The Garden of Vegan: How Plants Can Save the Animals, the Planet and Our Health

In this anguished but hopeful call-to-action, garden designer West (Our Plot) recounts a midlife conversion to veganism that reshaped “my view on the role of gardeners in the world and how they might steer it towards a more caring and compassionate one.” West recalls an English childhood spent hunting, fishing, and even torturing insects for fun. As an adult, he reconsidered his relationship with animals after meeting his wife, Christine, who introduced him to veganism. Illustrating “veganic principles” in his gardening practice, West supports “stock free” fertilizing, native pollinators, compost, green manure (cover crops), and crop rotation, all of which support biodiversity. Color photos feature West’s “show” gardens, and he includes heartbreaking sketches of animals right before their deaths. A handful of recipes round out the offerings. Though heavily armed with statistics on veganism’s benefits for improving health and stopping climate change, West expresses a wish not to be accused of dishing out “vegan propaganda” and only occasionally ventures into extreme territory, such as suggesting using human urine and feces as fertilizer. By tapping into gardeners’ responsiveness to their surroundings, West makes an effectively plainspoken plea for change. Humble if sometimes fumbling, this account has relevance for all gardeners, regardless of what’s on their dinner plates. (Sept.)