|
Biodynamic
Gardening John Soper's original text of 1983 is a classic of the biodynamic school of gardening. This revised reprint is definitely authoritative, resulting from the combined wisdom of two people with great experience of growing to the biodynamic principles. Although this edition has been revised and contains new text, it reads like a book from another time. Nowadays it is tempting to think that in some books the text is there to support the pictures rather than the other way round. In this book the text is relieved by few illustrations and the very meagre photographs are so poor that they add nothing to the understanding of the text. The cover of the book depicts a very practical scene and there is certainly practical advice within but deeply entwined with philosophy. Within a few pages of opening the book we are in the cosmos examining the influences of planetary movements. Understanding this concept is fundamental to biodynamics but I found it heavy going - and I am interested. It is curious that
there are relatively few biodynamic gardeners in the UK, whereas on the
Continent they probably outnumber organic gardeners. My suggestion is
that we love the mud and the plants more than deep philosophy. The trick
in reaching the new gardener is to make it easy for them to succeed and
in appealing to the experienced is to inspire them to a new approach.
I regret that this book does not inspire. It will, however, remain an
important book for the committed and the curious. Biodynamic Gardening by John Soper, edition enlarged and revised by Barbara Saunders-Davies (210 pages) is published by Souvenir Press, 43 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3PD. Price £10.99. ISBN 0-285-63279-5. The
Royal Horticultural Society Fruit and Vegetable Gardening. Although it does not say so specifically, this substantial book from the RHS\Dorling Kindersley working partnership is the successor to the two RHS classics, 'The Vegetable Garden Displayed' and 'The Fruit Garden Displayed', which, through numerous reprints and updates, had been the bedrock texts for amateur gardeners since 1941 and 1951 respectively. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth, even a few tears, when they were allowed to go out of print a few years ago. Is it a worthy successor? By and large the answer is yes. It has an inviting, bright, clear format and generally succeeds in imparting both the broad principles behind the cultivation of fruit and vegetables, and the essential detail, so frequently missing from today's potboilers. Introductory chapters on soil types and structure, fruit tree forms, pollination and pruning, for example, condense vast subjects to practical 'need to know' essentials, well illustrated with both photos and line drawings. It is good to see often overlooked techniques such as seed saving (for vegetables) and grafting (for fruit) included. The expertise of the RHS staff at Wisley, and many years' of fruit and vegetable trials there, is well utilised. It has its weaknesses.
The most irritating is the fashionable urge to group vegetables into arbitrary
categories usually, but not invariably, according to the part you eat.
This would not matter, except each has its 'general' introductory section
- which in effect is never fully relevant to the whole group. A case in
point is oriental brassicas. Chinese cabbage, pak choi, mustard greens
and spinach mustard for some reason escaped being grouped as 'brassicas',
their logical home, and were lumped in with amaranthus and Malabar spinach
as 'leafy' vegetables, and ergo branded as 'tending to be frost sensitive'.
The last two are very hardy. There is in fact, a fair number of inaccuracies
where minor vegetables are concerned. There are also discrepancies between
information in 'general' sections, and in the main text for each entry.
Reading 'storage' you would assume carrots are left in the ground all
winter: under carrots itself it is clear that is not so. In several cases
the caption writer and the editor were not reading from the same hymn
sheet. But it is always easy to carp. There is a lot here for the increasing
number of people interested in growing their own fruit and vegetables. The Royal Horticultural Society Fruit and Vegetable Gardening (2002). Editor-in-chief Michael Pollock (272pp) is published by Dorling Kindersley, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL. ISBN 07513 36831 (£20.00). BOOK DISCOUNTS |