A lively, passionate argument for the backyard vegetable garden, drawing on science, history, and stories from the author’s garden.

 

Our parents saw supermarkets and processed foods as the height of convenience. But nothing is more
convenient than grocery shopping in the backyard. A vegetable garden offers the best defense against
rising food prices, the most environmentally sound way to eat, and better exercise than any gym. It will
turn anyone into a wonderful cook, since nothing tastes more vibrant than homegrown. And it can take
less time every week than a trip to the supermarket.

In Grow the Good Life, Michele Owens, an amateur gardener for almost two decades, makes an entertaining and persuasive case for vegetable gardens. She starts with two simple but radical ideas: Growing food on a small scale is easy, and it is absurdly rewarding.

“Not only does Owens make an utterly convincing case––in terms of health––for getting out your shovel and creating a vegetable garden, her enthusiasm for the sheer fun of the endeavor is bound to win you over.”  Ruth Kassinger, author of Paradise Under Glass

“Michele Owens is truly the most eloquent, cosmopolitan, and opinionated garden writer since Katharine White. In Grow the Good Life, she makes a passionate and compelling case for returning vegetable gardening to its rightful place in the day-to-day lives of every American family.  It is a witty, entertaining, and highly persuasive read.”  Amy Stewart, author of Wicked Plants