The Art of Gardening

The Ultimate Ecological Design and Engineering Guide

By: Andrea Kong

Narrated by: Kay Nazarchyk

Length: 50 mins

Publisher's summary

Permaculture: The Art of Gardening highlights the tenets of permaculture, which was popularized in the 1970s by Bill Mollison. To some it may seem to be an extreme form of sustainable living but to others it may seen to be just the right thing to get things back in balance, it is a great text to help those who do not understand or have little knowledge of the concept to have a better grasp of it. The author has ensured that everything is broken down into sections so that it is easy to follow in the long run. All the principles of this method of sustainable living are outlined in a bid to get others to see the viability of this sort of lifestyle. The listener will learn that it is all about saving the environment. The necessary steps must be taken to preserve the environment.

©2014 Speedy Publishing LLC (P)2014 Speedy Publishing LLC

This book is an introduction to permaculture

What would have made The Art of Gardening better?

I wish she'd given more practical advice and substantive information.

What was most disappointing about Andrea Kong’s story?

The chapter on why permaculture is "not sustainable".

Any additional comments?

I would suggest this book for people considering farming but who are on the fence about the green movement. There is a bit of good information about the zones of the garden if you know nothing about permaculture. But there is not much substance if you are somewhat familiar with permaculture, on board with the green movement and ready to apply it to your own land.

All philosophy - nothing practical.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

This would be a good resource for someone writing a college paper on the philosophy of Permaculture, but nobody would ever want to read that boring paper.

Would you ever listen to anything by Andrea Kong again?

Probably not.

What character would you cut from The Art of Gardening?

The author.

Any additional comments?

A good book on permaculture would inspire the reader to go out and do something. If someone does enough projects, they will begin to understand the philosophy. Listen to the Permaculture Voices podcast to understand the principles in context. Do not listen to this book which is totally out of context.

More fluffy treatise than useful guide.

What disappointed you about The Art of Gardening?

This is a 50 minute audiobook, so I wasn't expecting an extremely detailed technical manual. I've bought a number audiobooks less than an hour long. They're usually quick overview of a subject, and usually jump right into the subject matter quickly. Realistically, your expecting a short lecture. And I've generally found that you can pickup a quick introduction and a couple practical tips.
I should have saved my three dollars. It was the title that threw me off. "Permaculture - The Art of Gardening: The Ultimate Ecological Design and Engineering Guide". I wasn't expecting an exhaustive how to manual, but I did think there would be some practical advice on the design and engineering of a permaculture garden. And there was maybe 10 minutes of that buried in the last half of the talk. The remaining 40 minutes were platitudes, philosophy and ethical ponderings on sustainability, and none of it particularly original, accurate or insightful.
Had this been titled something like "The Philosophy and Ethics of Sustainable Gardening", I'd have nothing to complain about. And I would have saved my money. Since I was looking for a quick guide to the practical design and engineering of permaculture gardening, my time and money were both wasted.

What could Andrea Kong have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

Removed the words 'design and engineering guide' from the title. This mischaracterized the work.

Which character – as performed by Kay Nazarchyk – was your favorite?

N/A

What character would you cut from The Art of Gardening?

N/A

Any additional comments?

Please don't misunderstand me. If you're looking for a treatise on the philosophy of sustainable gardening, this is the fine purchase. If you're looking for anything practical or useful in actually achieving a permaculture garden, look elsewhere.