Year-Round Indoor Salad Gardening

July 20, 2015
Burke, founder of the Daily Gardener website, gets downright nerdy about seeds, soils, and salads in this treatise on the soil sprout. Not to be confused with the microgreen or the common sprout, Burke’s soil sprouts grow in a special soil growing mix. The seeds start their life in a dark place indoors where they stretch out looking for light. When moved onto a windowsill, the seed leaves turn green—from seed to salad in less than 10 days. The author promises that the process is fairly forgiving of errors, but he also spends a good deal of the book giving precise details about the tricks, tips, and troubleshooting that has occupied his attention for many years. This obsession has become the basis for workshops and even a small indoor “farming” business selling greens to the local school cafeteria food service. Yet something about his enthusiasm makes the average home gardener want to run out and buy a bunch of aluminum foil loaf pans and a bale of vermiculite, and go to town with some pea shoots. Recipes and a list of the best seeds to be grown are essential references. The book makes the enterprise of growing salad year-round and inside seem at once appealing and daunting.

September 1, 2015

Based in Calais, VT, gardener and gardening instructor Burke (thedailygardener.com) argues that anyone can learn easily and quickly to grow a high yield of organic soil sprouts--a nontraditional salad fodder--indoors using minimal square footage and no specialized equipment. This title, a version of which was self-published in 2012, includes a seed reference section, a list of sprout recipes, a FAQ and troubleshooting segment, and a list of sources. Burke's writing is in need of a good pruning and substantial reorganization. The black-and-white photographs don't function well within an instructional gardening text. For example, when the author refers to the photos to help guide the reader in identifying root hairs vs. mold, the grainy black-and-white images are of little help. The quick start guide is cramped with illustrations and too much text. In spite of these frustrations, however, the subject matter is relevant to both seasoned and new gardeners in an increasingly ecologically conscious, highly urban society. VERDICT Recommended for readers interested in sustainable, small-space, and/or winter gardening.--Nerissa Kuebrich, Chicago

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