The Edible Front Yard: The Mow-Less, Grow-More Plan for a Beautiful, Bountiful Garden

The edible front yard, is my fantasy. As a backyard vegetable gardener I've had to deal with a tall redwood fence, awkward pre-existing trees, and the inevitable shade they cause. But the idea of uprooting the plants in the front yard to plant an aesthetically appealing garden of herbs, vegetables and fruit trees to maximize the use of this sunny space? That would be amazing. This book tells you how to do it in an affordable and pleasing way.The book shows you how to plant plants that are both appealing, and edible. It talks about organic methods to keep your garden looking nice and pest free. There is discussion about how to plan and maximize even the most restrictive neighborhood to include a few harvestables. I particularly enjoyed the creative use of brick and the discussion of each plant and their distinct properties.Reading about this, made me wish to get started on my own front yard vegetable garden. Unfortunately for me, the slugs and snails would devour it alive and what they didn't get, the gophers and moles would finish off. I have raised beds lined with sand paper on the outer rim to prevent the slugs in the backyard... But I'm not sure how well this would go over in the front. Without raised beds, a front yard veg garden would be impossibility. I like the idea of planting fruit trees in the front yard.What you get:* Instructions on how to build maintain and grow your own edible garden* Detailed discussion of herbs and plants you can add to your edible garden* Nice pictures of pre-existing gardens in a variety of locations and styles* Chock full of helpful tipsCons:* May not be suitable for all climates* Pest control methods a bit optimisticRecommended. 5/5 stars

Finally a delicious, scrumptious book about what's living with the People!We don't want want to water grass, we're not able to water grass, we're not allowed to water grass! BUT, we are allowed, and able (Where there is a will, there is a way) to water what we eat. We grow food we like to eat, we like to eat the food we grow.Ivette has dug deep, gone the extra mile, to entice us all to grow (more) food. And she takes us by the hand, not in a Higher Power way, but as a friend, showing us just how much there is out there you can eat!I love the pictures, I love the suggestions of what to plant, and I love the combinations in the photos.The book is my favorite in the gardening section, hands down. Ok, I might be a bit biased; I just planted my 30th apple tree, in the front yard, but even if I had knee high grass, I would be tempted to give this food thing a try. ( It's not going away, it's not a fad, you know...)There is something in the book for everyone: the novice, the advanced, the lunatics (me) and I learned things about plants I grew! Did you know, for example, that you can eat the flowers of garlic after it blooms, that you can eat the leaves of nasturtiums, and that you can grow enough food for your family on a dime in the curb, if needed?If you ever thought of trying to grow something you would like to eat, start here. You'll skip the first 3 years of the learning curve.Whether you want to read it cover to cover, or start by looking at the pictures, or find your favorite plant first, you will have fun and many AHA- moments. Just DO IT!Thanks Ivette, you are Earth Mama!

This is a good Introduction book for those who want to design their landscape using plants that are edible or have medicinal properties. The pictures are vivid and are excellent. Two things to note:1. This books was written in Southern California which has a climate that allows for growing throughout the entire year, so be aware of the plants being offered. Some of them may not be suitable for colder climates.2. My only negative about the book - Not every plant discussed in the book had a picture. For a book of this nature, all plants discussed should be illustrated.

Gardening books of this kind are often (a) less than entertaining to read; (b) impractical; or (c) in favor of making your yard look like a junkyard. I took this one along on an extremely boring business trip and the attendant flight delays and enjoyed it thoroughly. It covers both ornamental edibles and complimentary pure ornamentals; talks about practical issues like where to find hardscape materials at a bargain and why choosing regionally suitable plants is important; and the illustrations (even when built by one of the 3 garden owners featured) don't generally look like a pile of rubbish with plants growing over them, as these DIY-focused books so often do. I was a little disappointed that the author spent a lot of photo space on 3 favored gardens since all 3 gardeners live in the southwest/California area; I would have preferred something more relatable to my area. The principles were good though and I am definitely hanging onto this for reference. The chapter that covered ornamental edibles was great, and included plants suitable to all parts of the country. For future issues or an author's blog (if she has one), it would be great to cross-reference plants by the various categories she provides, such as season, type of edible, soil- and sun requirements and so on, but that's a want, not a need. This is a helpful, informative, easy-to-follow and entertaining book.

urban sustainability

Great shape, and useful ideas.