A big,
beautiful guide to sustainable community gardening. When three children stumble
into an overgrown city yard, they end up elbows-deep in an urban gardening
project that replenishes the earth and unites a community.With the
mentorship of Amy, a neighbor who is well-versed in no-dig gardening, Luna,
Bianca, and Billy set to work chopping weeds, mixing manure, and spreading
mulch. After a few weeks of hard work, the yard is transformed into a sustainable
community garden, and more and more people are showing up to grow herbs,
mushrooms, vegetables, and fruit. Just when everyone is beginning to harvest
their hard-earned local food, they learn that the property is going to be
cleared for a parking lot. Will this be the end of their secret garden? Or can the
children's will to rally the neighborhood save the day?
In
Secret
Gardeners, journalist and beekeeper
Lina Laurent collaborates with author
and illustrator
Maija Hurme to tell a story of community solidarity and
ecological stewardship. Woven among the dreamlike illustrations are informative
notes about soil life, composting, seed starting, beekeeping, wild pollinators,
and more. An exquisite blend of fiction and nonfiction that will equip readers
with all the information and inspiration they need to begin their own no-dig
garden...and maybe even their own community project.
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