Synopsis
The Quarter-Acre Farm is a rich, readable memoir. It’s all about the author’s segue into growing her own food “for a year” on a small suburban lot. Spring Warren writes about her mistakes and what she learned in the process in a refreshingly blunt way. This includes her descriptions of how it transformed her life as well as her family’s in many ways.
What I Learned from Reading The Quarter-Acre Farm
To be honest I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up this book. As an avid reader, I sometimes struggle to find books on topics I’m interested in that can still teach me something. But this book was definitely hard to put down. Spring, the author, has a warm conversational tone peppered with all sorts of facts about food, history, pesticides, soil science and more. It has quickly embedded itself in my “Favorites” list.
The Thing I Found Most Interesting and Why
This book is equal parts garden journal, memoir, and cookbook. It is a pleasant mish-mash that manages to take the reader through the journey of growing food without being preachy, dull, or an all out information overload. Her tale also reminds me of the many questions I fence from new gardeners. This book gives a gentle guideline to such a journey by writing it as an engaging and relatable story.
What I Didn’t Like
The comic nature of The Quarter-Acre Farm was based off of personal experiences and localities familiar to the author and therefore sometimes difficult to discern upon first reading.
Final Thoughts on The Quarter-Acre Farm
This book is an entertaining read for anyone ready to dip their toes in the mud and get a little dirty in the garden. It contains many suitable tips and explanations in easy to understand terms for everyone from novice to expert.
