Next book up!

Your Farm in the City by Lisa Taylor and the Gardeners of Seattle Tilth

In bookstores now!

Your Farm in the City is a lovely book for people beginning to grow food and considering keeping animals. It has a Farmer’s Almanac type design with engaging formatting and great graphics. The techniques featured emphasize food production and small space gardening. The information provided on soil and soil health are excellent. I find it challenging to convey soil health in accessible language sometimes so I was impressed with Ms. Taylor’s great job. I teach an intern about soil and growing food and found the manner in which information is displayed in this book excellent for adults and youth. In fact, there are specific activities included to engage youth. Awesome!

There is a section on page 80 about the Dervaes family. I was not in love with that but then how was the author to know that the kooky Dervaes’ would attempt to lay claim to the age old practice of urban homesteading?

The section on irrigation is very descriptive and helpful. I liked the section on organic pest management. Actually this section of the book includes other “pests” such as mammals and birds with helpful suggestions to deter them. That is with the exception of the suggestions for rats. Good luck with the methods suggested. I have found city rats that  infiltrate due to my close proximity to food businesses a real battle. The chapter on weeds is also really helpful. The author has included not only how to best handle the invading plants but how perceived “weeds” can actually be useful.

The last chapter of the book is on urban farm animals. It is a brief section smartly prefaced with the advice to learn all you can about the animal before acquiring them. The information provided is cursory and meant only to give an idea of what might be required in terms of amount of space, basic care, benefits and some common problems- especially the sections on rabbits and goats.

In total, I think it is a great book for all ages! I am particularly impressed with the beautiful youth friendly formatting.

In fact, since the publisher sent me an extra copy, I am going to offer it via a youth writing competition. More on that later!