Gardening When It Counts Growing Food in Hard Times

What it’s about

As we face a future of increasing economic hardship and resource scarcity, Steve Solomon's "Gardening When It Counts" argues that the modern, fashionable methods of intensive, raised-bed gardening are inefficient and resource-heavy. Drawing from decades of personal experience, historical agricultural practices, and a deep understanding of soil science, Solomon presents a compelling case for a return to more extensive, low-input, and water-wise gardening. This book is a practical, no-nonsense guide for both novice and experienced gardeners who want to produce a substantial portion of their own nutritious food with minimal expense and effort, providing detailed advice on everything from tools and seeds to compost and pest management, all while challenging the conventional wisdom peddled by "Everybody Else."

The through-line

Who it’s for

A gardener, or aspiring gardener, who is concerned about future economic hardship, rising food costs, and resource scarcity. They want to become more self-reliant by growing a significant amount of their own healthy, nutritious food, but they feel overwhelmed, confused by conflicting advice, and unsure how to succeed without a lot of time, money, and resources.

The problem

Modern gardening advice promotes intensive, raised-bed methods that require large inputs of water, fertilizer, and labor, which are expensive and unsustainable in hard times. Garden centers sell unreliable seedlings and low-quality seeds, leading to frustrating failures. The reader feels anxious about the future, uncertain about their ability to provide for their family, and frustrated by gardening methods that seem too complex, costly, and time-consuming. They doubt they have the 'green thumb' needed for a truly productive garden.

The plan

1. Adopt the right mindset: garden for production in hard times using extensive, low-input methods.
2. Acquire and maintain the few essential tools: a sharp shovel, hoe, and rake.
3. Build truly fertile, nutritionally balanced soil using a Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) and effective composting.
4. Source high-quality, regionally-adapted seeds from ethical mail-order companies and learn to make them germinate reliably.
5. Master water-wise gardening through wide plant spacing and cultivation techniques that reduce or eliminate the need for irrigation.

The payoff

The reader's garden becomes a highly productive, low-maintenance source of abundant, nutritious food for their family, year-round. · They feel confident, self-reliant, and secure in their ability to provide for themselves regardless of economic conditions. · Gardening becomes a joyful and economically sensible activity, not a frustrating and expensive hobby.

See our guide

• Grow Food At Home →

Featured in these guides

• Grow Food At Home →Named in 3 disagreements

Where other books disagree

• Deep Irrigation Versus Dust-Mulch Dry Farming →
• High-Density Beds Versus Wide Spacing →
• Mineral Balance Versus Soil Biology First →