GCJ Book Club – Grow Easy

Jan 31, 2022

This is a very exciting post because we have just finished our first ever GCJ Book Club read, Grow Easy by Anna Greenland. What a great book to get us started!

Before we start talking about Grow Easy, just to let you know that anyone can join the book club. It’s just like any other book club except we are focussing on plants and nature. I’ve written more about it in the ‘Book Club!’ post. Find us on Instagram at #GCJBookClub or see the book club story highlights @GrowCreateJoy.

Grow Easy by Anna Greenland

Now, back to Grow Easy…

The first thing I have to mention is the aesthetic of the book cover. I may be biased because yellow is my favourite colour but it instantly looks so friendly and welcoming and I really like that it has no outside jacket. The second thing is how Anna’s love for gardening shines through on every page, it is infectious. Reading this on cold winter evenings when it’s dark outside still made me want to pull my boots on and run out into the garden to build a raised bed, sow some seeds or pick something to make a delicious dish.

From the beginning Anna covers all considerations that anyone would need to take when creating a garden from scratch. It could not be more packed with essential information. There are really precise guides such as planting plans, a sowing calendar and how and when to feed your plants. There are and very clear organic principles throughout and explanations of why this is important. The cross referencing is useful, making it easy to delve into deeper relevant information.

A large portion of the book is a focus in on growing Anna’s ‘Top 30’, which gives detailed guides on growing and using various veg, salad, herbs and fruit. I remember as a beginner gardener I would often feel that information was missing in a lot of books beyond the first instructions of sowing and planting. But Anna has addressed all of the things I used to be left wondering about, such as; ‘When do I feed?’ ‘When do I harvest?’

Anna has thought of everything with this book and it really would be the ideal gift for a new, keen gardener starting out with a small space. For a more experienced gardener it has many useful resources to refer to, especially anyone wanting to switch to organic growing.

Fun fact: A video from many years ago of Anna Greenland’s polytunnel full of flowers, herbs and vegetables is what sparked my idea to create The Flower Deli, my previous edible flowers business. On her video Anna said that she grew cut flowers for Jamie Oliver’s restaurant. I misheard her and thought she was growing edible flowers, so I started researching edible flowers and fell in love with the idea instantly. The rest, as they say, is history 🙂

For more about this book and Anna’s work visit annagreenland.co.uk