From Food to Fire-Pits: Local Authors' New Gardening Books for the New Year

Happy New Year - 2012! Really??? Disbelief or not, what better way to start the year than by hanging out in a local bookshop? While you're lazing around at Elliott Bay Books, University Bookstore or your own neighborhood shop, check out these brand new books by local gardening authors.

It's a relief to read books produced by gardeners expert in our own unique Northwest soil and weather conditions - so much of our gardening information comes from England or the East coast, which means the specifics don't apply to our own gardens. I hope to review all these books for the Seattle Times in the coming months - but here's a preview:

Willi Galloway shares recipes as well as gardening know-how in her first book, Grow Cook Eat: A Food Lover's Guide to Vegetable Gardening. (Sasquatch Books, $29.95). The photos are dreamy, the recipes tantalizing (Lemony Broccoli Rabe, Strawberry Basil Ice Cream...), with plenty of tips on harvesting, storing, and how to successfully grow what you eat.

 

 Former P.I. garden columnist Marty Wingate's new book from Timber Press is Landscaping for Privacy: Innovative Ways to Turn Your Outdoor Space into a Peaceful Retreat. ($19.95). You'll probably recognize some of the gardens and locations in the book, as well as find great visuals for fences and hedges.

Lorene Edwards Forkner has a creative new book out from Timber Press filled with ideas and instructions with DIY ideas from fountains to fire pits. Handmade Garden Projects: Step-by-Step Instructions for Creative Garden Features, Containers, Lighting and More ($19.95).

Then there's Jessi Bloom's fun new book Free-Range Chicken Gardens: How to Create a Beautiful, Chicken-Friendly Yard (Timber Press, $19.95). Jessi is a garden designer, expert in using recycled and repurposed materials, and she writes engagingly in her first book about all she's learned about giving chickens the run of the garden.

Comments

[Ruth]

Hi Val, my wonderful Bog boots arrived this week and I gave them a quick trial in my garden--wow! I didn't realize how cold my feet have been until I felt the warmth of these boots. And, I have a very slippery, hilly garden, and I felt extra secure with the great grip of the soles. And so cute! A winner all the way around.

Thank you so much, and a sincere thanks to the makers of Bog boots.

And Happy New Year!

[Deirdre]

I need that chicken book.