As many of you know, gardening is a significant hobby of mine. Particularly vegetable gardening. I grow tomatoes, zucchini (which unfortunately have done very poorly this year), cucumbers, beets, arugula, bell peppers, hot peppers, and strawberries, plus an assortment of herbs and random veggies that get thrown in the ground once in awhile. So it's not surprising that I picked up a copy (rather, I downloaded on Kindle) Farm City by Novella Carpenter.
I don't often read non-fiction, but I'm glad I chose this one.
Novella's urban farm is located in downtown Oakland, CA. She starts out with a few pots in her own backyard, but quickly realizes that the empty lot next door would be a fantastic site for an urban farm. She becomes a squatter - at least with her garden. Her first addition beyond the regular veggies is a "poultry pack": chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks. After several adventures and one fantastic Thanksgiving dinner, she adds bees to the mix. Then it's rabbits. Then pigs.
Not only informative, Farm City is entertaining and Novella's voice comes through loud and clear. She has a great sense of humor, even while performing activities that modern day urban dwellers might not find the most appealing. I, on the other hand, found the book inspiring, and hope to one day have a little farm of my own.
Rating: 4.5/5
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