Landscape designer Christian Douglas's The Food Forward Garden is a spellbinding book for anyone who wants to make better use of their outdoor space for growing food--or for armchair gardeners who just want to enjoy the results of others' creativity. Readers will enjoy this visually lush exploration of how to transform any yard, hillside, nook, or cranny by growing herbs, vegetables, fruit trees, and more in creative and smart configurations.
Douglas brings impeccable taste and practicality to bear on the residential spaces he showcases. His philosophy that "gardens are part science, part art" and "you can't cultivate one successfully without embracing both" shines through on every page.
All variables are accounted for, including sunlight, climate, soil, irrigation, planting, transplanting, and harvesting, along with Douglas's preferred tools for each stage of the process. The book's chapters are as elegantly and efficiently laid out as the garden spaces themselves.
Replete with interstitial "secrets to success" and a troubleshooting section that anticipates problems and offers solutions to ward them off, The Food Forward Garden prepares even relative novices to make the most of their space, be it casual, formal, or multiuse, as it discusses options for containers, trellises, urban rooftops, and "unexpected sites for edibles." Douglas points out that front yards are often relegated to decorative lawns, which "consume a lot of resources without any meaningful return," and instead encourages considering the potential of a front yard garden that "invites visitors and neighbors to admire the view."
Douglas has created the perfect resource to curl up by the fire with during the cold winter months as readers dream about next year's garden. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.