, kind of like reading the blog of a friend. Ostensibly the book is an argument for why we should all have gardens, especially vegetable ones, though in my case she's preaching the choir.
July 20, 2012
Everyone should read this, her feelings about growing food mirror mine!
April 16, 2019
An opinionated and persuasive argument for planting a vegetable garden. Asks the question, why don't more Americans grow their own vegetables? Answer: 1) because their parents or grandparents didn't; and 2) because of the way it's marketed. Big box "garden centers" are overstocked with pesticides and herbicides and make gardening look like one problem after another needing to be solved with chemicals. She criticizes how-to gardening books for emphasizing every possible thing that could go wrong, although most of them won't. She loves to garden and her enthusiasm is contagious. Chapters address the superior flavor of homegrown vegetables, the beauty of backyard gardens, the many health benefits of gardening, physical and mental. The author is the co-founder of the blog Garden Rant, and is now working in communications. She reads widely and quotes generously from respected gardening bibles and gurus. The book is beautifully organized, like a nice garden, with some history, some personal background, quite a bit of science, and then the big problems of climate change and factory farms. Really enjoyed it and feel inspired now to grow arugula and up my mulch game.
May 30, 2021
I appreciated the idea of this book and much of the content, but the author’s writing style comes off as pretty preachy for a book on gardening. Also I honestly can’t identify who her intended audience is. If she’s writing to convince the prospective average home gardener, she’s sure harsh and offensive toward them at times. Particularly in the chapter titled “beauty”. The title of this book is also misleading. While it does have some helpful insight and tips on the benefits of gardening for the individual, the other half of the book is more about the impact of small scale individual gardens on the world and climate change. I would have enjoyed the book more if the author had stuck to its impact on the individual, as the title implies, and left out the unnecessary name drops of famous artists and Adirondack waterfront home owners. If you do read this book. I would stick to the first 3 chapters and then drop it.
July 16, 2023
It was fine. I didn’t find the author particularly likable and the writing felt dry and academic. Each chapter felt like reading a research report on a gardening subtopic.
After finishing the book, I realized it was written by a blogger and published during that window in the 2010’s when every blogger was offered a book deal. And I thought to myself, well, that explains a lot.
After finishing the book, I realized it was written by a blogger and published during that window in the 2010’s when every blogger was offered a book deal. And I thought to myself, well, that explains a lot.
June 7, 2017
As a friend once told me about my dreams for a garden, "just start!" You can't wait for everything to be perfect. It's fun to learn as you go.
I could have done without the climate change blah, blah, blah.
A book about a hobby.
I could have done without the climate change blah, blah, blah.
A book about a hobby.
April 8, 2012
Last year we planted our first garden. If was rough. Our pepper plants only produced one pepper a piece. The onions failed. The only plants that did very well at all were the tomatoes, which we couldn't keep up with, and the cucumbers, which an inexperienced pickler accidentally let rot in the fridge. This year I set out to learn something about gardening before starting again. I wanted some nice, easy advice to get me started and maybe some encouragement too.
I chose Owens's book because of the subtitle. I've spent a lot of time in the past year or so thinking about the quality of food I am eating and what it would mean to improve it. Gardening was one of my fights for better food and growing it was an attempt to save money. I am also in a constant pursuit of happiness and wisdom so this seemed like an all around good bet for me.
Now that I'm done with it, I'm just not sure. I feel like maybe I took some information from it. I found myself arguing about hybrid versus heirloom with my boyfriend in the store the other day and I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that a week ago. I also feel inspired to try new things. I also feel a little less worried. Owens argues that the best way to plant a garden is to throw some seeds down and see what happens which is the kind of laid back approach I am all for.
I did have issues with this book. Ownes's voice tends to take on a snooty tone at times. By the end of the book I felt like she was telling me that she was better than everyone because she had a garden and she eats locally. Sometimes, her point gets a little lost. She is honest enough to say that there may not be enough evidence to support her argument, which I appreciate because it is honest but after a while it feels like there isn't enough evidence to support most of her arguments.
If I could have given a 2.5 star to this book, I would have. It was right in the middle for me.
I chose Owens's book because of the subtitle. I've spent a lot of time in the past year or so thinking about the quality of food I am eating and what it would mean to improve it. Gardening was one of my fights for better food and growing it was an attempt to save money. I am also in a constant pursuit of happiness and wisdom so this seemed like an all around good bet for me.
Now that I'm done with it, I'm just not sure. I feel like maybe I took some information from it. I found myself arguing about hybrid versus heirloom with my boyfriend in the store the other day and I certainly wouldn't have been able to do that a week ago. I also feel inspired to try new things. I also feel a little less worried. Owens argues that the best way to plant a garden is to throw some seeds down and see what happens which is the kind of laid back approach I am all for.
I did have issues with this book. Ownes's voice tends to take on a snooty tone at times. By the end of the book I felt like she was telling me that she was better than everyone because she had a garden and she eats locally. Sometimes, her point gets a little lost. She is honest enough to say that there may not be enough evidence to support her argument, which I appreciate because it is honest but after a while it feels like there isn't enough evidence to support most of her arguments.
If I could have given a 2.5 star to this book, I would have. It was right in the middle for me.
Read
May 28, 2015Thus far, the book is not a "how to" but reasons why people should consider backyard gardens. Health, location, simplicity, and value have all been discussed. Chapter 4 was the first chapter when the narcissistic tone begins, and I had a hard time wrapping my head around how an author who has such an open mind for something she loves cannot take that concept and apply it to other aspects of life. I rarely have time or patience for those who cannot keep an open mind- isn't that how we learn?
While discussing watching people at a gym: "I look at those health and beauty seekers on their various frantic contraptions and consider them total fools, because they could be gardening instead." Then she creates a list that, unbeknownst to her, makes her gardening sound more like an unhealthy obsession and less like a fun, health-oriented hobby.
"When I was in my early 30's, my rotator cuff was constantly sore... That sometimes made me quite miserable lying on my side in bed at night. I was just a ne'er-do-well who wasted her post-college years waiting tables when she should have been more gainfully employed. However, as soon as I picked up a shovel, whatever weakness there was in my back and shoulder disappeared." I'll ignore the comment about wasting time waiting tables after college, as that is a cheap shot that, if I were to write a book, would include a chapter about the misconceptions of a career restaurant employee. Beyond that, the tone of utter pretentiousness drowns out the more important reasons for why I'm reading this book.
And it had started off so well. Maybe I'll find my way back to finish it up, but, for now, there is a stack of similar interest books that I would rather give a try and avoid the overhanging "better than you" dialect. We'll see how it goes from here- I hope she finds her way back on track.
While discussing watching people at a gym: "I look at those health and beauty seekers on their various frantic contraptions and consider them total fools, because they could be gardening instead." Then she creates a list that, unbeknownst to her, makes her gardening sound more like an unhealthy obsession and less like a fun, health-oriented hobby.
"When I was in my early 30's, my rotator cuff was constantly sore... That sometimes made me quite miserable lying on my side in bed at night. I was just a ne'er-do-well who wasted her post-college years waiting tables when she should have been more gainfully employed. However, as soon as I picked up a shovel, whatever weakness there was in my back and shoulder disappeared." I'll ignore the comment about wasting time waiting tables after college, as that is a cheap shot that, if I were to write a book, would include a chapter about the misconceptions of a career restaurant employee. Beyond that, the tone of utter pretentiousness drowns out the more important reasons for why I'm reading this book.
And it had started off so well. Maybe I'll find my way back to finish it up, but, for now, there is a stack of similar interest books that I would rather give a try and avoid the overhanging "better than you" dialect. We'll see how it goes from here- I hope she finds her way back on track.
February 23, 2011
This is a great book for the beginning gardener. Although I don't consider myself a beginning gardener, I'm giving the book 4 stars because, it was fun and easy to read, it mentioned so many of the thought leaders that I readily referance in my daily conversations and Ms. Owens pulled everything together for the novice gardener to fully understand why it's an important act of self-reliance, health, knowledge and spiritual significance for a broad spectrum of Americans to start and maintain a home garden.
Michelle expels all the fear and loathing of gardening with entertaining anecdotes involving the authors own life as an amateur gardener (and some of her friends and neighbors) as well as some serious (yet very approachable) facts and figures about the nitty-gritty scientific, health related and socioeconomically truths behind the act of gardening.
A few of my favorite quotes:
"[when we are gardening] we are not preoccupied with ourselves, we actually have a chance to expand the concept of who we are."
"...if we are in the midst of a sustainable revolution then it's time for a new eyeglass prescription when it comes to our squandered yards."
"Take up gardening and you, too, may find it impossible to die."
Michelle expels all the fear and loathing of gardening with entertaining anecdotes involving the authors own life as an amateur gardener (and some of her friends and neighbors) as well as some serious (yet very approachable) facts and figures about the nitty-gritty scientific, health related and socioeconomically truths behind the act of gardening.
A few of my favorite quotes:
"[when we are gardening] we are not preoccupied with ourselves, we actually have a chance to expand the concept of who we are."
"...if we are in the midst of a sustainable revolution then it's time for a new eyeglass prescription when it comes to our squandered yards."
"Take up gardening and you, too, may find it impossible to die."
June 5, 2014
I just grabbed this on a whim, hoping for a nice light read to get me excited for the garden we're starting on. And in that sense, it was a success, because it did build my excitement. But I have to say that I came away from it not particularly liking Owens. She seemed so snobby (and I consider myself to be quite capable of snobbery, so for her to out-do me at my own game is really saying a lot!), going on and on about how ugly suburban America's yards are and how she would die of boredom if forced to live near evergreens and yada yada yada... (That last one especially offended me, having grown up surrounded by REAL evergreens in the Pacific Northwest; she probably meant those little shrubs people plant near their homes, but still. What ignorance to not appreciate what happiness evergreens bring in the winter!)
When she listed all the things she thinks one should grow-- most of which I'd never heard of-- in her garden which has more square footage than my house, I pretty much lost interest. Here is someone so clearly out of touch with the reality of my own life that I just don't know how to relate to her at all.
But for whatever it's worth, I am excited for my garden. Even if it will be very small. And I will only be trying to grow vegetables which I have heard of.
When she listed all the things she thinks one should grow-- most of which I'd never heard of-- in her garden which has more square footage than my house, I pretty much lost interest. Here is someone so clearly out of touch with the reality of my own life that I just don't know how to relate to her at all.
But for whatever it's worth, I am excited for my garden. Even if it will be very small. And I will only be trying to grow vegetables which I have heard of.
December 27, 2010
This was an informative book with very basic concepts. Although considering how basic the concepts were, the author went into such great detail to make her points. This sometimes became alittle boring. Usually I can finish a book much faster, but I found this one at times to be a little hard to want to pick up and finish reading. I even found myself constantly counting how many pages left in a chapter before I could start the next one and read something fresh. I do think her points about gardening is a great start for beginners and she really does give you inspiraton and motivation to get out there and start gardening. Maybe if the book was a tad shorter and her points more condensed, I'd have given it a higher rating.
September 13, 2011
This woman clearly comes from a privileged place. She has gigantic irrigated gardens at both her city house and her country house, for example. Her kids seem spoiled. She recognizes the problems of processed food and grocery store tomatoes, but she does not seem to realize how tough it is for many folks to access a backyard garden. I was pretty annoyed by her privileged voice at times and can see where it could be extremely obnoxious or alienating to some readers. Taken with that grain of salt, though, this book could still be worth a read at the beginning of gardening season for inspiration. Her descriptions of the full flavors of homegrown veggies are a good kick in the pants to get out and plant some seeds.
April 12, 2011
Her chapters were really interesting and I think she successfully teaches her readers to get dirty. I skipped the chapter about convincing the children to eat their veggies. I especially liked how she examined why Americans do not garden as a generational divide. She did her research about how we went from Victory gardens to Taco Bell. She's on board with writers like Pollen, Kingsolver, Schlosser and others who want to save us from our grocery stores. This is a really easy quick read that made me conquer my compost pile and plant my peas and carrots despite our crappy weather.
January 19, 2011
This is not a what to grow and how to grow it as much as a why we should all be gardening. Michelle does give general ideas of things that work for her in her 20+ years of gardening experiences. Reading this has given me the extra push to work harder at putting a small garden in our backyard again. Hopefully this time I will have better luck.
September 2, 2011
Provided some fun inspiration to get my butt in gear to take advantage of mild Seattle winters and plant some veggies. Lots of gardening books extol the virtues of healthy soil, and honestly tend to make my eyes glaze over. But Owens writes about soil in a way that is actually interesting and engaging and may someday inspire me to pay more attention to it!
April 2, 2015
I love gardening. I don't feel the need to justify my gardening hobby by pointing out how good for the planet it is, or how I'll be able to 'live off the land' in case of apocalypse. I appreciated the author's guidance about disregarding most gardening books and taking care of your soil, but could have done with the chapters that felt like a defense of the passion.
December 21, 2011
Regardless of what some others say about this book, it should give you pause about our current food system and fire you up about growing your own. Not a how-to book, but a why-aren't-we book. I enjoyed it a lot.
April 25, 2012
Didn't particularly enjoy the book although I suspect I would have liked it more if I weren't already a gardener. But I do agree with what Owens shares and appreciate the books, blogs and other resources she references.
July 5, 2013
A great book to inspire a Gardner who is philosophically motivated. I enjoyed the author's sense of humor and writing style, plus she peppered it with some interesting facts. I especially liked the chapter on soil.
December 20, 2016
Overall a really decent book on the economic, social, behavioral, environmental, and physical benefits of gardening and growing your own food - but the author comes off as SOOOOOO whiny it almost forced me to put it down.
June 14, 2018
A good introduction to the history and politics of agribusiness. Although not always elaborated upon as much as desired, it adds more to the educational aspect of this book. It's a good overview on how gardening is beneficial in so many powerful ways.
March 13, 2012
Interesting read -- read it awhile ago and still find myself lending it to people. Worth checking out!
November 2, 2012
Sorry the book didn't motivate me to start gardening. I passed the book on to a friend who does like gardening, and he enjoyed it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews