 |
BOOK REVIEWS--NONFICTION
urban EDEN
by Adam and James Caplin
©2000 Kyle Cathie Limited
I'm one of the many people who find themselves enclosed in an urban setting. Amidst confined backyards, no real greenery to speak of, and cement all around, I've been trying to have a real garden—something more than a few sparse plants here and there to spruce up my living area. On my quest to find a book tailored for the urban gardener, I was directed to Urban Eden by Adam and James Caplin, and I've been thankful every day since. This book is a blessing to the urban gardener stuck in tight spaces with limited gardening resources.
The book starts out by dealing with pollution—something every urban gardener wonders about. If your garden is located right by a road, are your tomatoes safe to eat? Can run-off from industrial areas affect your herbs? If so, what can you do about this? These questions—and more—are covered in this section, accompanied by methods for testing for harmful properties and for improving garden soil.
Besides pollution, the book addresses many other challenges that more rural or suburban gardeners don't have to deal with, including rooftop gardening, how to position plants on apartment balconies and roofs, what to do when windows are your only option, designing to fit your urban landscape, and the most in-depth and realistic strategy for the maintenance of containers that I've seen in any book. Adam and James Caplin focus not only on the garden but on the surrounding area as well, suggesting ways one can create a small, private space within a rather large, non-private setting like a city.
When it comes to urban gardening, this book answers just about any question the urban gardener might have, ranging from creating a compost bin to container gardening, to trees, to the seasonal cycle of the urban landscape. There are even a few mouth-watering recipes included for plants you can grow in your very own backyard (or pot, or windowsill). Finally, the index contains a list of good plants for urban gardens, just in case you didn't get mountains of ideas from reading the book (and believe me, you will).
I cannot think of a book I would recommend more to people living in urban landscapes who want their own chunks of nature. This book not only gives you practical information, but it really inspires you to take a fresh look at your garden. Who says that just because you live in a city, you can't have your own little Eden?
-KM
Buy This Book
|
