Review: Very Impressed!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 22, 2012
After moving in our new home, my wife has been adamant that we grow as many fruits, veggies, and herbs as we can citing not only the monetary reasons but also the health benefits. Being the good husband that I am, I naturally caved in and began doing my research. This book was recommended to me by a coworker who believe would be a great benefit. He loaned me his copy via Prime and I decided to take a look and see what all the hype was about.The book begins by making a fairly impressive case as to why sustainable living is good for both you and the environment. I appreciated that little touch because many readers might be skeptical about the concept at first and think all of the hard work that is involved with the process may be all for naught. This is a very detailed and well written part of the book which further convinced me to go through the entire process. Once you get through that initial section you dive right into the heart of the book. From there, you are treated to detailed steps and guidelines on how to invest, start, and raise your own crops. I admit it, I was initially worried about starting the process. Tending to a garden is not only a lot of hard work but if not done properly can lead to disaster if not carefully planned out. There is a lot of great information packed within these pages. The author has clearly done her homework.One of the biggest issues that concerned me was pest control and I was very pleased to see all of the information available that didn't once resort to using pesticides. I wanted to grow the most natural and healthy crops possible and this book hit the nail right on the head. I didn't even know there were plants that repelled pests and I made sure those were on our initial purchase list.Even the section on livestock made me reconsider my egg requirements. Sure, the initial set up requires a lot of work but the payoff will be huge in the end. I didn't believe that before but Sarah Burke beautifully explains all of the benefits in great detail.Reading this book really put the idea of raising my own crops into perspective. Our bodies really are temples and we only get out what we put in. Ergo, junk goes in = junk comes out. The same can be said about tending your own garden. Sure there's a lot of work involved at first but the payoff can be tremendous. Organic crops costs upwards of 200% more at a supermarket and you can grow your own at a fraction of that cost as long as you have the dedication and knowledge. My wife and I were full of the former but this book gave us the latter. Our list is nearing completion and I already can't wait to get started.