What do you think?
Rate this book
Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-inch Gardener's Guide to Year-round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R.J. Ruppenthal
Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no comprehensive "how-to" guide for growing fresh food in the absence of open land. Fresh Food from Small Spaces fills the gap as a practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce their own fresh vegetables, mushrooms, sprouts, and fermented foods as well as to raise bees and chickens—all without reliance on energy-intensive systems like indoor lighting and hydroponics.Readers will learn how to transform their balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens, their countertops and storage lockers into commercial-quality sprout and mushroom farms, and their outside nooks and crannies into whatever they can imagine, including sustainable nurseries for honeybees and chickens. Free space for the city gardener might be no more than a cramped patio, balcony, rooftop, windowsill, hanging rafter, dark cabinet, garage, or storage area, but no space is too small or too dark to raise food.With this book as a guide, people living in apartments, condominiums, townhouses, and single-family homes will be able to grow up to 20 percent of their own fresh food using a combination of traditional gardening methods and space-saving techniques such as reflected lighting and container "terracing." Those with access to yards can produce even more.Author R. J. Ruppenthal worked on an organic vegetable farm in his youth, but his expertise in urban and indoor gardening has been hard-won through years of trial-and-error experience. In the small city homes where he has lived, often with no more than a balcony, windowsill, and countertop for gardening, Ruppenthal and his family have been able to eat at least some homegrown food 365 days per year. In an era of declining resources and environmental disruption, Ruppenthal shows that even urban dwellers can contribute to a rebirth of local, fresh foods.
Paperback
First published November 5, 2008
28 people are currently reading
1298 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
April 19, 2009
Keeping Bees? Worm bins? Chickens? Gardening on concrete? starting seeds, fermenting foods, and sprouting? Doesn't this sound AWESOME??
But one catch. It's not clear that the author has actually done all of these things-- some of them he hasn't at all-- bees, for example. He just thinks it's neat, and that other people SHOULD do it. You know, if they can find a book or something to tell them how. Some OTHER book.
Some of the chapters are useful-- the how tos for the worm bin and the concrete composting are great, and so is the extensive list of fruits that can be grown in limited space. And I was very inspired by the section on sprouts and fermentation.
But... this book seems like it was probably somebody's pretty good blog. Blogs are fine listing links to other sites and listing products they haven't tried. But books? This book relies too much on, "go check out *blankety blank* website for more." Ugh, no. I don't want to go somewhere else-- I want the information here!
So my initial "Table of Contents" enthusiasm cooled once I read all the goodbits (about 20 pages total) and still had 200 pages of hear-say and filler.
Review from 30 pages in:
Very good summary of lots of resources and how-to projects including the first comprehensible explanation of self-watering container building I've seen. Also worms, chickens, composting, bees, managing pests, dealing with limited light and very limited space. Inspiring in its project to encourage even urban-dwellers to use their smidgen of light and space to grow edibles.
My only criticism is that the layout is very unattractive! Huge dense blocks of texts, no bullets or lists or callouts. Ugh, takes work to read.
But full of good information so far.
But one catch. It's not clear that the author has actually done all of these things-- some of them he hasn't at all-- bees, for example. He just thinks it's neat, and that other people SHOULD do it. You know, if they can find a book or something to tell them how. Some OTHER book.
Some of the chapters are useful-- the how tos for the worm bin and the concrete composting are great, and so is the extensive list of fruits that can be grown in limited space. And I was very inspired by the section on sprouts and fermentation.
But... this book seems like it was probably somebody's pretty good blog. Blogs are fine listing links to other sites and listing products they haven't tried. But books? This book relies too much on, "go check out *blankety blank* website for more." Ugh, no. I don't want to go somewhere else-- I want the information here!
So my initial "Table of Contents" enthusiasm cooled once I read all the goodbits (about 20 pages total) and still had 200 pages of hear-say and filler.
Review from 30 pages in:
Very good summary of lots of resources and how-to projects including the first comprehensible explanation of self-watering container building I've seen. Also worms, chickens, composting, bees, managing pests, dealing with limited light and very limited space. Inspiring in its project to encourage even urban-dwellers to use their smidgen of light and space to grow edibles.
My only criticism is that the layout is very unattractive! Huge dense blocks of texts, no bullets or lists or callouts. Ugh, takes work to read.
But full of good information so far.
February 18, 2021
This is a very useful book and I'd recommend it. However, I do wish that some of the sections (particularly those on container gardening and mushrooms) were longer, and that others were shorter or omitted. Raising bees and chickens is not really an option for most apartment dwellers.
July 19, 2010
Beware. This is a dangerous book. Once you have read it, you will not be able to say: "I don't have enough space (or light, or the right climate, or soil) to grow any food." You'll have to find some other excuse.
Faced with the recognition of climate change, energy depletion, and biofuel competition, even urban dwellers, says R.J. Ruppenthal, may have to "relearn basic food production skills in a hurry, if we are to survive and thrive in this new world" (p. x). Fresh Food From Small Spaces gives you a mini-course in urban food production and encourages you to practice many of the basic gardening techniques we normally associate with large suburban lots and small farms.
What can you grow and where can you grow it? According to Ruppenthal, you can grow most of the usual vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, etc.) and many fruits and berries in containers on balconies, on windowsills, in tiny patio spaces, and in small city backyards. His list of grow-your-own food also includes other strategies you might not have thought of as "gardening," but are equally valuable: growing sprouts (more nutritious than some grains), making fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir (as well as sauerkraut and kimchi), and raising mushrooms. And then there are chickens and bees, and oh, yes, worms and compost. As I said, once you've read and considered Ruppenthal's suggestions, you have no excuse. If you're willing to put in the effort, he says, there's no such thing as "not enough" of whatever it takes to produce up to twenty percent of your own food and enable you to eat homegrown food (as his family does) 365 days a year.
But why bother? Why go to the trouble, when every urban dweller is within a stone's throw of a supermarket? Because, Ruppenthal says, our food supply is not as secure as we think, and in these uncertain times, it is prudent to prepare for short- and long-term disruptions in the food supply. The author says he's not a survivalist, but the strategies and methods he outlines in the final chapter may help urban and suburban residents function in the event of a major disruption, or in a time when cheap resources (oil and gas) are dwindling. And in the meantime, he suggests (and I agree) that we can all move closer to "sustainability living," even when resources are abundant. We need to take charge of our food, he says, and stop trusting industrial agriculture to feed us. (It can't, not forever.) We need to change the world, and we can only do it from the ground up.
An index might have made this passionate, highly readable book a little easier to use, but there are helpful notes and references, an excellent resource list, and most of the information you need to start on a path to square-inch gardening.
Go for it. You have no excuse.
Faced with the recognition of climate change, energy depletion, and biofuel competition, even urban dwellers, says R.J. Ruppenthal, may have to "relearn basic food production skills in a hurry, if we are to survive and thrive in this new world" (p. x). Fresh Food From Small Spaces gives you a mini-course in urban food production and encourages you to practice many of the basic gardening techniques we normally associate with large suburban lots and small farms.
What can you grow and where can you grow it? According to Ruppenthal, you can grow most of the usual vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, etc.) and many fruits and berries in containers on balconies, on windowsills, in tiny patio spaces, and in small city backyards. His list of grow-your-own food also includes other strategies you might not have thought of as "gardening," but are equally valuable: growing sprouts (more nutritious than some grains), making fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir (as well as sauerkraut and kimchi), and raising mushrooms. And then there are chickens and bees, and oh, yes, worms and compost. As I said, once you've read and considered Ruppenthal's suggestions, you have no excuse. If you're willing to put in the effort, he says, there's no such thing as "not enough" of whatever it takes to produce up to twenty percent of your own food and enable you to eat homegrown food (as his family does) 365 days a year.
But why bother? Why go to the trouble, when every urban dweller is within a stone's throw of a supermarket? Because, Ruppenthal says, our food supply is not as secure as we think, and in these uncertain times, it is prudent to prepare for short- and long-term disruptions in the food supply. The author says he's not a survivalist, but the strategies and methods he outlines in the final chapter may help urban and suburban residents function in the event of a major disruption, or in a time when cheap resources (oil and gas) are dwindling. And in the meantime, he suggests (and I agree) that we can all move closer to "sustainability living," even when resources are abundant. We need to take charge of our food, he says, and stop trusting industrial agriculture to feed us. (It can't, not forever.) We need to change the world, and we can only do it from the ground up.
An index might have made this passionate, highly readable book a little easier to use, but there are helpful notes and references, an excellent resource list, and most of the information you need to start on a path to square-inch gardening.
Go for it. You have no excuse.
March 3, 2012
Lots of good info here on a variety of topics.
June 9, 2018
I was hoping for tips to maximize the output from my container garden. Surprisingly, that's not really what's in this book. Most of the space that's dedicated to vegetable gardening is really just basic gardening advice, appropriate for people who have never gardened before. Sections for fruit and vegetable gardening in containers are vague and not helpful. Other chapters are about bees, chickens, worms, mushrooms, bean sprouts, and the author's views and strategies for resource shortages in the event of drought, earthquake, or fuel shortage. There's nothing in here that isn't covered better in other resources.
November 22, 2016
I picked this up mostly for the mushroom and beekeeping sections. Both of them were terribly thin on information. My time might have been better spent on Google searches and Youtube videos. I didn't find the writing particularly engaging, either. The other sections I read in this already-short book focused on the "why" instead of the practical "how." And the "why" was all doom-and-gloom lecturing and statistics.
June 25, 2022
I liked that it lists many web resources to explore and that it has a few recipes to try.
I disliked that it had a tiny taste of "Doomsday prepper". I would have enjoyed more its reading about gardening healthy fruits and vegetables at home without the stress of thinking in possible civilization collapse scenarios. However, I must emphasize that it is a tiny mention, and the book is good for someone like me who is just starting.
I disliked that it had a tiny taste of "Doomsday prepper". I would have enjoyed more its reading about gardening healthy fruits and vegetables at home without the stress of thinking in possible civilization collapse scenarios. However, I must emphasize that it is a tiny mention, and the book is good for someone like me who is just starting.
January 10, 2023
From mini-orchards to honeybees and chickens, this book has what you need. Now if only the city would let us raise chickens. I consider myself pretty good at making the most of space without turning the yard into a wilderness in the suburbs. But this book goes more in depth about getting the most out of each inch - using redirected or reflected light, growing indoors, growing in colder climates, etc. There are sections on mushrooms, fermenting, and compost, too. This might be one I have to buy.
September 25, 2020
I tried multiple times but couldn’t get myself to fully finish the book. It wasnt as systematic as I would’ve liked, no step-by-step ways to grow food, etc. it’s seemed scattered to me and I was unable to decipher what I should actually do. It seemed like great ideas that ran together, but no system to follow.
March 18, 2021
We have our own backyard chickens and was invested in a few more. My interest level has been up so I found a couple of books just to do a quick review. Was able to take bits and pieces from this book to help refresh my memory on certain things and added my interest and compost.
January 5, 2022
Lacking in information, many topics the author has no experience in but rather thinks they are just a good idea. Not worth the time, could get more information from a google search, especially considering the author just recommends websites to visit to get actual information.
April 1, 2019
I will be honest... I have looked at so many Gardening books in the last week that they have all started to blend together.
April 8, 2021
A lot of good ideas if you don't have much room for gardening. Save the planet! Plant every square foot of dirt with something edible or beautiful and beneficial to wildlife.
Read
January 18, 2022Thin on what I was looking for
January 11, 2023
Some great information and ideas. Makes me really want chickens and bees.
August 7, 2023
Yet another book where i would have loved a Half star rating option...
great info for me and even better for beginners i talk to all the time.
great info for me and even better for beginners i talk to all the time.
July 28, 2024
Good information overall.
July 16, 2012
Sort of a 'quick guide' that leads the reader to visualize the possibilities they have for producing some of their own food, R.J. Ruppenthal packs a lot of ideas into this simple, short read. He takes a refreshing look at growing food in VERY small spaces. I say 'refreshing' because I've read so many wonderful gardening books loaded with ideas that stop me in my tracks once I realize how much SPACE is needed. Through his own trial and error he has learned to maximize his small apartment and patio to produce a good portion of his own food.
He has nice descriptions of effective containers for veggies, where to place them, and how to care for them. He provides many good ideas for helpful tools like homemade coldframes that are small enough to fit on a balcony or patio, which can provide year-round leafy greens. He doesn't just focus on veggies, however. I was enlightened by his chapter on sprouts. I really had no idea that sprouts are so nutritious and are so simple to grow. The author grows pounds of sprouts of many varieties each week on top of his refrigerator! His chapter on fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi and saurkraut made me want to try the processes out for myself. I was astounded by the idea of housing some chickens in a tiny yard, but he explained his ideas for a chicken 'tractor' (a pen that is moved around the outdoor space), vertical chicken coops, or miniature coops. He explains the possibility of keeping a beehive in an urban outdoor space, and of growing mushrooms just about anywhere.
What I liked about this book is that it was realistic and yet hopeful. The author admits that it is really not possible to be completely self-sufficient in an urban lifestyle. He writes that an urban gardener could probably grow 20 to 40 percent of his nutrition needs. However, he also describes scenarios of specializing in one food production within your space and then bartering with someone else who specializes in another (the oldest and purest form of free trade!). His main point is that no, in an urban setting with lack of land/space, you will not become completely self sufficient, but you can at least depend on yourself for a portion of your food and keep your food costs down. He is not alone in his opinion that food prices will inevitably go up as we face an energy crisis, so learning some ways to grow at least some of your food is a good idea. The author emphasizes that the techniques he describes are not new, and that before the last couple of generations who have grown up in our cheap-fuel-lifestyle (which includes cheap, albeit not always healthy, food), growing as much of your own food used to be just a normal part of life. He feels it is imperative that we reconnect with that spirit of our not-so-distant ancestors.
The author describes some of the uncomfortable changes we might be facing in a society that has built this cheap-fuel-lifestyle, once that source of energy is depleted, and once food production is also affected by climate change and the harmful effects of industrial farming. He approaches the possible changes with amazing hope, however. Though he doesn't describe himself as a survivalist, he has some practical thoughts on getting prepared for looming shortages in food and energy.
Though not incredibly detailed in every topic, I found this book very useful and it has inspired me to look further into some grow-it or produce-it-yourself methods beyond just vegetable gardens.
He has nice descriptions of effective containers for veggies, where to place them, and how to care for them. He provides many good ideas for helpful tools like homemade coldframes that are small enough to fit on a balcony or patio, which can provide year-round leafy greens. He doesn't just focus on veggies, however. I was enlightened by his chapter on sprouts. I really had no idea that sprouts are so nutritious and are so simple to grow. The author grows pounds of sprouts of many varieties each week on top of his refrigerator! His chapter on fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi and saurkraut made me want to try the processes out for myself. I was astounded by the idea of housing some chickens in a tiny yard, but he explained his ideas for a chicken 'tractor' (a pen that is moved around the outdoor space), vertical chicken coops, or miniature coops. He explains the possibility of keeping a beehive in an urban outdoor space, and of growing mushrooms just about anywhere.
What I liked about this book is that it was realistic and yet hopeful. The author admits that it is really not possible to be completely self-sufficient in an urban lifestyle. He writes that an urban gardener could probably grow 20 to 40 percent of his nutrition needs. However, he also describes scenarios of specializing in one food production within your space and then bartering with someone else who specializes in another (the oldest and purest form of free trade!). His main point is that no, in an urban setting with lack of land/space, you will not become completely self sufficient, but you can at least depend on yourself for a portion of your food and keep your food costs down. He is not alone in his opinion that food prices will inevitably go up as we face an energy crisis, so learning some ways to grow at least some of your food is a good idea. The author emphasizes that the techniques he describes are not new, and that before the last couple of generations who have grown up in our cheap-fuel-lifestyle (which includes cheap, albeit not always healthy, food), growing as much of your own food used to be just a normal part of life. He feels it is imperative that we reconnect with that spirit of our not-so-distant ancestors.
The author describes some of the uncomfortable changes we might be facing in a society that has built this cheap-fuel-lifestyle, once that source of energy is depleted, and once food production is also affected by climate change and the harmful effects of industrial farming. He approaches the possible changes with amazing hope, however. Though he doesn't describe himself as a survivalist, he has some practical thoughts on getting prepared for looming shortages in food and energy.
Though not incredibly detailed in every topic, I found this book very useful and it has inspired me to look further into some grow-it or produce-it-yourself methods beyond just vegetable gardens.
May 31, 2009
very general book
reasons for growing your own food
includes a discussion of peak oil and climate change, which, while true and interesting, takes a little focus away from the book.
Includes lots of suggestions about how to best utilize your space. few details, though provides a lot of references, both links and books.
what plants grow best in what conditions (full sun, partial sun, shade)
touches on how to extend growing season and increasing light in shady spaces, pest control, soil amendments
touches on designing gardening system but doesn't go into a lot of detail
advocates using self watering containers and explains in detail how to construct your own
rubbermaid or sterilite storage bins, dark unless you live in a really warm climate, then choose white
cut lid so it fits in bin about 1/3 of the way up
need something that serves as "soil foot" or wick "pond basket" metal coffee can with holes, soda bottle with holes, snack tray, nursery pot
watering pipe
question of making sure that plastics don't leech
burlap or mesh to cover watering pipe
blocks or supports for lid
puncture drainage hole, so water doesn't overflow after rains
pack foot with soil and wet.
fill container with potting soil.
water from top
fill reservoir via pipe
add compost to top
mulch
the larger soil foot, the moister soil will be
if too moist
limit size of soil foot, so it's no more than 10 15 percent of entire area
add sand to soil
all water to be used up before refilling
can also use 5 gal containers to make self watering planters
at the end of growing season, harvest plants, remove top 2 inches of soil, top off with new potting soil, then add new plants and compost
note son improving regular containers:watering tube
vertical gardening
reflected light
transplants and cycling crops
starting plants from seed
fruits and berries
pollination
preservation
foraging and trading
lots about sprouting
interesting that you can sprout just about anything, not just alfalfa, which had been my experience. includes recipes
don't think this really counts as growing as much as food preparation
growing: glass jar with mesh covering.
handful of seeds in the jar. fill jar halfway and let soak for 8 hours. pour out water and rinse seeds twice and drain. repeat rinsing 3x per day.
fermented foods yogurt, kefir, kimchi, saurkraut
mushrooms
chickens
bees
composting
survivalism chapter, loses the focus
12 May 2009, 6:29AM | Edit | Delete Note
reasons for growing your own food
includes a discussion of peak oil and climate change, which, while true and interesting, takes a little focus away from the book.
Includes lots of suggestions about how to best utilize your space. few details, though provides a lot of references, both links and books.
what plants grow best in what conditions (full sun, partial sun, shade)
touches on how to extend growing season and increasing light in shady spaces, pest control, soil amendments
touches on designing gardening system but doesn't go into a lot of detail
advocates using self watering containers and explains in detail how to construct your own
rubbermaid or sterilite storage bins, dark unless you live in a really warm climate, then choose white
cut lid so it fits in bin about 1/3 of the way up
need something that serves as "soil foot" or wick "pond basket" metal coffee can with holes, soda bottle with holes, snack tray, nursery pot
watering pipe
question of making sure that plastics don't leech
burlap or mesh to cover watering pipe
blocks or supports for lid
puncture drainage hole, so water doesn't overflow after rains
pack foot with soil and wet.
fill container with potting soil.
water from top
fill reservoir via pipe
add compost to top
mulch
the larger soil foot, the moister soil will be
if too moist
limit size of soil foot, so it's no more than 10 15 percent of entire area
add sand to soil
all water to be used up before refilling
can also use 5 gal containers to make self watering planters
at the end of growing season, harvest plants, remove top 2 inches of soil, top off with new potting soil, then add new plants and compost
note son improving regular containers:watering tube
vertical gardening
reflected light
transplants and cycling crops
starting plants from seed
fruits and berries
pollination
preservation
foraging and trading
lots about sprouting
interesting that you can sprout just about anything, not just alfalfa, which had been my experience. includes recipes
don't think this really counts as growing as much as food preparation
growing: glass jar with mesh covering.
handful of seeds in the jar. fill jar halfway and let soak for 8 hours. pour out water and rinse seeds twice and drain. repeat rinsing 3x per day.
fermented foods yogurt, kefir, kimchi, saurkraut
mushrooms
chickens
bees
composting
survivalism chapter, loses the focus
12 May 2009, 6:29AM | Edit | Delete Note
October 3, 2009
I do like this book. I think it is inspirational, has a lot of good ideas, and provides that "spark" that we need sometimes to think about producing more food in the space available to us whether it is shady and has poor light, or our space is all concrete, or if the space we have is only a balcony or a shelf of a closet. Growing sprouts, mushrooms, chickens, bees, berries, nuts, and fruit are all covered here, albeit very quickly with shallow information. A lot of people really underestimate how much they can do with the space available to them, and this kind of reality check could start someone down a path they may have never considered on their own.
However, if the bottom falls out and we need to provide for ourselves, I wouldn't depend on this book to pull my family through. There are a lot of general instructions, but for the most part, the information is too shallow to get you through a project. You want a beehive? Here are several good books to find. Want to raise chickens? Here are my two favorite books about chickens. In all fairness, the info about worm composting, the self-irrigating planter, and the lists of plants that produce well in low-light environments was solid info, but those little bits couldn't carry the entire book.
However, if the bottom falls out and we need to provide for ourselves, I wouldn't depend on this book to pull my family through. There are a lot of general instructions, but for the most part, the information is too shallow to get you through a project. You want a beehive? Here are several good books to find. Want to raise chickens? Here are my two favorite books about chickens. In all fairness, the info about worm composting, the self-irrigating planter, and the lists of plants that produce well in low-light environments was solid info, but those little bits couldn't carry the entire book.
March 7, 2010
This was a strange book. At its best moments it felt like an urban agricultural guide as created by the editors of Lifehacker--in a very, very good way. Many helpful tips for DIYers looking to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables in less-than-typical conditions. Tons of interesting hacks and a plethora of websites and books to dig deeper into topics like mushroom cultivation, dwarf fruit trees, worm composting, etc.
In its weaker moments, though, the book veered into a strange survivalist and doomsday lecture that wasn't so much entirely off base or factually incorrect as it was simply out of place. I purchased this book to find inspiration for unconventional vegetable growing techniques. I recognize the need for clean energy, the very real possibility of natural resource limitations, and the reasons for a more sustainable food system. What I wanted from THIS author was information on growing "fresh food in small spaces." Where he provided that information, the book was a great resource. Where he veered into other territory, I skimmed because I would rather read thoughts on the global energy crisis from experts in that field than an amateur (even professional!) urban gardener.
In its weaker moments, though, the book veered into a strange survivalist and doomsday lecture that wasn't so much entirely off base or factually incorrect as it was simply out of place. I purchased this book to find inspiration for unconventional vegetable growing techniques. I recognize the need for clean energy, the very real possibility of natural resource limitations, and the reasons for a more sustainable food system. What I wanted from THIS author was information on growing "fresh food in small spaces." Where he provided that information, the book was a great resource. Where he veered into other territory, I skimmed because I would rather read thoughts on the global energy crisis from experts in that field than an amateur (even professional!) urban gardener.
March 16, 2010
If you're a beginner urban gardener like myself, you'll finish this book with a long list of gardening desires - dwarf fruit trees (I so want a fig tree), strawberries, winter greens under solar bells, Earthboxes (although one gardening instructor said it was a waste of money), sprouts (I want an Easy Sprout container), chicken tractors to take chickens on foraging road trips (although what's with the suggestion in the intro, fortunately not repeated in the chicken chapter, of attaching elevated chicken coops to the sides of buildings? Seems so wrong), and mushrooms (will finally put my shiitake log in the basement storage locker). Great overview and intro/idea book but you'll need to supplement with the many books and web sites referenced to be knowledgable enough to implement the many possibilities with confidence.
I'll start easy with broccoli sprouts in an Easy Sprout container. If I don't kill those, I'll venture out from there.
I'll start easy with broccoli sprouts in an Easy Sprout container. If I don't kill those, I'll venture out from there.
March 25, 2011
Fresh Food from Small Spaces is an informative book. It tells you how to do the things that the author suggests in a way that someone who has never picked up a spade before could do. It even gives you tips that make a lot of sense, but that would be hard to discover yourself. It made me want to go plant a fruit tree, make my own yogurt, and get some chickens. I'm not so sure about sprouting or having a bee hive.
Ruppenthal, the author, makes a good case for learning how to do all of this stuff...providing for your family in the event of future agricultural shortages and/or supply disruptions. People of my generation and younger are losing basic survival skills.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.
Ruppenthal, the author, makes a good case for learning how to do all of this stuff...providing for your family in the event of future agricultural shortages and/or supply disruptions. People of my generation and younger are losing basic survival skills.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in the subject.
December 18, 2008
This is a good book for ideas - the author dips into gardening, beekeeping, mushroom growing, sprouts, etc... with more expertise in the gardening and sprouting areas. I may not be as ready as he is to contemplate more closely any future shortages in resources that will make more urban food production necessary, but I'm thinking I might try raspberries this spring and may try out some sprouting this winter. The writing style made my eyes roll from time to time (supernouns and "you may laugh" especially) - but I've got the book put aside to go investigate some of the web resources that he lists. I'd like to see more books on urban food production out there.
December 23, 2009
I borrowed this book from the library after reading Amazon.com reviews of it. I was trying to find out more about making homemade dairy products, like cheese, yogurt, and kefir, and this book seemed to be a popular title in that category. Unfortunately for me, the book was more of a how-to guide for growing foods in containers, in small shaded, areas, etc. In other words, it was exactly what the title indicated, but I'm only giving it a two-star review because it lacked the recipes I'd hoped to find in the fermentation section, and the fermentation topic was quite brief. If you want to read about fermenting foods, there are other, better products available.
Read
August 9, 2009An enjoyable read, but not too substantial or informative. I would describe it as "motivational", as it is not a how-to manual, and lacks specific details. More detailed tutorials for making sub-irrigated planters (and pretty much everything else) can be found online (for free). This book would be good to give to a neighbor/friend who you are trying to persuade to get into this kind of stuff, but said person would be hard pressed to actually get anything done using only this book.
April 18, 2010
If you live in an apartment and want to garden, this book is perfect for you. Seriously. Its so easy to read and you can easily skip around to the parts you need - like how to build a self-watering planter and where to order seeds and how to grow blueberries and how to make your own yogurt. Thanks to this, I'm starting peas and carrots and cherry tomatoes and mint and chives on my balconey next week.
October 13, 2010
Really helpful in teaching you to garden with-in your shoebox of a living space. Gets ya thinking about real possibilities for your small space, not the huge plot of land you want to have someday. Not really a technical how-to, more of a show you how to tweak the standard gardening techniques. He leaves you with enough info to take the lessons from traditional gardening advice/steps and make it work for you small scale.
Read
May 27, 2013The author says that this book is for those in apartments, but really, I couldn't do most of the things he mentions - I can't have plants on my balcony. I appreciated the parts on reflected light, deciding what to grow and the part about containers, but that was about it. It even covers chickens and honeybees. If you're looking for something outside the mainstream thought of city growing, you might enjoy this.
April 28, 2011
Such a helpful book for the beginner gardener. He encourages use of all available space and has real ideas for how use them. Granted, some things, like growing mushrooms, are a little too much for me to want to try, but his advice has helped my little garden to actually grow. It has a lot of resources for where to get seeds, how to grow things, how to deal with light, water, and soil issues, and how to live in a more sustainable way. Definitely a good read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews