Eat What You Grow: How to Have an Undemanding Edible Garden That Is Both Beautiful and Productive

by Alys Fowler

Imagine a garden that is as beautiful as it is productive, that gives you fresh, wholesome, chemical-free food with flavours that go way beyond anything the shops can offer.In Eat What You Grow, Alys shows you how to create a rich, biodiverse garden that feeds not only you, but supports a wide range of pollinators, bees and butterflies, as well as other wildlife. From perennial vegetables that come back year after year, to easy-to-grow delights, she has selected plants that hold their own in both the garden and on the plate. And tells you how to raise these plants, guiding you through the process of feeding your soil, saving seed and taking cuttings to increase your supplies. She also teaches you simple and effective design tools that will ensure your garden looks striking and wild, brings joy to your world and feeds you day after day.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature

307 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 29, 2021

About the author

Alys Fowler trained at the Horticultural Society, the New York Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew. After finishing her training, she worked as a journalist for the trade magazine, Horticulture Week, and then joined the Gardeners' World team as a horticultural researcher.
Alys is a gardener who loves food. She has an allotment and an urban back garden with two chickens, lots of flowers and plenty of vegetables. Her inspiration for urban gardening comes from her time volunteering in a community garden on the Lower East side in Manhattan, New York City. Much of the ethic, thrift and spirit she encountered there is found in her work today. She is author of several books and writes a weekly column on gardening for the Guardian.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is really a 3.5 because the book presents a lot of information I've read before by Fowler. However, the book does work as a concept with its own focus and I think if you haven't read Fowler's earlier work then this is actually the best place to start. Even if you have read her earlier books The Edible Garden then there's still something to be gained from Eat What You Grow as there's a lot more introductory information about Polycultures in the latter. There are also beautiful images of Fowler's garden and updated growing advice. I gave 4 stars rather than 3 because I felt Eat What You Grow had a great deal of poise, especially compared to The Edible Garden, which hinged on a very lifestyle driven TV companion, where many encountered Fowler's distinctive style for the first time. Eat What You Grow contains fewer lifestyle pictures, more focus on plants and more focus on science, which I'm sure all comes from a decade more of horticulture and more editorial influence with her publisher.

[Brodie · Rating 5 out of 5]

very beautifully written - her personality shines and the information is all very digestible. informative and interesting too, i learnt a lot and the idea of polyculture gardens has my brain buzzing. might have to attempt some fruit trees in my tiny windy rental garden. if i ever have my own garden for long-term scheming this is a book i'll come back to. beautiful layout, illustrations, and photographs too

[Steph Pomfrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

After an appalling spring in which nothing in the garden felt like it went right, reading this in one sitting has restored my confidence and given me a long list of new seed varieties to try next year!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd recommend any of Alys Fowlers' books and this is no exception.

[Kacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and well written, but a huge disappointment after Alys's previous book, The Edible Garden. By comparison, there are far fewer photos, and the ones that are present are grainy and most frustratingly unlabelled! There are lots of interesting new edibles throughout the book, which may or may not be shown in the photos, but you can't tell, so you haven't a clue what they look like. It's lacking the introductory detail to give structure, and some of the chapters feel rather cursory.

The whole thing feels rushed and low-budget, without the care, grace, and commitment of The Edible Garden, which is a jewel of a book. I'm hoping it's just a disappointing second album rather than a terminal decline.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly written and attractively set out, this book came to my attention via a Google Books search for "Nine star" perennial broccoli/cauliflower. It suggests building a garden out of three components, "basics" (perennials), "fillers" (self-seeders that look after themselves) and "toppings" (more labour-intensive annuals).

I will look out for polygonatum or "Solomon’s seal" which is like asparagus but easier to grow.

Alys Fowler is based in the UK, but there is a nod to the southern hemisphere in the introduction.

[Lauren Clarotto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring and informative, but I might be a bit too type A for some of the suggestions in this book. I’m not going to grow peas up old bed springs or have my tomatoes grow through a rose, but I do need to try to be less rigid with what is planted where and with what.

I would love for something similar to this book but for my cold zone 5 climate; so many beautiful gardening books from the UK fall a bit flat for me, since most of the things mentioned can’t overwinter here.

[Gembee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Alys and how she gardens. So inspiring.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wish I’d had this to read at the start of my edible gardening journey. Comprehensive with beautiful pictures