Out Now — The Good Garden: How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food—All in Your Own Backyard

Gardener Chris McLaughlin delivers an introduction and guide for gardeners for how to cultivate regenerative, sustainable gardens that mimic nature.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, February 2, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Amidst COVID and climate change, a crippled food system and overburdened food banks, home gardening is soaring. Garden seed sales have hit record highs since the pandemic began. These little plots of earth create meaningful change in a world wracked with seemingly insurmountable problems. Conscientious, sustainable home gardens become sanctuaries for threatened wildlife, sequester carbon, reduce your food miles, and nurture native plants.

In the four-color book "The Good Garden: How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy Food—All in Your Own Backyard" (Publication Date: February 2, 2023), Chris McLaughlin, an expert gardener with 40 years of experience, delivers an introduction and guide for gardeners on how to cultivate regenerative, sustainable gardens that mimic nature. With practical tips and tricks, she shows readers how their home gardens fit into the larger ecosystem and how using sustainable techniques, common sense, and patience can create a garden that’s good for people and the planet.

Beginning with the fundamentals, McLaughlin walks readers through combining sustainable gardening styles, such as permaculture and French intensive gardening. Next, she covers the importance of understanding the local ecosystem, including picking the right plants for a microclimate and effective watering practices. McLaughlin also explains how readers can welcome specific pollinators into their gardens by choosing the right plant species and using handy tools (not to mention the sun itself) to tamp down pesky weeds without chemicals. For those wanting further depth, she provides resources for each subject.

A critical part of any good garden is the soil – more than just dirt, soil is an entire tiny ecosystem. McLaughlin guides readers on how to nourish healthy soil, such as composting techniques based on time available. Domestic animals like rabbits and chickens can play a key role in sustainable gardening, offering everything from manure for compost to fresh eggs. Ultimately, McLaughlin encourages gardeners to build their gardening community with steps like neighborhood seed libraries and enjoying the mental health benefits of gardens instead of worrying about picture-perfect looks.

"The Good Garden" will help gardeners foster a sense of meaning in their garden, whether the goal is to reduce food miles by growing summer veggies or meet neighbors who also care about the planet through a seed swap. McLaughlin shows how anyone can grow a garden that restores and replenishes themselves as well as the earth.

Chris McLaughlin has been gardening and studying plants for over thirty-five years. She’s the author of eight previous books: "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Composting," "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Heirloom Vegetables," "Hobby Farms: Small-Space Rabbit Keeping," "The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Small-Space Gardening," "Vertical Vegetable Gardening, A Garden to Dye For," "Growing Heirloom Flowers, and Raising Animals for Fiber."

Media copies available by emailing press@islandpress.org

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"The Good Garden: How to Nurture Pollinators, Soil, Native Wildlife, and Healthy"
Food—All in Your Own Backyard
Island Press Paperback | Publication Date: February 2, 2023
312 pages | 8 x 10 | Price: $35.00
ISBN: 978-1-64283-215-0
Book Page: https://islandpress.org/books/good-garden
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Founded in 1984, Island Press works to stimulate, shape, and communicate the information that is essential for solving environmental problems. Today, with more than 1,000 titles in print and some 30 new releases each year, it is the nation’s leading publisher of books on environmental issues. Island Press is driving change by moving ideas from the printed page to public discourse and practice. Island Press’s emphasis is, and will continue to be, on transforming objective information into understanding and action. For more information and further updates be sure to visit www.islandpress.org.
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Jaime Jennings
Island Press
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