Reviewed on 9 April 2021, by Barbara Pleasant
Barbara Pleasant, a seasoned garden writer with over 30 years of experience in organic gardening and self-sufficiency, offers her thoughts on GrowVeg: The Beginner’s Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening by Benedict Vanheems.
In this guide, Vanheems distills the essentials of vegetable gardening into accessible, easy-to-follow advice. For example, Pleasant shares a story where a friend asked for her input on turning a quarter-acre pasture into a wildflower meadow. Instead of overwhelming him with lengthy explanations, Vanheems manages to succinctly convey why the friend’s approach would encourage weeds, recommending a simpler method involving bulbs and plants in just two pages. This clarity and brevity are hallmarks of the book, making it especially appealing for beginner gardeners.
One particularly helpful section covers the topic of making liquid fertilizer from comfrey. While a more in-depth discussion of this technique has garnered extensive commentary online, the book presents the information in a concise manner, accompanied by a clear photo illustrating the process, including the essential (if somewhat unappealing) step of composting rotting comfrey.
GrowVeg is not just an informative guide—it’s also beautifully illustrated. Pleasant notes that her involvement with the book’s development spanned several years. She provided feedback on early drafts, working with various publishers before it was finalized with Storey, a publisher known for its collection of best-selling gardening books. The book’s aesthetics were further enhanced by Kim Lightbody, a London-based photographer who helped bring the content to life.
As any author will tell you, a book eventually takes on a life of its own. This happened with GrowVeg, thanks to Vanheems’ dedication and the editorial expertise of Carleen Madigan, whose attention to detail ensured the final product was both accurate and clear.
Though GrowVeg is targeted at beginner gardeners, its practical, step-by-step approach to a variety of projects makes it a valuable resource for gardeners at any level. Pleasant, for example, is eager to revisit a project she once enjoyed: creating a small herb garden in a wooden crate. The step-by-step instructions in GrowVeg allow gardeners to easily recreate this on their own, making it perfect for anyone with limited space, like a balcony or deck. Similarly, Pleasant is considering a new method for growing strawberries using cascading pots, a simple yet effective solution to combat weeds.
For Pleasant, GrowVeg is not just a beginner’s manual—it’s a source of inspiration for all gardeners, especially those who enjoy experimenting with new ideas and projects.
In conclusion, GrowVeg: The Beginner’s Guide to Easy Vegetable Gardening offers practical advice, clear instructions, and beautiful photography that will help gardeners at any stage of their journey. Pleasant gives it five stars, calling it a valuable resource for both novices and seasoned gardeners alike.