Words with friends
21.08.2023 - 12:03
/ theunconventionalgardener.com
/ Emma Doughty
Not long after I finished the first draft of my manuscript for The Alternative Kitchen Garden: An A to Z, I received an email from an editor at Black Dog Publishing, asking me whether I would like to contribute to a collaborative book with the working title “Growing Stuff”.
She said: “the book will probably have a ‘How to’ section at the beginning, with instructions on tools, pruning, deadheading, seasonal changes, etc., and then be followed with a series of project-based gardening activities. These will be along the lines of “How to grow mint in a pot/makeshift container, and how to make a mojito cocktail with it once grown.” The projects will be in a step-by-step format, instructing on the necessary materials, time-frame, care instructions for growing the plant in question, and a recipe for the accompanying activity. They would also be illustrated by photographs, and possibly some illustrative diagrams.”
The deadline was tight – completed projects were required by the beginning of December. I put a call out on my website to see whether any other bloggers/ authors would like to join in, and volunteered to write about growing herbs and using them to make lemon balm tea and Mojitos. After I had submitted my words, and accompanying photos, the editor came back and asked me whether I would consider writing some more general gardening pieces for the ‘how to’ section at the front of the book.
I really loved your mint article, it is exactly what I’m looking for both in content and writing style.
And so I also contributed sections on edible weeds and plants for wildlife.
Growing Stuff: An Alternative Guide to Gardening
The book was published as ‘Growing Stuff: An Alternative Guide to Gardening’ in paperback in March 2009. It’s nicely