My Inspiration

A little over a year ago, when Melissa and I were thinking about drastically expanding our garden I did a fair amount of research into urban gardening. I came across one of the best little books on the subject that I've ever found then or since: My Handkerchief Garden by Charles Barnard.

The author describes transforming his urban backyard (25'x60' -- almost the exact dimensions of mine) into a full garden producing all manner of vegetables. He talks about the health benefits of fresh vegetables, the cost savings compared to the grocery store, and how working in the garden reduces urban stress. Because urban space is always at a premium, he talks about interplanting, rotation of ground, thinning, and other 'square-foot' gardening techniques. He talks about extending the growing season by starting seeds indoors, using cold frames in the spring and fall, and using row covers to protect the plants against early frost. He passes on clever tricks to build indoor growing shelves in your windows, and cheap ways to make raised beds.

Now, there are many resources in print or on the web that offer similar advice, or discuss just those same topics. After all, urban gardening is become all the rage. So what makes this book so much cooler than all the rest?

It was written in 1899.

Turns out people have been growing things for a lot longer than they've been surfing the 'Net, and vegetables still grow in about the same way as they used to. So check out the book, it's a quick read, but a great one!