Plants for Free: How to Create a Great Garden for Next-To-Nothing

We used to have a vegetable graden. We had several. Each time we'd start out with the best intentions. Our kids would pick out about a hundred seed packets. I would do the digging. We would plant enough to feed a small island nation. Then things would dissolve. Nobody had time to water and weed and thin and very soon we had another lovely weed patch that I would mow over. For the last couple of years my wife and I started buying folowring plants and putting them, helter skelter in a corner of the front yard. As I watched the first real snow fall of the season come down last week (finally!) I got to wondering what we were going to do with that corner this year. A quick trip to a local book emporium to sample the wares led to discovering this absolute gem. I had made do with Cocket's Vistory Garden and Square Foot Gardening for years. So what made me buy this one? Aside from straightforward prose, incredible photos, and well rendered advice - the section titled "Improvisong tools and equipment". Finally, an author that understood that all those Martha Stewart-ish perfect tool lists just depressed me. I don't have several acres of land and unlimited credit at Smith & Hawkens. Get this: "The biggest investment you may need to make is in a spade and a fork - try to buy second-hand if your budget is tight." She goes on to explain many uses for recyclable plastic containers in your garden and how to get cheap pots and potting soil. If you want to create a beutiful natural garden without spending a fortune, make an investment in this book and get off to a great start.