Book Review: Three For the Salad Challenge

I bought two of these and asked for a review copy of the other (The Speedy Vegetable Garden) to fill some gaps in my 52 Week Salad Challenge Reference Library. Note: all three of them are suitable as general references, not just for salads.

Martin Crawford is well-known for his work and courses about forest gardening. I've been pondering this system and the principles of polyculture Alys Fowler outlined when she spoke about Edible Gardens at Holt Farm last year. As a result I bought How to Grow Perennial Vegetables to expand my knowledge of what can be grown for eating from this plant group. In this regard it doesn't disappoint.

There are a few introductory chapters outlining why growing perennial vegetables is a good thing to do, plus the techniques and growing systems involved.  Finally a chapter on maintenance concentrates on how to keep plants in top condition, so pests and diseases find it hard to get a look-in.

The bulk of the book is devoted to an A to Z directory of the ones to grow, from Air Potatoes (see Yams) to Yellow Asphodel.  Common names are used first in each entry, so some plants have more than one  like the air potatoes do. Each descriptive entry has a good photo of the plant, followed by a general description, hardiness (USA version), then cultivation and culinary notes. A lot of information is packed into a relatively short space - this applies to the introductory chapters too.

Lots of the plants listed were new to me entirely, or as an edible possibility. Now I'm not only thinking where edible perennials may fit on my allotment, but also in my garden too! This is an informative and detailed book, which I shall be returning to again and again.

The Speedy Vegetable Garden is perfect for the impatient grower. The first produce (soaks and sprouts) can be harvested in a few days and the longest waiting time is 70-90 days for early potatoes and 80 days for mange tout/sugar snap peas. There are a few perennials like daylilies and lavender thrown in for good measure.

The book is broadly divided into Soaks and sprouts, Micro greens, Edible flowers, Cut-and-come-again salad leaves, Quick-harvest vegetables, then a round-up of useful sources at the end.

Each growing chapter devotes around two-three pages per crop, including a whole page photo to show-off each possibility. Quicker growing varieties are given, which is useful as some crops can vary pretty wildly in their sowing to plate times depending on the variety chosen. Some recipes are included, particularly for the more unfamiliar crops and growing techniques are sprinkled in where they're most needed. Remarks and tips from the authors (Lia Leendertz and Mark Diacono) are included from time to time, which gives a more chatty feel to the book where they appear.

My only gripe is I felt some of the entries were a bit sparse and padded out somewhat, particularly in the Soaks and sprouts and Microgreens chapters as there's not a lot that can be said about each crop individually. For me, the general technique followed by a list of the possibilities for each one works better. That's probably because I've blogged about them in that way; someone not so familiar with the options may prefer them served up one at a time.

Readers looking for an all-round edible growing manual will need to look elsewhere, as the slower growing groups like many of the brassica family aren't included. However, a gardener looking for a quicker return for their efforts - particularly in a small space - will find much to inspire them in this stylish volume.

A hot bed has been on my list of techniques to get to grips with ever since I began the 52 Week Salad Challenge. How glad I am I haven't got around to it yet!

Jack First's small but perfectly formed volume on Hot Beds is going to save me a lot of time. I won't be making mistakes like using the well-rotted cow manure I can get hold of easily (there's no heat from decomposition, so no hot bed), nor will I be placing my cold frame on top (too much space to heat up, so a warm bed at best).

If you're unfamiliar with this once widely used technique, then Jack First is the man to tell you all about it. A hot bed uses a huge heap of decomposing material such as fresh manure to create the heat. A frame is placed on top to enclose the heat and crops are then sown and grown on the hot bed within the frame. It means salads and many other vegetables can be grown much earlier in the year, for very little outlay needed for heating. Jack manages to do this in Keighly, Yorkshire, so it's not just a technique that's possible for us namby pamby southerners!

This is a very detailed guide and Jack has experimented with plenty of alternative materials such as cloth, to see what's possible if a supply of fresh manure isn't readily available. It's not a pretty, pretty technique, so it's one I'll be using on my allotment rather than in my garden. Charles Dowding has read this book and is experimenting with the technique on his new farm. That's got to be the highest recommendation anyone can have :)