Chris McLaughlin’s book, The Good Garden, outlines a sustainable approach to gardening that respects the long-term health of the environment and emphasizes biodiversity, conservation, and stewardship. The author covers all the basic topics involved in having a garden with an emphasis on organic methods, and provides suggestions for building an ecosystem in your backyard. All through the book McLaughlin cultivates a message about the value of a connection to nature and its emotional benefits.

After explaining the styles of sustainable gardening, McLaughlin discusses various practices needed to create a healthy backyard ecosystem, including how to make loamy, friable soil, eco-friendly pest control, wildlife habitats, interplanting crops, vertical vegetable gardening, succession planting, crop rotation, carbon farming, and gardening as a community. The goal, says the author, is to establish a garden that is right for both the individual gardener and the specific environment where the garden is located.

Each chapter focusing on a specific aspect of gardening. McLaughlin begins by showing readers how to familiarize themselves with their own individual environment and goes on to discuss incorporating beneficial insects into backyard gardens with a special emphasis on pollinators, especially bees. Other chapters deal with weed control, pest control, building and nourishing healthy soil, including domestic animals in the garden, and growing plants for food. We learn for example, about cool and warm season vegetables and herbs, what varieties of fruit trees are suitable for a micro-orchard, and how to reduce food waste. All topics are presented as part of a holistic approach to restoring and replenishing the land.

The Good Garden is an introduction to sustainable gardening, not a detailed guide. An extensive section on resources supplies information on books and websites related to the topics discussed in the book. The resources are arranged by chapter to facilitate easy access to specific interests.

To buy The Good Garden from Amazon, click here.