The Autumn Slump: book recommendations for gardeners who've had enough
, by Ellen Rignell, 2 min reading time
Fed up with gardening? Try reading a book instead.
My favourite thing about gardening is the way it entangles you with the seasons. Winter is your moment for pause and reflection, Spring is brimming with hope and excitement, Summer feels energetic and endless and Autumn brings closure but also comes with a definite slump.
Autumn is my favourite time of year - the cool, the leaves, the low light - but it's also the time of year I find it most difficult to muster the energy to get out and do what needs to be done in the garden (FYI there's still a lot to be done - see here). Especially when its raining.. and everything's damp.. and my boots are heavy with mud.. and the entire natural world has collectively decided to go to bed.
Far be it from me to go against the grain of the natural world - let's light the fire, curl up on the sofa and read a few books. Here are three vegetable growing books I come back to every year.
The Tao of Vegetable Gardening - Carol Deppe
A beautiful, meandering book written by inspirational and radical American plant breeder, Carol Deppe. This book has been a companion to me throughout my growing career and not enough people know about it. It's a generous book and entertaining read, with chapters such as 'Garden Woman meets Pigweed with Attitude' and 'Twenty-four Good Places Not to Plant a Tree' and 'A Weed by Any Other Name Is Usually Still a Weed'. Full of practical knowledge but doesn't read like a text book.
How to Grow Winter Vegetables - Charles Dowding
A wonderfully practical and exhaustive book about growing vegetables to take you through the winter months. Too many gardeners miss out on growing produce over the colder months. In many ways, we're lucky in the UK to have a climate mild enough to allow lots of vegetables to overwinter. Plus, vegetables harvested after a cold snap are SO delicious. A brilliant companion book for when you start planning next year's veg patch.
Rare Vegetables for Garden and Table - John Organ
I'm not sure anyone will be able to source this particular book (I was given this copy by my mum) but this is a more general recommendation to scour second hand bookshops for old books about vegetables. This one is from the 60s. It's a little treasure trove of different crops and cultivars, complete with black and white photographs. Excellent cooking notes too.
