D. Logan

I give this book 7 out of 10 acorns.

This book has been sitting in my 'to read' pile for a while, but other books always seemed to call to me more. I finally focused in and finished this one, but that first sentence sums up my feelings. It's not badly written or poor information. If I was just starting out, it would have been a much more interesting read. As it was however, I only found a few tidbits here or there that I wasn't already well aware of. This is one of those books where it is bound to be far more useful to a new gardener than an old hand. If you are more familiar, it might still be worth it to have a copy for those tidbits I mentioned. As the previous review noted, there's a section on poppy harvesting that is uncommon to many books.

Still, I don't know that I would have been happy having spent the money if I hadn't gotten a copy in a contest. Most likely I will end up gifting it to a friend just starting to explore gardening rather than adding it to my own bookshelf. It will be of far greater value to them than myself. Then again, I imagine it is those newer gardeners who this book is truly intended for. That said, I am certainly going to jot a few notes of those bits and bobs I hadn't already known before I do. Make of that what you will.

I did a lot of smaller dishes in the pan. That color is almost entirely from hot cocoa, making me a bit anxious about drinking any more in the future. Lol.

Instead of fixing the ceiling mounted, electric integrated fire alarm when it malfunctioned, my landlord handed me a wall-mounted battery powered fire alarm after ripping out the original. Well, lemonade out of lemons, it lets me do this BB.

I don't trust how long it will work since they gave me a used one, so I went with the mounting method that allows for a quick replacement if need be.

Knowing more details, yours sounds like a situation I would avoid like the plague.

A number of neighbors hostile towards even having a garden

A city that bans a number of things in a seemingly arbitrary manner

Being subject to regular inspections of my property by government officials

That situation to me spells out heartache and I would probably just look to move a little further out of town or to a nearby town. Is it possible to keep improving things? Absolutely and if that's your choice, I commend you. Is it going to result in a lot of bad situations and agencies dedicated to making you cry getting involved? Probably yes. Your neighbors are going to be constantly looking for ways to get what you have removed since they don't like it. The city seems hell-bent on keeping your situation as close to typical suburbia as possible. The odds are, one inspector with an option that your garden isn't in neat enough rows could result in them sending a mowing crew to tear it out and leaving you a bill. (It's happened to others here. We have horror stories) It sounds like a huge uphill battle. You may win through loopholes and cunning, but you might also get the attention of people who like making rules and those loopholes might get closed and you get asked to retroactively undo your work too. It's a tough situation.

You might see if any food animals are classified pets. Some areas count pigeons as pets, many consider rabbits to be, and almost all count Cui as pets. Each is quality meat in a compact space requirement. Rabbits are especially productive and low effort for high return animals.

Many places have no rules on 'temporary' structures even if they have very strict rules on permanent ones. Some options would be to see if there are some loopholes. Does a temporary structure you take down 3 months out of the year have any special rules listed? Is the limit of 6x4 something where as long as it is smaller than that you're okay? What about a raised bed where you have a clear plastic tenting you put on in the fall and take off in the spring. What about a structure that is able to be moved around? If you can lift it with a fork truck to change it's spot, there's no foundation so it's really just a fancy storage container.

Sometimes it is a matter of how obvious things are. While I won't advocate breaking any laws, I know many places couldn't care less as long as it isn't something obvious. A rain catchment disguised as a storage bench wouldn't catch a single eye, but would serve the same purpose as the more traditional ones that many find so ugly.

T Simpson wrote:I've defiantly done this recently with broccoli and would go take a picture if it wasn't raining atm.

I've heard about these PEA things but do I need to live in an apartment or is there a equivalent SKIP/PEP BB I should go to?

PEA is being developed as an alternative to PEP for those who don't own the property/have the space needed to do PEP. Anyone is free to do PEA, as it is designed to be done anywhere. If you have the space to do PEP, you may do either or both as you desire. A good example is if you had the ability to do several of the PEP badges, but lacked a situation where several could be done, you could do PEP for the ones you are able and PEA for the others. PEA is there for apartment dwellers, HOA afflicted individuals, folks who don't want to do major projects in their back yard, etc, but there's no bar for entry even if you had 1000 acres of your own.

Not quite PEP, but I just finished the 20 Badge Bits for PEA Gardening straw level.

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEA curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Gardening.

Just because we’ve pointed out plants we’d like to have grown, that doesn’t mean those are all there are. If there’s a houseplant you’d like to add that isn’t on the list, you can still get credit for your efforts. Note: This only applies to new plants, not old plants you own already. The exception to this is if you are repotting it into a larger pot.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
Pot a houseplant not found elsewhere on this level of the PEA Garden Badge.
Do not use plastic, cement, porous terracotta, or styrofoam pots.
Plant it using any method that is organic or better.
Show evidence of the plant’s growth.





To document and become certified for this BB provide photos or video (less than 2 minutes) showing the following:
- Explain what plant you selected and what the benefits are (even if it is just aesthetics)
- Show the materials prior to potting
- Action shot of potting the plant
- Display how the plant has grown over time after planting

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEA curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Gardening.

Hanging basket gardens are common even if you aren’t stuck in an apartment. Using your space wisely is just a good practice. Porches and patios are ideal spaces for a hanging plant. Even if they aren’t a food production variety, they can be used to add a bit of life to vertical spaces.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:

Plant it using any method that is organic or better.
You do not need to make the hanging system yourself.
Pot a hanging basket or other hanging plant system.
Monitor the growth of the plant.






To document and become certified for this BB provide photos or video (less than 2 minutes) showing the following:
- Show the materials prior to potting
- Show the fully potted plant hanging
- Show the plant after it has increased in size/growth

This is a badge bit (BB) that is part of the PEA curriculum. Completing this BB is part of getting the sand badge in Gardening.

There’s an endless stream of waste that comes with life. In the country it is easy to compost in many forms. In an apartment, space and situation limit the options. Since some forms of waste don’t need to compost prior to use, it is entirely possible to fertilize your plants directly. Coffee grounds, banana peels, and other items all serve as a means of ‘Ruth Stroud’ing your indoor plants.

To complete this BB, the minimum requirements are:
Use waste materials to directly fertilize plants.
Show how the waste has broken down over time.






To document and become certified for this BB provide photos or video (less than 2 minutes) showing the following:
- Show the waste materials prior to use
- Action shot of the waste materials being used
- Dig a small area to show how the waste has broken down after a month or so.
- Explain any improvements or changes in the plant afterward