BOOK REVIEWS

The Edible Container Garden
Fresh food from tiny spaces

Michael Guerra
Gaia Books
Distributed by Bookwise International
$NZ34.95
Reviewed by Mike Gowing

SMALL-SPACE gardening is all the rage, but this book has an authentic stamp - it comes from the author's own experience.

Michael Guerra, an engineer, was a gardening novice when he and his wife decided to grow their own veggies using the principles of permaculture in a 40 square-metre backyard (the final pages show its plan).

Although, as the author puts it, "the main limit to a small garden is the gardener's imagination", it helps to have a starting point.

Guerra's eye has helped him develop some useful garden design tips for tight space - he emphasises the importance of good planning throughout.

It's all here, from worm bins to window boxes, with a useful section on container-suitable species with growing tips for each. If you've got a rooftop apartment or even a patio that you want to do more with, try this one for size.

Reproduced with permission from the former Weekend Gardener magazine. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of the RNZIH