Gardening for Geeks

The book is written in an easily understood, plain language and the concepts are kept on the simple-yet-useful side.

Christy Wilhelmi's home gardening book Gardening for Geeks is a well-rounded introduction to backyard growing, in a format at which your grandmother will not look twice. My only complaint about the book is with the title: the book itself is not actually all that 'geeky'. In fact, it is written in an easily understood, plain language and the concepts are kept on the simple-yet-useful side.

The book opens with a discussion of beneficial buddies and bee-swarm box construction - topics that really set the tone for the rest of the book. The author encourages responsible and renewable gardening methods that encourage healthy ecosystems.

I like raised beds; my back likes raised beds (it's not as far to the ground); when used properly, plants also like raised beds. There is an entire chapter dedicated to the construction and use of raised beds that is worth reading for any outdoor grower.

The advice on soil is good, if not terribly deep or 'geeky'. The virtues of compost are extolled, and home composting basics are explained. I myself am a big fan of home composting, and thus was glad to see it included.

Ganja growers can use the planning principles discussed to plot out their gardens. Keep in mind that the size an outdoor Cannabis plant can become varies greatly among differing conditions and strains. Expect anything from bush-sized to the size of a small tree, depending upon how long the growing season is and how ideal the environment.

Also included are almost forty pages of common plant profiles, including some that are often used as companion plants for Cannabis. Beans can be planted for their nitrogen fixing, and to help camouflage other plants. Dill, mint and catnip are handy for bruising with fingertips to cover other aromas, and also attract beneficial insects to the area.

Tomatoes and squash (both summer and winter) are particularly attractive, as they are easy to grow, large enough to provide some cover with trellising and prolific enough to keep folks from getting curious as to what it is being harvested. Answer questions from family and friends about your time in the garden with a bagful of veggies and a ten-pound Hubbard squash, and they will likely quit asking soon enough. Besides, home-grown vegetables really are often quite superior to what you can purchase in mega-corporation-owned supermarkets.

Gardening for Geeks also includes details for an eight-plant tomato crib that has real potential for those who like to tie down their 'ladies'. This involves a wire frame and weekly bondage sessions with twine. For a gardener with limited space trying to keep plant numbers down, it also appears to be a relatively discrete configuration, especially if large showy flowers and such are also in the area.

The reason I recommend this book for growers is that it provides some good information on growing plants, and Lady Cannabis is, first and foremost, a plant. The book also has some helpful content for backyard Cannabis gardeners thinking about expanding into growing a few veggies, flowers or culinary herbs on the side.

Peace, love and puka shells,
Grubbycup