BOOK REVIEW By Phil Ryan BOGI

BOOK REVIEW By Phil Ryan BOGI (Brisbane Organic Growers Inc) Member  
Eat Your Garden – Organic Gardening for Home & School by
Leonie Shanahan ISBN 978097521 Retail $39.95

A superb, inspirational book that should become the bible for everyone, be they teachers, parents or anyone seeking a good informative book that will unlock the secrets of growing plants successfully & organically.  A major part of the books’ success is in its unique & stunning photographs that makes the learning curve so much easier & exciting.  In part it’s a photographic step by step guide on how to become a knowledgeable & successful gardener.

The thinking & planning that has gone into this book’s design & layout is first class, better by a mile than what most of the big international book publishers are offering.  Its success is in the hard yards done by some very committed & knowledgeable people who have perfected the art of combining a very user friendly flow of text with some amasing living photographs; you know exactly what is happening with the subject & can’t wait for the next one to be explained.  Each page will set your genes jingling in excitement & anticipation.  I can’t believe just how good this book really is.  I have spent a lifetime studying what makes a great book & to me THIS is a great book & a very special one.

Leonie Shanahan lives & breathes organic gardening; she is a walking, talking encyclopaedia on the subject; she is the perfect person to write such a practical book as this one.  Leonie has the knack of being able to translate her very successful “Edible School Garden’s Programme”, her “Permakids Garden Workshops” her “Community Garden activities”, etc, etc, into a very lively text which will inspire every reader, especially very young children. Eat Your Garden will grab their attention & imagination at a very important moment in their young lives when something so special as learning the joys of growing their own fruit & veggies will, if properly taught, have a life time skill implanted into them.  They will have the knowledge & understanding of How to set up a garden, be it in a tub or box, How to make a rich compost, Use mulch, Have a worm farm, Use a monthly planting guide, Save seeds, Understand why you must feed the soil to grow great plants.  This list is endless, as will be their & your skills in growing, eating & cooking your very own organic food.
To Quote Bejamin Franklin….”Tell me & I forget, Teach me & I remember, Involve me & I learn”.
‘Eat Your Garden’ is not only a winner for kids & teachers, it is & will be a constant companion to all gardeners.  Its pages are full of brilliant ideas & sound advice while its practical expertise & seep rooted wisdom will cover just about all you’ll ever need to know about organic gardening.

My congratulations to Leonie, her helpers & designer, you have all done organic gardening a great service & in doing so have enriched & opened up the hearts & minds of those most in need of this important information, plus the know-how to bring the classroom out into the garden……..BRILLANT