Fabulous Food from Every Small Garden

Paper, 221 pp., $27.50

Encouraging readers to grow their own food, Australian author Mary Horsfall tells of her experience in starting a garden from scratch at a site that had limited space and few free resources. She found that a significant difference in climate and new pests with which to contend was less of a challenge than gardening on a small site. She provides tips on the most suitable crops for these conditions; gives advice on techniques for achieving high production; tells how to create more fertile soil; and goes through the regime for caring for plants. In the second section of the book, there is a directory of suitable crops. Each description includes information on proper soils, use, nutrition, how to harvest and store the bounty, and each section concludes with tips on saving seeds.

— Marilyn K. Alaimo, garden writer and volunteer, Chicago Botanic Garden