The Foodscape Revolution: Finding a Better Way to Make Space for Food and Beauty in Your Garden

by Brie Arthur

This is one of those "especially for now" kinds of books. For you, for the whole family, for your community. Foodscaping visionary Brie Arthur looks at under-utilized garden spaces around homes or in the landscaped common spaces of planned communities – and she sees places where food can be grown…lots and lots of it. And not in isolated patches, but inter-planted with non-food ornamental plants for year-round beauty. This is a new way of looking at private and public spaces, where aesthetics and function operate together to benefit individuals and entire communities. In The Foodscape Revolution , Arthur presents her status-quo-shaking plan to reinvent the common landscape – in a way that even HOA’s would approve. Call it food gardening “in plain sight,” and having it all. In this entertaining and informative book, you’ll learn which edible and ornamental pairings work best to increase biodiversity, how to situate beds to best utilize natural water and light resources, and most importantly, how to begin an enriched gardening lifestyle that is beneficial, sustainable and empowering. With full-color photos, design plans, simple projects and bountiful tips, The Foodscape Revolution can be life-changing.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Food

192 pages, Hardcover

Published March 15, 2017

Reviews

[Leslie Halleck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edible landscaping is not a new concept; many of us practice it in our own gardens. But for many emerging gardening enthusiasts, mixing edibles and flowers is a completely foreign concept. I remember when I found a neighbor standing out in my front garden with a seriously puzzled look on their face: “I didn’t know you could plant lettuce along with your flowers in your front yard!”

Taking Foodscaping from perplexing to productive is Author Brie’s specialty. She’s spent years crafting a system in her own landscape that you can use step-by-step to transform your garden spaces from just pretty, to pretty + productive. I always say, you need to get the most out of your garden real estate. Brie will help you do just that. Her approach is down to earth and easy to understand, so there’s no need to be intimidated by her projects. She starts you out with a solid garden foundation from which you can experiment and make your own. Plus, she even gives you some recipes you can put to work once you start harvesting the fruits of your labor (including her famous Bloody Mary mix!) Join Brie in her passion to bring homegrown food to every suburban, and urban, landscape

[Maggie Holt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an extremely inspiring read. At our new house, I'm developing a long-term garden plan, and I feel a lot more confident about making certain decisions after reading this. Will be referring to it more as I go.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice little hints like using spray paint to help with direct seeding.

[Anna Glezina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good job. I recommended this book to all my friends who are beginners, I told them it's a must read.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dream “garden.” Very useful book.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much new but good for someone just starting out. Good section on grains

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good intro, I learned some new things even though it's quite basic. Really keen to grow grains now!

[Lydia Gunter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Inspiring and practical.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool idea! I love that sustainability really can be accomplished in small areas!

[Cara Dobrev · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're trying to figure out how to have a vegetable garden and still fit in to the middle America view of what a yard should be, this is probably a good book for you. I found it frustratingly focused on aesthetics and thin on actual planting information.

[Jacquie MacMullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I ended up taking a ton of notes while reading this book. I like how the book has some broad principles on foodscaping while also giving specific examples. And I love the message in this book - traditional landscaping and lawns are ugly, unsustainable, and serve no purpose; we should be using the space to grow food for ourselves and other living things.