Alex Mitchell (1)
Author of The Edible Balcony: Growing Fresh Produce in Small Spaces
For other authors named Alex Mitchell, see the disambiguation page.
Works by Alex Mitchell
The Girl's Guide to Growing Your Own: How to Grow Fruit and Vegetables Without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty (2009) 17 copies
Beginner's Garden: A Practical Guide to Growing Vegetables & Fruit without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty (IMM Lifestyle) Gardening Tips, Recipes, & Projects for Beginners; Includes… (2018) 12 copies, 1 review
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Gender
- female
- Short biography
- [excerpt from author's website]
Alex is the weekly gardening columnist for The Evening Standard (shortlisted for Garden Journalist of the Year, The Property Press Awards 2019) and has written five books about gardening and growing food. Previously she wrote a column for The Sunday Telegraph about growing fruit and vegetables, first in a polytunnel in a muddy field, which often made her cry, then in a little south London garden, which made her happy. She now gardens in a large space in Kent which makes her ecstatic though often overwhelmed.
Members
Reviews
Gardening on a Shoestring: 100 Fun Upcycled Garden Projects speaks to the home crafter in us all. The newest book from Alex Mitchell (author of several titles including The Edible Balcony: Growing Fresh Produce in Small Spaces), Shoestring offers simple gardening tips, plant recommendations, and money-saving shortcuts to achieve popular garden plantings.
My initial expectation was for Shoestring to be laid out somewhat like Pinterest, but in book form. I expected each project to be numbered, show more and each task to be a simple, one-off guide for a particular gardening craft. Actually, Shoestring is laid out more like a conventional gardening book, with sections dedicated to topics such as initial garden set-up, container gardening, food gardening, and pest control. Although this wasn’t what I was expecting, the format works incredibly well. Not only does Mitchell offer garden projects within a variety of topics, the layout of the book acts as a clear narrative for the beginner gardener. A section of Shoestring even addresses how to achieve particular garden designs—such as a prairie garden or a topiary “garden”—on a budget.
Garden tool “hacks” and high-performing plants are sprinkled liberally throughout the text. Each project in the book is ranked in terms of difficulty, from “simple” to “fairly challenging.” A section titled “Wonderful Willow” covers eight pages and might be my favorite section of the book. Mitchell first addresses what willow to buy for garden tasks and then takes the reader through various projects using this organic, renewable, and affordable resource. Willow can be used to create tepees, arches, and even raised beds. Other sections follow a similar pattern—garden topics are introduced, plants and tools are suggested, and projects are then presented—all with affordability in mind. Photographs accompany the projects, acting as guides for the home garden crafter.
Gardening on a Shoestring offers both beginner and experienced gardeners some creative and affordable tricks and tips. With information about both edible and ornamental gardening, it is a delightful resource and a charming inspiration.
http://blogs.nybg.org/plant-talk/2016/07/from-the-library/gardening-on-a-shoestr.... show less
My initial expectation was for Shoestring to be laid out somewhat like Pinterest, but in book form. I expected each project to be numbered, show more and each task to be a simple, one-off guide for a particular gardening craft. Actually, Shoestring is laid out more like a conventional gardening book, with sections dedicated to topics such as initial garden set-up, container gardening, food gardening, and pest control. Although this wasn’t what I was expecting, the format works incredibly well. Not only does Mitchell offer garden projects within a variety of topics, the layout of the book acts as a clear narrative for the beginner gardener. A section of Shoestring even addresses how to achieve particular garden designs—such as a prairie garden or a topiary “garden”—on a budget.
Garden tool “hacks” and high-performing plants are sprinkled liberally throughout the text. Each project in the book is ranked in terms of difficulty, from “simple” to “fairly challenging.” A section titled “Wonderful Willow” covers eight pages and might be my favorite section of the book. Mitchell first addresses what willow to buy for garden tasks and then takes the reader through various projects using this organic, renewable, and affordable resource. Willow can be used to create tepees, arches, and even raised beds. Other sections follow a similar pattern—garden topics are introduced, plants and tools are suggested, and projects are then presented—all with affordability in mind. Photographs accompany the projects, acting as guides for the home garden crafter.
Gardening on a Shoestring offers both beginner and experienced gardeners some creative and affordable tricks and tips. With information about both edible and ornamental gardening, it is a delightful resource and a charming inspiration.
http://blogs.nybg.org/plant-talk/2016/07/from-the-library/gardening-on-a-shoestr.... show less
Beginner's Garden: A Practical Guide to Growing Vegetables & Fruit without Getting Your Hands Too Dirty (IMM Lifestyle) Gardening Tips, Recipes, & Projects for Beginners; Includes Herbs & Small Spaces by Alex Mitchell
This book takes you through the entire process and leaves a beginner like myself with no question unanswered.
The information is very basic, which is much appreciated, but make no mistake the amount of information contained within these pages is generous. I learned so much I never knew and things I didn't know I needed to know! The book is divided into seasons which is helpful. As far as the actual gardening, the author keeps the equipment required incredibly minimalistic which motivates you show more to get started quicker, without excuses. The section about planting in various containers was especially helpful for me. Containers do not seem as scary as a plot to me. I also love how the author added the "where have I gone wrong?" section with each vegetable, noting things to look out for, and even "villains" for certain crops.
The recipes sprinkled throughout the book are a nice touch and the photos are gorgeous! Simply written and easy to read, the Beginner's Garden would make a perfect housewarming gift and is a wonderful resource! Highly recommend!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own. show less
The information is very basic, which is much appreciated, but make no mistake the amount of information contained within these pages is generous. I learned so much I never knew and things I didn't know I needed to know! The book is divided into seasons which is helpful. As far as the actual gardening, the author keeps the equipment required incredibly minimalistic which motivates you show more to get started quicker, without excuses. The section about planting in various containers was especially helpful for me. Containers do not seem as scary as a plot to me. I also love how the author added the "where have I gone wrong?" section with each vegetable, noting things to look out for, and even "villains" for certain crops.
The recipes sprinkled throughout the book are a nice touch and the photos are gorgeous! Simply written and easy to read, the Beginner's Garden would make a perfect housewarming gift and is a wonderful resource! Highly recommend!
*I received a complimentary copy of this book from Fox Chapel Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review. All opinions are my own. show less
Would probably be 5 star if I was still living in the City Centre! All about container gardening the star rating is it's value to me, I did find some ideas in it for my postage stamp garden but nothing I really need to buy for use.
A good variety of ideas for dealing with container gardening, with examples and ideas from 1 pot to a urban forest.
A good variety of ideas for dealing with container gardening, with examples and ideas from 1 pot to a urban forest.
Beautiful book, loads of advice, covers everything you think you can and can't do on a balcony garden. Excellent tips to help decide what to grow.
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- Works
- 12
- Members
- 192
- Popularity
- #113,796
- Rating
- 3.5
- Reviews
- 6
- ISBNs
- 47
- Languages
- 5