Book Review: Grow the Good Life

Grow the Good Life

Why a Vegetable Garden Will Make You Happy, Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

by Michele Owens

224 pages

Rodale, 2011

List price: $24.99

Some gardening books are how-tos and some are entertaining. The former, I tend to skim through until I come to a part that is relevant to whatever it is I'm trying to do. The latter, I take my time reading and usually don't want it to end. Michele Owens has managed to write a book about vegetable gardening that compels us to grow our own and helps us with how to do it, while being fun to read. Even if you choose not to plant a vegetable garden, you're sure to see the food you eat in a much different light.

I read every word of Grow the Good Life because I didn't want to miss a single tip or anecdote. Owens masterfully weaves vital and interesting facts about our food choices and gardening advice with accounts of her own experiences. She presents an excellent case for growing our own food and I grew more motivated with each page I read.

If you don't already grow some of your own food, Grow the Good Life will inspire you to do so, and if you already do, you will relate to Owens because she relates to us, and this is what makes it such an enjoyable read.

"No matter how different from me they may be, I find that I can always talk to gardeners. Yes, we share an interest, but the sense of community among gardeners runs deeper than the common topic of conversation and transcends vastly different ways of living."

~Michele Owens

Michele Owens is a co-founder of Garden Rant, one of the most popular and influential gardening blogs. her articles about gardening have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine and Organic Gardening. She lives in Saratoga Springs and Salem, New York.