Low-Maintenance Vegetable Gardening: Bumper Crops in Minutes a Day Using Raised Beds, Planning, and Plant Selection

Weekend gardener Matthews’s handy volume offers sympathetic and hands-on guidance for the garden lover whose enthusiasm for the soil is overshadowed by the urgencies of work. Even the most time-crunched, Matthews asserts, can still get their hands dirty; the key is limiting the square footage of the garden and strategically cultivating plants that are temperature tolerant and resistant to pests. Drawing from a comprehensive listing of edible plants that are “very easy” (such as potatoes, zucchini and spinach), “easy” (kale, squashes, various berries), and “fairly easy” (carrots, cabbage, Swiss chard), the author takes potential gardeners through all stages of garden cultivation. She covers how to design and construct raised bed frames, prepare soil, implement proper irrigation, and choose which plants to choose and where to position them. Matthews also encourages homey additions: “Every vegetable garden should have at least one seat, a place to enjoy a deserved break [and] survey your achievements.” This lively presentation and no-nonsense guide will stoke the gardening impulses of those who didn’t think they’d have time to squeeze it in. Color photos. (Apr.)