Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Good Food Without a Yard

Growing food needn’t demand lots of space and commitment, regenerative farmer Tucker (Growing Good Food) writes in this volume on container gardening, which conveys her infectious enthusiasm for gardens of all sizes, from sprouted kitchen scraps to 10-foot avocado trees. Along with the whimsical illustrations by Castle, the message of this book is not only that growing food in containers is fun but also that filling a space with plants can provide a sense of purpose or even companionship. The book has practical tips for things like choosing containers to plant in, selecting container-friendly fruit and vegetable varieties, pollinating indoor plants, and organic methods for soil improvement and pest control. Many of those tips are relevant not just to container gardens but also to other small-space gardening setups, including raised beds. Particularly useful in this book are designs for visually appealing container gardens, which specify plant varieties and how to arrange them. Even if readers’ container harvests don’t quite rise to the level of “victory gardens,” this book makes a strong case for including food-bearing crops among one’s houseplants.