ONE MAGIC SQUARE
by Lolo Houbein (South African edition)
(Jacana, R225)
Don’t tell me you haven’t thought of planting your own vegetables? Especially in today’s world it makes so much sense from many different vantage points.
But the most appealing aspect is that you don’t need much – as this title implies. One magic square could do the trick and in the process you could approach the garden and what you grow in a hugely entertaining fashion. The best and the cheapest food is obviously what you grow in your garden and in the current economic climate that is especially true – more than ever before.
It doesn’t mean you suddenly have to become a full-time gardener either. You can start your own productive garden on a very small patch and in very short time.
Most of these efforts fail because people are too ambitious and they can’t keep up with the task they set themselves. Start small and expand if you wish and this book will show you exactly how.
The author, who grew up in Holland during World War II, has a life-long food security issue but also comes from a family who have planted veggies their whole life.
She views the book as an offering of survival to those who have never even grown a radish.
Glance through the index and you will see titles like salad plots, the broadbean plot, antioxidant plot, pasta/pizza plot, the Aztec plot and more. It’s get up and go stuff that might irritate some but, if you haven’t a clue, this is where you want to start. From descriptions of food plants to seeds and seedlings, hardware and the food garden, pruning, pinching and thinning, they’re all there.
Easy care fruit trees, climate, weather and microclimates, gardening with attitude, all become part of the preparation. While she wants to send you into the garden immediately, perhaps it’s wise to read the book first. You can hand-pick the chapters that catch your fancy and read the rest when they become applicable.
But it will also give you the chance to decide what kind of veggie patch you want. But keep in mind, patch is the operative word unless you want to spend more time and perhaps start a second career. You don’t have to plant too much to feed a family.
This one, specially adapted for our climate with much that amuses along the way, should do the trick.
It’s not often that one finds anything to smile about when reading a book that teaches you how to do something. - The Star