A Book Review
The Holistic Gardening Handbook – creating health and abundance in your organic garden by Phil Nauta.
I wondered if it was worth the money. Is an e-book really worth it? It’s not on Amazon.com, so I can’t browse it.
It’s over 300 pages. Is it going to be boring and academic and like reading a textbook?
I got a sample chapter as part of the 15 lessons for becoming a better gardener free e-course Phil offers. It was on EM or effective microbes. EM are the microbes used in bokashi. I was always rather confused about what bokashi is, and this chapter provided a very enlightening explanation.
So I took a chance. I bought the book. And I found that I was delighted with the material.
How Long is it?
It’s large. It’s 333 pages. (For those committed to the belief that you don’t have time to read 300 pages, there is a 100 page condensed version that comes with the package.)
Even though the book is meant to be read all the way through, reading sections in no particular order works as well. I started with the food web and then skipped to compost tea.
I found I was able to fill holes in my knowledge and bridge concepts that way. But that’s just me.
What’s in the Box?
The package contains:
- the full version of The Holistic Gardening Handbook
- the 100 page abridged edition
- 27 audio files
- Phil’s Garden Checklist
- Phil’s Garden Calendar
I’m a podcast junkie. So I love the audio files.
The audio files are not Phil reading chapters of the book. He covers the same concepts, but I think he’s just freestyling on the topic. I found the audio very helpful in digesting the information.
I really appreciate Phil’s Garden Checklist as well. It is a great way to start implementing what I’ve read. You can also scan the checklist and see what topics are covered in the book.
The checklist is your map. It reflects the big picture while providing the necessary detail to make a great garden happen.
Phil’s writing style is simple and direct. (Note, I did not say simplistic.) He is able to paint with a broad brush and give the big picture, while also supplying the necessary detail for implementation.
What’s the Big Idea?
The big idea of the book is:
Growing food is part of a living ecosystem, not apart from it.
I highly recommend the book to anyone who’s serious about growing healthy food and promoting a healthy earth in the process.
As a closing comment, the term organic has become watered down and confused. Phil touches on this in his introduction.
Many people are looking for a new term for agriculture in which agriculture is executed in such a way as to be in balance and harmony with the surrounding ecosystems and promoting health for humans and the environment. Holisitic gardening may be that term. I just wish I would stop spelling it with a “w”.
Win a Free Copy
Think you’d get a lot out of the book?
Tell me why you want the book and how you’d use it in the comments and you could win a free copy.
I’ll pick one winner from the comments, and the winner gets a free download of The Holistic Gardening Handbook. A winner will be picked based on why they want the book and how they will use it.
Contest ends May 4th.
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Greetings! I would like a copy of this book because I recently awakened to the need to return to our roots in self-sufficiency. I have been working on gathering information on plant allies/medicine plants/and holistic gardening, in harmony with the habitat and Self.
The lesson of “We are all connected” is best learned by working closely with a living thing, like a garden. Our whole modern lives we have been taught that weeds are bad, pesticides and chemicals are good. I simply refuse to believe that. Its not just about humans – it is about everything in the local environment benefiting from the garden that is there. . .
Green Blessings,
-Eva
I was raised with the concepts of organic/holistic gardening. My mother did this without even realizing what she was doing. It was how her mother had done it so it just came naturally. In the last year cancer has struck my 29 year old son and the realization of how much we have poisoned our environment struck home hard. He and his girlfriend had just bought a small 4 acre property and log home that needed love and this will be their first season gardening… the first was spent with chemo , radiation and surgery. They have changed their lives to try and beat this disease…organic foods, increased exercise, no sugar or chemicals to name a few. They have changed my life too with the positive attitude and the courage and dignity they have both shown. Since they are starting out with their first big garden, I am positive that this book would be a huge help in that goal. Thanks so much .
I have been learning more about the importance of fruits and vegetables in our diet to prevent disease and that organically grown produce will do that more effectively than those “contaminated” by chemicals. I have always enjoyed gardening and eating fresh from the garden. The home I have now does not have a garden space, I need to prepare a space and I would like to learn more about how to do it in a small yard and without the use of chemicals.
We have recently bought a farm and thus far haven’t really been into composting etc. other than saving our scraps for our chickens but I’d like to branch out on the whole area of rural, green life. My sister in law is opening my eyes to a lot of new ideas and I’d like our animal food to be as natural as possible as well as the produce I grow in my garden. I need all the help I can get.
Kari
I would like a copy of this book because I want to learn more.
I would like a copy of this book as I have started a garden with fruits and vegetables and have just about exhausted the public libraries books on gardening. I try to get as much knowledge as possible about growing food for my family; of course there is extra which I share with the neighbors. I too am getting tired of the organic mantra that is so overused and doesn’t have the same meaning that it was originally intended. I believe when big business got on the band wagon, organic lost its meaning. Thanks and hope to get a copy of the book.
Sorry about the moderated comments. I thought I shut that off. Anyway, you should be able to post freely now.
I would like a copy. This is my first attempt at gardening and I want to do it right so I can eat healthy and stop being poisoned by the supermarket foods.
I Could really use this Book! This is the first year I have planted in raised beds and need all the knowledge I can get to do it right.. I have planted in the ground the last few years with mediocre results so I decided to try raised beds this year although I’ve always followed organic guidelines.. Thank you!
I love gardening books and growing stuff and eatting healthier. And the best reason of all the contest closes on my Birthday and it would make a great present lol
I would really love to have the book, also. In my youth I grew up on a farm and we lived from our garden. I have never lost that need to dig in the dirt. But our dirt today is so depleted it is a wonder anything grows. I’m so glad that organic gardening is making a comeback and people are getting on the bandwagon to think about ways to grow gardens and replenish the earth. There is so much I want to learn while I continue to maintain and enhance my connection with the earth. My long-term goal is build a geodesic dome greenhouse and fill it with organic compost, clean soil, and fresh vegetables to die for! Then use my demonstration project as an educational tool for my neighborhood, family and friends. Hopefully it will inspire others to come along and help turn this chemical environment to a more healthful and beautiful space. I am confident the book would be very helpful in helping me continue to work toward my end goal.
I’m so sorry you missed the giveaway on the Holistic Gardening Handbook. But please keep us posted on your geodesic dome greenhouse! Awesome idea!
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