Five Books About Plants to Nourish and Heal
It’s farmer’s market season, and snacking on some delicious, locally grown produce among the fragrant herbs and flowers might have you wanting to learn more about growing plants at home. Caring for plants can be a fun, relaxing hobby with mental health benefits. Not to mention that growing one’s own food is also excellent for sustainability. From herbal remedies to yummy veggies, this list will help liven up your space with something green.
The Prairie Gardener’s Go-To for Vegetables
Janet Melrose & Sharyl Normandeau
Touchwood Editions
When thinking of the prairies, one might think of sprawling wheat fields, but not necessarily of bountiful veggie harvests. However, Calgary natives Janet Melrose and Sharyl Normandeau challenge your perception of what prairie soil can grow in The Prairie Gardener’s G0-To for Vegetables. This guide has got you covered when it comes to how to grow vegetables in the challenging prairie climate, including planning your garden, how and when to plant, and how to prevent damage to good-quality produce.
While also covering the classics such as potatoes, carrots, and pumpkins, this book invites prairie dwellers to add the more daring peppers, tomatoes, corn, and leeks to their vibrant vegetable garden goals. Whether you’re planting seeds for the first time or are a seasoned gardener (pun intended), there is always something new to grow and protect from that hail storm in July.
Tiny Victory Gardens: Growing Food Without a Yard
Acadia Tucker
Stone Pier Press
If your dreams of producing delicious food year round simply do not align with your downtown apartment, let Tiny Victory Gardens by Acadia Tucker help bring your farming goals to fruition without having to buy land or even move to the suburbs. Tucker is a regenerative farmer, which means she focuses on growing food in ways that improve soil health, such as attracting natural pollinators and fostering beneficial microbes without the use of harmful pesticides and fertilizers. This book is for those who want to use container gardens to grow food of their own, beautify their space, and reduce their environmental footprint, all from the comfort of their stoop or windowsill.
Mother Earth: Plants for Health and Beauty
Carrie Armstrong
Eschia Books Ltd.
Mother Earth: Plants for Health and Beauty by Carrie Armstrong provides healing recipes using edible and medicinal plants with traditional knowledge of the medicine wheel, a sacred symbol used in many Indigenous cultures that represents unity and balance.
Armstrong provides for the curious and creative — as well as those interested in Indigenous healing and medicine — with recipes for natural teas and beauty products, such as lotions and soaps. For someone eager to stroll through the forest and bring their discoveries home to brew, stew, and infuse, this book supplies an opportunity to learn more about the plants growing nearby and how they can help one live a holistic and healing lifestyle.
Grow Food for Free: The Sustainable, Zero-Cost, Low-Effort Way to a Bountiful Harvest
Huw Richards
Penguin Random House
Gardening sounds like a great idea, but buying plants and tools is a lot of money and effort, right? Not necessarily. Experienced organic gardener Huw Richards offers wisdom on starting a truly sustainable garden that is zero-cost and low-effort in his book Grow Food for Free. Richards encourages novice vegetable growers to get started with materials they already have, can repurpose, or get for free. He even suggests scouring your fridge for food you can plant. This book partnered with The Prairie Gardener’s Go-To for Vegetables and Tiny Victory Gardens could form a sustainability holy trinity for those eager to go all-in on their journey to eco-conscious food production. Richards highly recommends borrowing tools and materials when you can, so you might just find yourself with a community of green-thumbed veggie enthusiasts as well.
The Green Witch: Your Complete Guide to the Natural Magic of Herbs, Flowers, Essential Oils, and More
Arin Murphy-Hiscock
Simon and Schuster
The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock is for witches who wish to connect to the land for health and healing. Lovers of crystals will delight in how she accesses natural magic by using stones and gems, along with plants, oils, herbs, and flowers. A knowledgeable practitioner of alternative spirituality, Murphy-Hiscock shares insight on drawing energy from the Earth as The Green Witch provides recipes for potions and salves, while teaching a lifestyle that is in communion with nature overall.
Erica Osko
lives in Edmonton, A.B. with her cat. She studied English in university, but that was a little while ago, so she's excited to get back into writing! She is a theatre nerd who could break into song at any moment, and her latest favourite reading genre is biographies of historical women. She organizes her books by colour, and she's sorry if you find that offensive.