Rekha's Kitchen Garden

Mistry lives in London and she illustrates how she sows, plants, care for, harvests and ultimately uses the produce she grows in her allotment. Broken down into the four seasons, Mistry shows gardeners how to take advantage of different times of the year to make the most of her garden plot. The milder climate in London allows Mistry to plant some crops all year round, so this book may not translate exactly to those living in less temperate areas, adjustments can easily be made to accommodate this fact. Gorgeous pictures allow gardeners to see the points Mistry makes.

There’s something magical about growing nourishing food.

This cheerful book goes into some of the magic that the author has in her allotment, this book is open, appealing, and has beautiful photos that show the detail of aforementioned magic (growing your own food never ceases to thrill me and I really do view it as the magic harmony of working with nature).

Our house sits on almost two acres, but my knees and I both prefer a more manageable size garden - hence the allotment. Ms. Mistry is in London, which has milder temperatures than many other areas, including mine, but it’s easy to apportion what she is able to do year-round, with what temperature constraints you might have.

This book is an excellent choice for aspiring allotment gardeners, or smaller space gardeners. I particularly really appreciate that her instructions don’t include pesticides, instead dealing naturally with pests.

Rekha’s Kitchen Garden is an outstanding guide to growing vegetables and some fruits with simple but explicit directions on how to get the best results. This book can be easily followed by novice gardeners but gives enough depth and suggestions that as a grower with 40 years experience I still found a great deal of information new to me. In addition to gardening information, Rekha provides delicious sounding recipes for many of the vegetables as well as suggestions on storing surplus harvests. I was fortunate enough to be allowed a preview through NetGalley, but liked the book enough to preorder a copy so that I can refer back to information for future plantings. I highly recommend it.

This book is the perfect introduction to starting to grow kitchen essential fruits and veggies. I love that we are given very clear directions but also a lot of context. It is clear that Rekha has a wealth of knowledge in gardening and truly loves what she does. I can't wait to see how her advice will transform my garden this spring and summer.