This is the third book in a series by Jen Chillingsworth; we previously reviewed Live Green and Clean Green, and they are both books I regularly return to for advice, tips and practical information. The books are compact and beautifully illustrated by Amelia Flower, and Jen’s down-to-earth and honest approach to living more sustainably is refreshing. She doesn’t preach and is open about how she herself may have done things previously, before switching to greener solutions.
This new book has come at the perfect time for me (and I’m sure for many others) as my interest in gardening and growing has greatly intensified over the last year of pandemic lockdowns. I’m still very much wearing my ‘L’ plates in the garden, and getting to grips with ‘potting on’ and ‘pinching out’ – there is so much to learn – but Jen’s book is full of general gardening know-how as well as focusing on the sustainability aspect.
Jen covers many areas from soil types and composting to seeds and biodiversity. She goes into detail about growing an edible garden and a cut flower garden, and even covers indoor gardening for those with minimal or no outside space. As with her previous books, she’s included some homemade recipes for things such as nettle tea fertilizer and natural pesticides.
Whether you are a relative beginner like me, or a seasoned gardener, this book will be a great addition to your garden book collection and will certainly make you think more carefully about how you grow things and tend to your garden. Our gardens should be a haven for nature as well as for ourselves, and Grow Green is the perfect guide to getting that right.
Grow Green by Jen Chillingsworth is published by Hardie Grant – £8.99 – find it at your local book store or online.
For more on living simply and sustainably, check out Jen’s blog and Instagram.
