Book Review: Countertop Gardens: Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment by Shelley Levis

Countertop Gardens: Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment by Shelley Levis is for readers that want to grow some of their own food in their kitchen. Whether you have a huge yard in a warm climate or a tiny apartment in a city with harsh winters, you can grow edibles year-round in the comfort and convenience of your own kitchen. The book walks readers through the challenges, benefits, and how-tos of growing inside and presenting the wide array of methods available. In addition to going over the pros and cons of a wide range of ready-made hydroponic, aquaponic, and vertical gardening systems, author Shelley Levis describes how to make your own DIY setups--from simple space-saving container designs to more creative and complex soil-free solutions. 

Countertop Gardens: Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment is a well organized and comprehensive guide to growing indoors. The book detailed the factors necessary in growing indoors and the variety of needs plants can have. She also offered solutions and tips for the majority of problems that gardeners might face, as well as sharing some of the difficulties that she has faced over the years.  I like that Levis listed several different types of growing mediums and methods, this was not just another book about making sure your indoor plants get enough light and water. Instead she detailed the whys and hows as well as offering commercial and do-it-yourself options for getting a kitchen (or house-wide really) indoor garden going. THe included recipes and index at the end of the book were helpful as well. I already have some visions of rearranging my kitchen and den to make room for some herbs, spinach, and lettuce. Since light is usually what my plants are lacking- and some of the products suggested were already on my wish list- I feel better prepared to make this happen.

 

Countertop Gardens: Easily Grow Kitchen Edibles Indoors for Year-Round Enjoyment is a great resource for growing indoors, and can offer valuable information and inspiration for gardeners that want to move some of their efforts indoors.