I always do better on challenges when I am reading a book about others’ experiences in the same area. Gardening is a joy and a challenge for me and these are books that have kept me interested and hopeful as I challenge myself to again to grow food and flowers.

Second Nature by Michael Pollan. I enjoyed this book very much. It gave me so many new thoughts about why we plant, fertilize and mow lawns so faithfully. What does the landscape around my home say about me? And what did God mean when he told Adam to dress and keep the garden? There were so many new things to think about. The author takes you on a journey from his earliest garden memories to creating a yard and gardens out of a rocky, hilly, weedy rundown farm in the northeast United States. It is not a how-to as such, more like philosophical essays about the history of gardening and an examination of our expectations. Although written by a journalist, the style is entertaining and easy to read.

It sometimes seems as if Nature has singled out the garden for special attention. That’s because the ‘vacuum’ here is greatest. Here the soil is richest and most frequently disturbed: what softer, sweeter, more hospitable bed could an airborne weed ever find to lay down in?

Rather than tame the landscape entirely, it might be better to make something of it’s rankness… whatever drama this garden possesses seems to turn on the tension between two kinds of spaces — the carefully constructed proofs of my labor…and the landscapes ceaseless drive to negate them.

Quotes from Second Nature, by Michael Pollan

I have used this book three years now to plan my garden. Melissa lives in Washington and her seasons are a lot like my part of Montana. This book inspires me to stay on top of garden jobs and to make the most of my time spent growing food.

This lovey, illustrated book about chickens also has information about growing greens, vegetables and herbs for your hens. According to the author, chickens and gardens are natural companions. Lisa grows lots of things just for her chickens, and tells how you can, too.

I haven’t read this book but I want to! I drink herbal teas nearly every day and would love to learn to grow and dry my own ingredients. Maybe this is the year to begin.

This book teaches about humility, using the garden as a metaphor. The author shares her successes and failures in the garden and in life, and invites us to consider the lilies along with her, and so find rest in God’s care.

You long to be out in the garden and it just isn’t possible. Try this classic to get through the windy, rainy spring days.

All these books can be bought on Amazon.

What books do you read to keep your garden ideas flourishing?