Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden

by Niki Jabbour

Vegetable gardens can be designed for flavor AND fun! Niki Jabbour, author of the best-selling The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener, has collected 73 plans for novel and inspiring food gardens from her favorite superstar gardeners, including Amy Stewart, Amanda Thomsen, Barbara Pleasant, Dave Dewitt, and Jessi Bloom. You’ll find a garden that provides salad greens 52 weeks a year, another that supplies your favorite cocktail ingredients, one that you plant on a balcony, one that encourages pollinators, one that grows 24 kinds of chile peppers, and dozens more. Each plan is fully illustrated and includes a profile of the contributor, the story behind the design, and a plant list.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Food, Reference, Nature, Plants

272 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 2013

About the author

Niki Jabbour is the author of the best-selling, award winning book, The Year Round Vegetable Gardener (American Horticultural Society Book Award), Groundbreaking Food Gardens & Veggie Garden Remix (All published by Storey Publishing). Niki writes for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers, including Fine Gardening, Horticulture, Garden Making and Birds & Blooms. She speaks at garden shows, events and venues across North America. Niki is also the award-winning host of the long-running show The Weekend Gardener on News 95.7 FM (www.news957.com) that airs Sundays 10 to noon Atlantic time, April through October. Niki is a founding member of the award-winning website, www.SavvyGardening.com (2017 Gold Award for Best Overall Garden Blog & Best Digital Media from the Association for Garden Communicators).

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is filled with working garden plans for people who want to grow food gardens in any environment. Organized by the type and amount of space that you have to garden in, anyone can find a garden plans that meets their needs. Each garden plan is also created by a different contributors, so you are getting 73 different points of view.

Each garden plan is formatted simply with a list of plants and an easy to understand garden map that includes dimensions and a little information about each plant. I enjoyed the Urban Culinary Herb Garden which can be grown in small spaces and used by anyone. the American Potager garden which encourages you to grow food to eat year round, Eat Your Yard which helps turn lawns into food, Chili Lovers Garden shows good varieties for heat lovers, Front-Yard Foraging encourages native landscaping with food, Wildlife-Friendly Garden encouraging beneficial plants to animals as well as humans, Edible Cutting Garden a stylish and yummy garden for a front lawn and Fall and Winter Vegetables encouraging growing all year long.

Great for anyone looking for a place to start with garden planning.

This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.

[Trace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE looking at garden plans.. this book is chock-full of really smart garden plans. LOVED it!!

[Mary Foxe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skimmed. Fascinating ideas.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe the proper title of this books is Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 plans that will change the way you grow your garden.

Format: Advanced e-copy from Net Galley, free in exchange for a fair review
Narrated By: NA
Original Publication Year: 2014
Genre(s): Non-fiction, Gardening
Series: NA
Awards: None

Suggested Subtitle: A Garden Plan for Every Eventuality

I love to grow vegetables and herbs but unfortunately I am the queen of gardening handicaps. That’s me being a little melodramatic but I really do have some serious gardening obstacles. My yard is small and the garden must share the limited space with my two gigantic dogs but the real killer is that my yard, front and back, is very shady mostly thanks to neighbor’s trees. I was very excited when I saw that this book included a couple of plans for growing edibles in shady conditions! That’s what drew me in and prompted me to request the book but in the end it provided me with all kinds of ideas and inspiration beyond just my current situation.

The book is a collection of garden plans for almost every conceivable situation. It felt like there is something of interest for every gardener’s unique situation or desire. One of its strengths is that each plan is contributed by a different source which translates into a huge variety of creative ideas. The contributors range from gardening professionals to bloggers and they garden in a wide range of locales and conditions. It also really felt like the plans being presented were not just ideas from the gardener but actually were the tried and true methods they use every year. Each plan is narratively communicated in an interview type style, focusing on highlights and key concepts and advice and then is depicted with a nicely rendered and easy to interpret illustration of the layout and plants included. I liked that despite their reluctance the author pushed the contributors to name some of their favorite varieties of different vegetables.

I also loved that there was a recurring theme of gardening naturally and creating a garden that produces edibles for people but also is a friendly place for beneficial insects and pollinators. For example, several of the plans mention planting pathways between beds with clover to attract and support pollinators which is not an idea I had encountered before. There are even a few plans that focus on creating a wildlife friendly garden which I especially appreciated.

While each plan is only 4-5 pages long and doesn’t go into too much detail I still felt like I learned quite a bit. I learned the difference between a Potager and a Kitchen Garden, how to make and about the benefits of Comfrey Tea and how to plant a knot garden. I’ve only been gardening seriously for about 5 years and most of that time has been in less than ideal conditions so I am definitely still a novice but I have tried to read up on the subject as much as possible. It’s possible that very experienced gardeners may not find anything new here, but I definitely felt like it presented some unique ideas and provided inspiration for trying some new things with a gardening space.

My vote for the quirkiest and most unique plans in the collection:
- Hot Dog Garden: shaped like a hot dog with all the fixins’ and including the plants for all the toppings
- Elizabethan Garden: growing 6 vegetables that were common in Elizabethan times but are unknown now (Skirret, Salsify and Rampion).
- Backyard Brewer’s Garden: how to grow hops in your backyard as well as some interesting flavorings for beer.
- Gutter Gardens: A hanging multi-tiered planter for shallow rooted edibles made from gutters.

The plans I particularly enjoyed:
- Partially Shaded Vegetables and the Urban Shade Garden: both of which gave me good ideas and expanded what I knew about shade-tolerant veggies.
- Circle of Life: innovative and symbolic circular design with the outer ring being a run for chickens.
- Founding Fathers Garden: a design with plants inspired by Monticello, Mount Vernon and Colonial Williamsburg. I love history and am from Virginia so particularly appreciate it. I’ve gazed in appreciation at many of the Colonial Williamsburg gardens.

In short it gave me some ideas that I’d like to play with now, in my less than ideal space and ideas to dream about doing in my future “perfect” gardening space. It includes concepts of interest to the budding homesteader as well as the urbanite who’d like to include more edibles in their well-groomed yards.

Final Verdict: I’d recommend this book as a fun and informative perusal for any gardener but particularly those that are looking for inspiration for playing with their space. I really enjoyed it!

[Laurla2 · Rating 3 out of 5]

-3.5 stars. i was more interested in the information imparted about the various gardens and plants rather than any of the detailed layout plans. it was a lot of reading for a few gems.

-there was one neat garden divided into three separately fenced sections, with a chicken coop that could be opened to any of the sections. one section had fruit and nut trees with perennial shrubs and vines and groundcover and would be the chickens main run area. the second section had cane plants like raspberries, and blueberry bushes. the chickens could run in spring and fall before and after the berries come in. and the third is the vegetable garden patch. during growing season a chicken tractor could be used in the aisles, but the chickens dont get to run free until end of the season cleanup. someday i might like to have chickens.
-fig trees go dormant in winter, and can be stored in a cool dark spot 23-41`F like an attached garage. i'd like to grow a fig tree, but i fear they couldnt produce ripe fruit before our short growing season ends.
-recommends installing 3 feet deep galvanized metal hardware cloth buried underground to stop voles from getting into garden. not sure how i could achieve that much digging in my backyard garden.
-p.57-58 details how to make a comfrey tea-making tower out of pvc, a mesh screen, and a little bucket. you put the leaves in the top and they decompose and a concentrated 'tea' is strained out the bottom and collected in a bucket, to be diluted and used as fertilizer.
-plantsonwalls.com florafelt pocket panel living wall system looks wonderfully neat if i ever win the lottery.
-says hull-less barley is good for short growing seasons
-suggests granular Plantskydd as an organic pest deterrent for rabbits, voles, chipmunks, and squirrels. contains dried pig or cow blood, vegetable oil, and water. scent is supposed to provoke a predator fear response. doesn't get washed away by rain or snow. stays active on dormant plants up to 6 months over winter. apply granular version every 6-8 weeks during active growing season. can sprinkle around bulbs when planting.
-hanging gutter gardens, take sections of gutters, drill drain holes, hang them with chains.
-columnar apple trees, i think i might want to try these!
-suggests growing chives in the holes in concrete blocks like my extra tall raised beds are made of. then they cant expand and take over the garden.
-nanking bush cherries grow in zones 2-7 and are sweet-tart.
-beneficial insects - parasitic wasps lay eggs on beetles. tachinid flies also parasitic. syrphid fly larvae eat aphids, scale, caterpillars. minute pirate bugs eat insect eggs, psyllids, scale, caterpillars. damsel bugs eat insect eggs, cabbageworm, and beetles.
-groundnuts sound interesting, but googling them is confusing because peanuts are groundnuts. but also there are groundnuts that are not peanuts. groundnuts that are vines that grow tubers that arent seedpods. they taste like potatoes but have higher protein content. they also dont yield well with only a single growing season, they need 2-3 years of growth.
-swenson red grape for eating, sweet, has seeds, zones 4-8.
-jostaberries grow zones 3-8. tangy-sweet like gooseberries and black currants and grapes.
-self-watering planters that have a water reservoir in the bottom.
-worm composting/vermicomposting

[Slee · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Groundbreaking Food Gardens: 73 Plans That Will Change the Way You Grow Your Garden, a diverse group of expert gardeners and an author with a sense of humor- come on, groundbreaking gardens, that's at least a little groan-worthy - come together to compile a variety of garden plans designed to meet different needs in different ways, but with one ultimate goal: grow food.

"But I have no space!" you say while gnashing your teeth and throwing a dis-empowered hand to the sky- they have a plan for you or adaptable for you. That's why Groundbreaking Food Gardens brought together so many perspectives, to offer solutions and ideas for a wide variety of spaces and special concerns. Some people have large open land, some people have a lot of shade, some people have a small terrace and a few containers, but everyone needs to eat. Yes, even you.

If Niki Jabbour is guilty of anything, it's of giving me a lot to think about in pulling together my (always last minute) garden plan this spring. With detailed plant lists, guides regarding plant spacing and habits, and diagrams, this is a fabulous book for planning a garden, and takes the mystery out of providing your own salad greens or culinary herbs. That's right, culinary herbs. Don't even try to pretend that fresh herbs aren't worlds more delicious because they are. I am going to grow them. again, with a little more planning this year.

I like that Jabbour doesn't assume that the reader's only interest is in the standard tomatoes and squash garden I grew up with. She includes garden plans for those more interested in exotic peppers and garden plans for people more interested in wildlife. This is very much a book with something for everyone.

It's a good informative read, though more plan-heavy and less eye-candy than a lot of other garden planning books on the market. Ultimately though, when you're planning a garden for food, the point is the produce more than the breathtaking landscape, and careful, yet adaptable, planning is what Groundbreaking Food Gardens is all about.

*I recieved an advance reader copy, only, in exchange for an honest review.

[Anastaciaknits · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who reads my reviews regularly knows that I love to read (and review) gardening books - most especially vegetable gardening. Growing up, we had a few tomato plants, grew potatoes a time or two, and rarely another vegetable plant, though our yard was always surrounded by trees and flowers. Two years ago my parents, hubby & I planted a small vegetable garden, and at the end of our second season, we doubled the size of our plot. I've never been much for cooking, but having my own garden has made me so much more aware of the food we eat and where it comes from, and I've slowly become a better cook as a result.

This book is put together by 73 different contributors, so there's great variety of plans, from small herb gardens to huge spreads with every vegetable imaginable. The books is exactly what the title says, a book of garden plans, so there aren't a lot of pretty photos of growing gardens, but illustrations of where to plant what vegetable to maximum your space. There is an introduction to each plan that explains what's going on in the plan, the how-to's and the why's, so you can learn from the plans & make it your own.

[Jessica Foley · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were lots of good tidbits in this, and I think most gardeners could take something from it. However, there was a bit of repetitious-ness here and there, and some of the information was a bit basic. There was lots of space devoted to creative and attractive gardens with seating areas, rather than just your normal, 'here are plants in a contained rectangle' gardens, even though the emphasis was on edible plants rather than flowers and landscaping.

The author tried to collect gardeners from all over, and did a pretty good job of this, but it was kind of hard for me to take this very seriously, living on the line between zones 4 and 3. Only one or two of the gardeners were in similar zones, and lots of the gardeners were located in the South, so they're growing all sorts of things year-round we can't try here. I'm probably taking at least a star for that, since it was pretty disappointing, if not unexpected. It's a bit of a letdown when they start talking about gardeners living in "cold" climates and then it turns out they live in zone 6.

The illustrations were attractive and gave the book a cohesive feel, but I did long for actual photographs, especially when different varieties of plants were being discussed!

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

High-quality book! I haven't read it all word-for-word, but the parts I have read are approachable. Plans cover a wide array of types of garden (wet soil, shaded, urgent roof top, balcony, patio, farm...), and it really feels like there's something for everyone.

Images include diagrams of garden layouts, which can give you an idea of what curves or angles you like.

You will want to do a secondary look up to double check which plants might work in your area with whatever seasons you might have, native status, or other details of the plants. This book is more on the layout or potential themes you might like more than the details on actually getting the plants to grow (although there are many tips throughout on things like rooting rosemary you might buy st the grocery store).

I hope I'll remember this book and come back to it one day, when I have more space to do a real layout (and not just a balcony, although I've made notes on the balcony / patio / container designs)

[Mary]

I really enjoyed this book but I have major issues with one of the garden plans, so I'm not gonna leave a rating. More info below.

So many garden books are light on actual plans. How refreshing to find a book that's laser focused on it. There are a lot of helpful ideas for many different growing goals and climates.

TW for slavery for the rest of the review

This book has a garden plan called a Founding Fathers Garden, and it's by someone named Teresa O'Connor. As you can probably guess, it's a garden inspired by Monticello, Mount Vernon, and also colonial Williamsburg.

There's no mention of the role slavery played in the creation and upkeep of the gardens the plan is inspired by. It's "Jefferson planted this" or "Jefferson farmed that."

This book isn't that old. It's from 2014. The lack of historical context and accuracy in the Founding Fathers Garden plan is disappointing.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was first introduction to Niki Jabbour, but I'm totally sold.

This is an excellent resource, with more than 70 gardens put together by gardening experts of one variety or another. From formal gardens to densely-planted Victory gardens, Jabbour covers the lot with clear writing and instructions. I think most gardeners would take a mix-and-match approach, adding in an herb plot here, a chicken coop there, a little cocktail garden in a raised bed there. Lots of good ideas for containers, etc.

It was a good read, a ray of hope on dreary winter days. My only complaint was that I wanted more details of the content of the cocktail garden - what does an expert consider important to plant?

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is basically a collection of stories of different people's gardens. So, it's as helpful as talking to 73 good gardeners and throwing around some ideas. It is not a formula for what you should do in your garden. I appreciate this, and I got some ideas from some of the gardeners. I liked the images with the garden layouts and descriptions of what is growing. I wish that there were some actual photos of some of the gardens or particular plants (like potted figs, for example). I think it would have been more interesting and helpful if there were more images rather than just lots of describing text.

[Broken Lifeboat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wide collection of specialized garden plans from professional and experienced gardeners offering inspiration on everything from small to large gardens, sun to shade, drought tolerant and quirky designs.

It's a fast reference with each garden design getting about 5-10 pages so readers can skip around. Great for new planting and design ideas and for building new plant lists. The illustrations are nice for garden mapping but photos would've been better for many of the designs.

Not a "how to" so much as a "was done" so this is more useful for experienced gardeners rather than beginners.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent concept to showcase a diversity of gardens with a wide array of needs and environments.

The main things that would have improved it for me (and these are nitpicky, the book was great) would be:
1) If each garden plan and vignette was accompanied by photos to understand them more easily them. I expect it was cost prohibitive.
2) Key information at the top of each garden profile in a way that would better enable scanning and comparison of key data across the 73 gardens featured.

I had to return this book on its due date but would gladly spend more time with it.

Thanks to the author and contributors for their labor of love.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an in-depth garden planning book!

Jabbour has created a collection of garden plans from throughout the US.

Each garden has a theme and a unique space. From a pollinator garden to a wild plant garden to herb gardens there are descriptions of various gardens people have created. There are drawings to show the layout of each garden and a list of what is planted where. It's an interesting peak into what people do with the space they have. There's also diagrams on how to plant to get specific patterns or other outcomes.

Overall it's a helpful read if you're trying to plan a garden.

[CoCoBug · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very helpful if you are making a new garden space that you can design from scratch. Every page layout is a different spread of garden, with labeled rows and descriptions, by a named gardener on that type of setting or region. I don’t have the space for most of these, and a lot seem repetitive -just different formats. There isn’t a lot of detailed info (such as what not to put next each other, etc.) but some deterrents for different animals are included, specific things like growing in the city, on a rooftop, front yard gardening, etc.

[AnnMarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is incredible for anyone who wants to improve or start their garden. There are so many good ideas that range from the super formal to fun including gardens for kids, a cocktail garden and plenty of plans for kitchen gardens. I read it on kindle and took so many screen shots of the example gardens. There are a lot of useful links as well.

It's a fun and visual book I might even buy it to keep in my house.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

5.0/5.0 - This book was so good, I ended up purchasing a copy for my home library. It's filled with ideas, details, layouts, and suggestions for so many different garden possibilities that you're bound to find one (or more) to fit your needs! From container to truck gardens, victory to specialized gardens - such as a Chicago hot-dog garden, children's garden, beekeepers, herbalist, garlic and pizza aficionados, and so many more are here for the picking. A useful book for any home gardener.

[Amy Crawford · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a delightful book! I came away with a lot of really great ideas - especially loved the plans for small spaces. I wrote down a lot of new varieties to try. My kids liked looking through it and dreaming about spring, too. I only wish there were more specifics on the size of the beds and plant spacing - some plans had that but many didn't.

[mama housemouse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for! Every possible size and type of garden plan, labeled with where they grow, and specific varieties of plants listed. Perfect for January daydreaming about rebuilding our own back-deck oasis garden. Will also be perfect for our someday urban backyard garden... several plans even included coops & compost spaces!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read this cover to cover, but I did flop through and read ones that interest me or could fit in my spaces. I liked the inspiration and the why behind choosing certain plants vs others. I also found some of these gardens such inspiration. Like I would love to have them, but the time and most of all the money required is too much for this stage. Good book for inspiration though.

[Rachel Sides · Rating 3 out of 5]

My criticism of the book is the lack of photos. Each chapter contains lots of description of the garden layout and the plants, herbs, vegetables and/or fruits. There is also a drawing of the garden layout, but no pictures.

[Emma Kramer-Rodger · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the fact that this book included garden plans for a wide variety of climates and so many different options, but I would have much preferred the book have real pictures to illustrate the different garden plots rather than drawings

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved being able to read about other gardeners gardens and the types of plants grown. Gave me a bunch of new ideas.

I just wish the bios were with the gardens instead of stuck at the beginning of the book. That was my only dislike.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a smart book, full of ideas from experts. I love the designs and the concepts here. I do wish there was a bit more detail to the designs, and that I had heard a bit more from some of my favorite gardeners and designers.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book! Great and full of lots of plans for varying sized spaces from small to campus-sized. Interspersed are tidbits about compost, seed starting, containers, plant varietals, how to build soil, and how to put chickens to work in your garden. Great for everyone!

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Niki is one of my favorite garden writers. This book is full of great ideas and beautiful illustrations. Rounding up to five stars and hoping future editions include location/zone info for each garden, or offer hardier plant alternatives, to make planning easier.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of garden ideas to incorporate into your yard. I want this book for when we buy our house in the next year.

[Jeani · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something for everyone!

[Tanya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to look through all types of food garden layout illustrations.