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Insects of Britain and Western Europe

Month by Monthby Michael Chinery,
A&C Black, 2007 (revised edition), ISBN 978 0713672398, paperback, 320 pages, £14.99

One of the chief joys of an organic garden is the abundant wildlife it contains. But what’s the point of all that wildlife if you’ve no idea what any of it is? Since there are more different kinds of insects than all other animals put together, getting to grips with garden wildlife means getting to grips with insects, and for the serious amateur, there has only ever been one book: Collins Guide to the Insects of Britain and Western Europe by Michael Chinery. Unfortunately, this has been out of print for years, but at last it has been reissued in revised form by a new publisher.

The new version is as good as ever – same superlative illustrations, same concise, informative text, but brought bang up to date. So the large blue butterfly, sadly extinct in Britain when the first edition was written, is now thriving (but still rare), and the saxon wasp, not previously in the UK at all, is now locally common (including in gardens here in Sheffield!). Of course, despite illustrating over 2000 species, it still covers only a minority of our insects, but crucially all those you’re actually likely to notice. If you can’t identify almost any garden insect with this book (or at least get quite close), you’re just not trying.

Better still, it also includes all the more noticeable insects you might meet on a European holiday, such as ant lions and mantids. It’s just a pity it wasn’t possible to revise the illustrations to include completely new species that have invaded from outside Europe – so, sadly, no harlequin ladybird. Otherwise, an extraordinary and marvellous book – get one today and start really enjoying the wildlife in your garden.
Ken Thompson

 

Organic Gardening – The Natural No-Dig Way

Feeding People is easyby Charles Dowding,
Green Books, 2007,
ISBN 978 1 903998 91 5, paperback, 223 pages, £10.95

Organic growers will no doubt appreciate Colin Tudge’s succinct demolition of the arguments for ‘conventional farming’ and his effective critique of contemporary global trade. This is a timely addition to the body of work written in support of what Tudge calls ‘New Agrarianism’, and a reminder to us all that the issues of diet, health, food production, economics and democracy are inextricably intertwined.

Charles Dowding’s Somerset market garden has almost mythic status in organic circles. He employs raised beds and biodynamic methods, and has not dug, except to clear perennial weeds and turf, in 25 years. His mantra is to ignore textbook wisdom, much of which is wrong anyway – what would be the point of digging to incorporate compost, when the worms will do it for you? – and instead to work towards an understanding of one’s specific soil and microclimate, and one’s needs and talents as a gardener. Now, somewhat paradoxically, he’s written a textbook to tell us about it.

His book is a delight, simply putting down what works for him and how. I sometimes find myself lost for words when faced with yet another vegetable growing guide; there’s self-evidently been nothing left to say for the writer either. This one is different, full of the kind of insights that only come from year upon year of intimate observation. Are there really the same number of rings in a ‘Chioggia’ beetroot as there have been lunar months between planting and harvest? I’ll be counting next time I pull one.

The first third of the book covers the building blocks: soil, crop planning, pests, propagation, compost-making – and the moon, which merits a chapter in Dowding’s methodology. The remainder is given over to the crops, variety by variety, with detailed guides to cultivation and lovely recipes contributed by his wife Susie. This is not a traditional textbook, but it’s certainly an education. More importantly, it’s an inspiration.
Gaby Bartai

For more reviews, see this month's issue, available to buy online!