Book Review: 21st Century Smallerholder by Paul Waddington

This month's book to review is 21st Century Smallholder by Paul Waddington, coming in an apt time when many people will be busy with their gardens.

I bought this book from a railway station secondhand book stall, on a whim a while ago. My copy is a hardback, A5-ish size book, 224 pages long. Clearly as per my purchase method, I had absolutely no expectations of this little book.

Firstly, I like to know a little bit about an author of whom I am taking the time to read from. Apart from the blurb in the front, stating Paul is a writer and 'takes a deep interest in food and environmental issues' there isn't a huge online presence for Paul- that I can see.

This book covers very introductory aspects of gardening, even thinking about it, to ending up making a living from it. There are breakdowns of what to plant, when and where, what is easy to grow, what is not so much. There are guides to how to plan your garden (one of my favourite parts of the book), animals you could get get, gardening with wildlife, how to preserve your crop and so much more. This book is wide ranging in it's scope of small holding, whilst still maintaining a very manageable readability, it is not at all overwhelming. It maintains a neutral path in more contentious areas, including animal rearing.

The layout of the book makes sense, the graphics and style of the book make it easy to read. There are various sections that make sense, such as what to do each month. I love this book. I have used it as a reference book for more than two years- it is consistently the book I automatically pick up just to check something or for inspiration in the garden. I love the various aspects and look forward to getting around to various projects in the book. I would very much recommend this book for beginner gardeners and pro smallholders alike, as there is likely something new for all.