Four Gardening Authors Reviewed

Gene Logsdon is the hero of the small farmer and the large gardener. From Gene I first learned to thumb my nose at conventional expert wisdom, because, as he points out in his writings, nature doesn't do things that way.

Gene's writing style is like meeting him over the back fence to compare notes, analyze problems and work out solutions. He is sympathetic to those farmers who have been told by their own government's agricultural advisers to get big or get out and equally sympathetic to those of us wanting fresh, clean, organic produce.

Gene offers his own methods and experiences for your education. Take it or leave it, he will not try and force it on you. But he has convinced many of us that natural and nature are the right path to take, especially when it comes to our food supply.

It was from Gene's books that I first got the idea to grow my own grain, to plant lots of trees all over and not worry about neat tidy rows. Also from Gene the idea to take the best of what the USDA offers and leave the rest. Gene is a natural born storyteller and his stories are always interesting, informative and engaging. They also always have a point. Sometimes a very pointed point.

From Rosalind Creasy I picked up the idea of an edible landscape. The idea being that a certain portion of the plants in the landscaping around your home should do double or triple duty. If you need shade, plant a fruit or nut tree, need a hedge, plant blueberries. Want a hedge to help keep out the neighborhood kids and dogs? Plant something thorny like blackberries.

Way back in 1982 Rosalind first published The Complete Book of Edible Landscaping. It's been out of print but a new edition is now available. My favorite though is her Edible Garden series. Smaller books loaded with pictures and focusing on one type of garden; The Edible Flower Garden, The Edible Mexican Gardenand so on.

While I have a ways to go in my own efforts Rosalind's own garden photographs give me inspiration and much to think about. In fact, I've written a while lens about Edible Landscaping and Rosalind, called Edible Plants and Flowers in the Landscape.

And again, with the power of the internet I can now keep up with her at Rosalind Creasy

While Nancy herself has passed to the great beyond, her words of wisdom live on in her several books. Perhaps best known for writing "The Seed Starters Handbook", Nancy co-authored a book on building and using a root cellar with her husband Mike. She wrote many articles and booklets for Mother Earth News, Country Journal and many other magazines. Her down home, easy to understand instructions are great for beginners.

Elliot Coleman lives in chilly Maine, not a place you would expect to be able to harvest fresh vegetables from the garden 12 months of the year! Elliot's books have opened my eyes to working with nature in all her seasons. His books have also given me new insight into the workings and nature of soil and why it is so important to follow organic gardening principles.

From Elliot's books I finally really understand the nitrogen cycle and what I can do to help nature provide this important plant food for my garden. Elliot's background as a practicing organic farmer leads him to doing things that work in harmony with nature because they require the least effort on the part of the farmer. That information alone is priceless.

All photographs on this lens are copyright Mary Hysong 2004-2011. All of these plants were grown in my organic garden in Claypool, Arizona