A broad ranging how-to guide through permaculture gardening and community development, with articles about gardening in rough environments and anecdotes about using the garden in school, built up from a local gardening newspaper column.

“”If ever a mortal heard the word of god, it would be in a garden at the close of day.”

I first read that quote in Civ.

Over the years, I’ve learned more and more about the natural world. In many ways, it was a natural outgrowth of both my philosophical approach and my inclination for teaching.

It's a matter of a development-orientation, which comes down to watch, experiment and learn. Gardening, as presented here, is more than just growing things; it’s teaching and learning, in the most practical and natural possible way. It’s called natural science for a reason.

Collected herein are a series of gardening columns (written for the local newspaper), tips on companion planting and permaculture, short stories of our in-school gardening projects, and other info that’ll give you a rounded idea of how to operate your garden as a space for growing, whether that’s veggies and wildlife or confidence and education.