Groundbreaking Food Gardens

March 17, 2014
Although not as pioneering as the title implies, this collection provides plenty of food for thought, and hopefully for the table too. Jabbour (The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener) has engaged an impressive array of master gardeners; prize-winning bloggers; prominent authors and media personalities; and gardening advisors and experimenters to offer a tasting menu of garden plans suitable for the palate of just about anyone. The designs range from novelty and theme gardens such as Amanda Thomsen’s weiner-shaped Chicago Hot Dog Garden—featuring Windy City condiments: tomatoes, onions, hot peppers, dill, mustard, celery, and poppy seeds—to functional plans for attracting wildlife or beneficial insects. Historical plots include LaManda Joy’s Vintage Victory and Stephen Westcott-Gratton’s Elizabethan Gardens while other plans focus on practical considerations: using rooftop space, featuring shade-tolerant vegetables, or minimizing water. Microlivestock—chickens, bees, and soil microbes—make their appearances too. Instruction are minimal, which is adequate for the more straightforward plans, but readers attempting complex gardening concepts such as Mac Mead’s Biodynamic Farm may need to consult more detailed sources. Although gardeners’ locations are included in their bios, regional and hardiness zone information is missing from the plans themselves, which is likely to annoy experienced gardeners and may lead some novices astray.

June 1, 2014

Vegetable and herb gardeners are always looking for exciting and new ways to have productive harvests. Jabbour (The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener) has collected an inspiring array of vegetable garden designs (73 total) from across the country. They come from master gardeners, designers, and media personalities (writers, bloggers, designers, radio hosts, etc.). Each garden is specialized, accommodating various conditions (balconies, hillsides, terraces, front yards, containers, rooftops) and some with specific purposes (a biodynamic farm, a beekeeper's garden). Most feature raised beds to grow a range of plants, while others are devoted to specifics such as Asian vegetables or "Italian Heritage." Two to four pages are devoted to each plan, with narratives, line drawings, and charts. Photos of the gardens would have been welcome, but the plans are attractive and give the reader a useful visual reference. One quibble: although the locations of the gardens are provided in the brief gardener outlines at the front of the book, they are not included with the plans. This requires the reader to flip back and forth for that information. VERDICT An attractive and entertaining book that will be of interest to gardeners and designers. Recommended for public libraries and all gardening collections.--Phillip Oliver, Univ. of North Alabama Lib., Florence

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from December 15, 2013
As host of the call-in radio show The Weekend Gardener, Jabbour fields questions and receives tips from a wide assortment of produce-growing enthusiasts across the U.S. and Canada. In this lively and inspiring handbook, Jabbour puts these networking skills to good use by showcasing the food gardens of 73 master gardeners, from Seattle to London. Whether the allotted space is a balcony or shady backyard, someone has offered an inventive design for it, including notable horticulture experts such as New York Botanical Garden director Toby Adams, landscape designer Jessi Bloom, and best-selling botany author Amy Stewart. Among the most interesting are Stewart's cocktail garden, providing herbs and fruits for mixed drinks, and a Chicago hot-dog garden, producing bread-seed poppies, mustard, and white onions. Every plan is accompanied by full-color illustrations, growing tips, and tweakable lists of crop possibilities. The abundance of creative advice here will help perk up the gardens of both novice and professional growers as well as satisfy the curiosity of anyone wondering what tickles the imaginations of veteran gardeners.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)