How to grow food you love while supporting wildlife and community
“Go Beyond Organic, Rewild Your Land, Sequester Carbon, Support Biodiversity,” the front cover of the book declares.
By Lorene Edwards Forkner
Seattle Times
Mar 26, 2022
Excerpt:
Murphy always has encouraged gardeners to “grow what you love” as a point of connection and personal investment. In chapter four, “Plants for People and the Planet,” numerous lists offer a menu of options: plants for bees, for butterflies, for eating, for birds, for building soil. Then in “Grow and Gather,” Murphy walks gardeners through the process of planting, tending and harvesting.
When it comes to “rewilding,” or planting to support biodiversity, Murphy suggests you begin with just one plant, purposely planted. Then work your way up to growing a healthy mix, ideally 50% native plants, in your ornamental landscape.
Growth is fundamental to everything Murphy purports. “The surest way to grow anything — from plants to friendships to children — is to pay attention,” she writes. “In fact, much of what’s needed to cultivate any healthy relationship is what’s required to cultivate a thriving garden.”
Everything is connected. From Earth’s vast water cycle to virtually invisible soil microbes, feedback loops at every scale push and pull at life to create a resilient system. “Grow Now” encourages us all to play a meaningful role in a solution that is both personal and planetary.
