Homegrown Happiness

By Elien Lewis, Bateman Books, $39.99

Chock-full of easily absorbed information, this timely book responds to the desire for home vegetable growing on smaller suburban sites. Elien, a local blogger and Instagrammer, proves that you don’t need the perfect section to grow food – her own is shady and sloping. This practical guide teaches readers how to embrace their space and learn what thrives through simple trial and error and shows how to understand your soil, your plants and your environment. It follows a calendar year with comprehensive advice on such aspects as preparing and maintaining your vege patch, establishing a compost bin, dealing with pests and what to forage. Elien also shares seasonal recipes that draw on the low-waste root-to-tip philosophy, using all of the plant. A comprehensive guide for any Kiwi wanting to have a go at growing their own.

If you want an Australian-Italian slant on the same subject, look for Garden Like a Nonno by Jaclyn Crupi, Affirm Press, $29.99. It's a bit cutesy but full of solid info about growing veges, raising chooks and how to keep your tools in good order.