Slug Tossing: And Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener

by Meg Descamp

Book by Descamp, Meg

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Memoir

202 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1998

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meg is me. This, despite being a novel, is one of my new gardening books.

[Josie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a joy to read. And now I look forward to gardening once winter is over!

[Lisa Tangen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, quick read. Learned and related quite a bit to the author's experience in gardening. Fresh fun writing style. Wish she wrote other books

[Jeanna Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Meg DescampSlug Tossing: And Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener

This book is my annual motivation to get out and garden! A great story teller, Meg DesCamp, describes with hilarious detail how she reluctantly gardens because she has dirt in her veins.

I haven't found another book that makes me laugh and want to garden at the same time. This book should be in every gardening store in the country.

[Bonnie Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Slug Tossing: And Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener" by Meg DesCamp is the hilarious saga of her attempt to grow flowers at her home in Portland. While she learns about soil, compost, feeding plants and so on, you do too. It's like taking a horticulture class where you spy on the worst student in the room. You'll find yourself giggling while reading about evil slugs, peat moss (as DesCamp says, "Peat moss. What the hell is peat moss?"), ladybugs and weed pulling. By the way, this is a great book to give as presents for your gardener pals.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever wondered what gardening in the Pacific Northwest is like? If you have, or even if you have never entertained the notion, this is a great read.

Meg is from a family of gardeners and this is her foray into the "family business" so to speak. Not sure what "slug tossing" is? Oh, you'll learn.

It is a very slim volume and well paced, so the time just seems to fly by.

My only regret is that it wasn't any longer.

[Christian Lipski · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice little memoir about a woman who moves to Portland and is dragged kicking and screaming into the world of gardening. She learns the hard way how to care for plants, especially in the clay-based soil of Portland. Pretty easy read, and pleasant.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a cute set-in-the-Pacific-Northwest story of a San Francisco-transplant to Portland who learns to garden against her better judgment. If you like the NW or gardening, you'll enjoy this. Cover artwork is done by a friend of ours, Susannah Bettag.

[David Ward · Rating 1 out of 5]

Slug Tossing and Other Adventures of a Reluctant Gardener by Meg DesCamp (Sasquatch Books 1998)(635.092). A beginning gardener writes about beginning. This is one tedious attempt at humor. DNF. My rating: 2/10, finished 2002.

[Hybridhopes · Rating 2 out of 5]

her fondness for Starbucks, dissing the SE, and *using* her gay neighbors' lives rather than being an ally make me not like *her* but the book was alright if you ignore that. easy, fluffy, semi-oblivious read.

[Leslee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book inspires me to gardening like no other that I have read. She really makes it seems fun, and has the ability to pluck humor out of the most unseemly situations.

[Jennifer Fogerty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much! It is my favorite go-to book on gardening, even though it is written in prose. I love it! Read it!

[Laurel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super cute & funny. I found myself itching to read the next chapter. Portlanders will especially love these spot-on stories of Portland gardening.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found the narrator irritating and naive, but it's written 10 blocks from my house and has good thoughts on gardening specific to this place.

[Kimberlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

endearing and funny

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very, very funny book and a great intro to gardening in the Pacific Northwest.