J.
I. Rodale launched Organic Farming and Gardening magazine in 1942, when chemical weed killers and fertilizers were being hailed by many as the modern miracles of agriculture. Rodale’s theories about the direct relationship between the health of the soil and the health of society were considered either revolutionary or bogus, depending on who you talked to. But, with A.D. 2000 just around the corner, times have changed. Environmentally conscious gardeners have seen Rodale’s wisdom finally take hold in a BIG way. Sales of organic food totaled $3.5 billion in 1996, and the market has grown 20% each year for the past seven years.
Now, Maria Rodale writes using her own 20 plus years of experience in organic gardening. Picking up where her grandfather left off, her new book, Maria Rodale’s Organic Gardening, combines her grandfather’s theories with her own 21st-century ideas of what constitutes natural beauty in the garden. The book is divided into the four seasons of the year with helpful calendar checklists for doing seasonal chores. There are 600 color photos, advice on designing your own organic garden, nursery buying tips, bird-feeding information, scrumptious recipes for your kitchen, and easy how-to tips and techniques that illustrate how you can work with nature to create beauty in your garden all year long.
Rodale demonstrates in a most inspiring way that an organic garden doesn’t have to look ugly. There’s a wealth of information in this book about growing everything organically. As Rodale says, You will learn some interesting new things, get inspired, and make the world a better place by creating an organic Eden in your own backyard. Maria Rodale’s Organic Gardening is for beginning and experienced organic gardeners. It’s so thorough and usable that it’s the only organic gardening book you’ll ever need to take you into 21st-century.
Pat Regel grows herbs organically in her Nashville garden.
