The Minimalist Gardener: Low Impact, No Dig Growing

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The key is knowing the right questions, examining what you want from your garden and knowing how to understand the unique characteristics of the space. There is also a whole section on fruit that could be a great time saver, learning from others’ experience. There were plenty of other suggestions to try out as well including pink purslane, sea beet, and herb patience as well as more familiar perennial kales and broccoli. Patrick taught many permaculture and other practical courses with his wife, Cathy, and was one of the first teachers in the world to develop an online Permaculture Design Course.

This book could be a catalyst for such gardeners to explore out of their comfort zone and into the heady wilds of minimalism. Low input, year-round “no-dig” gardening that provides your kitchen with fresh healthy food, without breaking your back Written by an acknowledged expert, this friendly guide will help you grow food in whatever space you have – large or small, rural or urban – with minimal purchased inputs, and maximum satisfaction. Patrick Whitefield (11th February 1949 27th February 2015) was an early pioneer of permaculture, adapting Bill Mollison s teachings with a strong Southern Hemisphere bias to a cooler, maritime climate such as the British Isles. These grow in clumps of long, thin, knobbly roots a bit similar to the Jerusalem artichoke and were a regular crop in Patrick’s plot.They look as though they would just need a good scrubbing to prepare and are apparently very tasty, sweet and a good source of carbs cooked or raw. Full of practical, achievable real life examples and projects this book is a wonderfully comprehensive guide to growing a productive, low maintenance garden in a small space. Growing our own food is not only a satisfying and enjoyable thing to do, but it’s also one of the most positive actions we can take to turn our negative ecological impact into a beneficial one.

Patrick Whitefield (1949 – 2015) was an early pioneer of permaculture, adapting Bill Mollison’s teachings with a strong Southern Hemisphere bias to the cooler, maritime climate of the British Isles. This section is particularly helpful when it’s time to to start planning (or revolutionising) your plot for the next year, it’s also reassuring to conventional gardeners that they can make gains just by tweaking their existing practices and they don’t have to completely redesign from scratch.After Patrick's death, there were obituaries in The Telegraph, The Guardian and on BBC Radio 4, and tributes to him from all over the world on social media. This is low maintenance, year round, no dig gardening that provides your kitchen with delicious fresh food, whilst not breaking your back. Some of my favorite bits included the tips for small gardens, and the perennial vegetables and self-seeders. On Valentine’s day this year (2024) Modern Mint, the company I started when I moved to Essex to explore a fresh, contemporary approach to gardening, will be 10 years old.

He was a consulting editor of Permaculture magazine, featured on BBC, and taught permaculture design courses with his wife, Cathy. Big thanks are due to Permanent Publications for bringing these articles together into this very accessible and easy reading new reference book.I found easy to understand instructions, examples, illustrations and loads of professional guidance passed down from Patrick’s long experience. If you keep having to duck your head to mow underneath a tree, or go up a ladder three times every summer to cut ivy out of the gutters, or hire a hedgetrimmer to cut the Eleagnus that keeps growing in front of the windows and blocking the light – do something about it! The articles have been edited and organised into a comprehensive guide for the domestic kitchen gardener, with top tips for all of the seasons, and guidance on design and the different methods you might use. Patrick describes his minimalist ways – and the sometimes mysterious sounding permaculture principles and tactics – in simple, common sense, gardening terms.