Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting

3.58 of 5 stars 3.58 · rating details · 302 ratings · 64 reviews

Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no comprehensive "how-to" guide for growing fresh food in the absence of open land. "Fresh Food from Small Spaces" fills the gap as a practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge an...more Books on container gardening have been wildly popular with urban and suburban readers, but until now, there has been no comprehensive "how-to" guide for growing fresh food in the absence of open land. "Fresh Food from Small Spaces" fills the gap as a practical, comprehensive, and downright fun guide to growing food in small spaces. It provides readers with the knowledge and skills necessary to produce their own fresh vegetables, mushrooms, sprouts, and fermented foods as well as to raise bees and chickens--all without reliance on energy-intensive systems like indoor lighting and hydroponics.Readers will learn how to transform their balconies and windowsills into productive vegetable gardens, their countertops and storage lockers into commercial-quality sprout and mushroom farms, and their outside nooks and crannies into whatever they can imagine, including sustainable nurseries for honeybees and chickens. Free space for the city gardener might be no more than a cramped patio, balcony, rooftop, windowsill, hanging rafter, dark cabinet, garage, or storage area, but no space is too small or too dark to raise food.With this book as a guide, people living in apartments, condominiums, townhouses, and single-family homes will be able to grow up to 20 percent of their own fresh food using a combination of traditional gardening methods and space-saving techniques such as reflected lighting and container "terracing." Those with access to yards can produce even more.Author R. J. Ruppenthal worked on an organic vegetable farm in his youth, but his expertise in urban and indoor gardening has been hard-won through years of trial-and-error experience. In the small city homes where he has lived, often with no more than a balcony, windowsill, and countertop for gardening, Ruppenthal and his family have been able to eat at least some homegrown food 365 days per year. In an era of declining resources and environmental disruption, Ruppenthal shows that even urban dwellers can contribute to a rebirth of local, fresh foods.(less)

Paperback, 178 pages

Published November 5th 2008 by Chelsea Green Publishing Company

more details... edit details

Get a copy:

More…

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Lists with This Book

The Encyclopedia of Country Living by Carla Emery

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

The One-Straw Revolution by Masanobu Fukuoka

The Backyard Homestead by Carleen Madigan

100+ Best Permaculture & Homesteading Books: The Ultimate Reading List for Sustainable Living

41st out of 115 books — 46 voters

All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew

Western Garden Book by Kathleen Norris Brenzel

The Ruth Stout No-Work Garden Book by Ruth Stout

Gardening Books

202nd out of 219 books — 67 voters

More lists with this book...

Community Reviews

(showing 1-30 of 898)

filter | sort: default (?) | rating details

Jul 19, 2010 Susan Albert rated it 4 of 5 stars

Beware. This is a dangerous book. Once you have read it, you will not be able to say: "I don't have enough space (or light, or the right climate, or soil) to grow any food." You'll have to find some other excuse.

Faced with the recognition of climate change, energy depletion, and biofuel competition, even urban dwellers, says R.J. Ruppenthal, may have to "relearn basic food production skills in a hurry, if we are to survive and thrive in this new world" (p. x). Fresh Food From Small Spaces gives...more Beware. This is a dangerous book. Once you have read it, you will not be able to say: "I don't have enough space (or light, or the right climate, or soil) to grow any food." You'll have to find some other excuse.

Faced with the recognition of climate change, energy depletion, and biofuel competition, even urban dwellers, says R.J. Ruppenthal, may have to "relearn basic food production skills in a hurry, if we are to survive and thrive in this new world" (p. x). Fresh Food From Small Spaces gives you a mini-course in urban food production and encourages you to practice many of the basic gardening techniques we normally associate with large suburban lots and small farms.

What can you grow and where can you grow it? According to Ruppenthal, you can grow most of the usual vegetables (potatoes, beans, carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, cabbage, etc.) and many fruits and berries in containers on balconies, on windowsills, in tiny patio spaces, and in small city backyards. His list of grow-your-own food also includes other strategies you might not have thought of as "gardening," but are equally valuable: growing sprouts (more nutritious than some grains), making fermented foods such as yogurt and kefir (as well as sauerkraut and kimchi), and raising mushrooms. And then there are chickens and bees, and oh, yes, worms and compost. As I said, once you've read and considered Ruppenthal's suggestions, you have no excuse. If you're willing to put in the effort, he says, there's no such thing as "not enough" of whatever it takes to produce up to twenty percent of your own food and enable you to eat homegrown food (as his family does) 365 days a year.

But why bother? Why go to the trouble, when every urban dweller is within a stone's throw of a supermarket? Because, Ruppenthal says, our food supply is not as secure as we think, and in these uncertain times, it is prudent to prepare for short- and long-term disruptions in the food supply. The author says he's not a survivalist, but the strategies and methods he outlines in the final chapter may help urban and suburban residents function in the event of a major disruption, or in a time when cheap resources (oil and gas) are dwindling. And in the meantime, he suggests (and I agree) that we can all move closer to "sustainability living," even when resources are abundant. We need to take charge of our food, he says, and stop trusting industrial agriculture to feed us. (It can't, not forever.) We need to change the world, and we can only do it from the ground up.

An index might have made this passionate, highly readable book a little easier to use, but there are helpful notes and references, an excellent resource list, and most of the information you need to start on a path to square-inch gardening.

Go for it. You have no excuse.
(less)

1 like · like · see review

Oct 02, 2009 jess rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, food, growing

I do like this book. I think it is inspirational, has a lot of good ideas, and provides that "spark" that we need sometimes to think about producing more food in the space available to us whether it is shady and has poor light, or our space is all concrete, or if the space we have is only a balcony or a shelf of a closet. Growing sprouts, mushrooms, chickens, bees, berries, nuts, and fruit are all covered here, albeit very quickly with shallow information. A lot of people really underestimate ho...more

like · see review

Apr 18, 2009 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: food

Keeping Bees? Worm bins? Chickens? Gardening on concrete? starting seeds, fermenting foods, and sprouting? Doesn't this sound AWESOME??
But one catch. It's not clear that the author has actually done all of these things-- some of them he hasn't at all-- bees, for example. He just thinks it's neat, and that other people SHOULD do it. You know, if they can find a book or something to tell them how. Some OTHER book.

Some of the chapters are useful-- the how tos for the worm bin and the concrete compo...more

1 like · like · see review

May 28, 2009 AJ rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to AJ by: andrea

Shelves: do-not-own, nonfiction, 2009

I can't say that this book has any earth shattering information in it - if you are already growing vegetables in your apartment or have read books like Urban Homestead Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City, then you probably won't find a ton of new information in it. However the author does focus specifically on a few plants that are particularly good in low space / low light situations, such as berries and dwarf trees, so I appreciated that insight.

The author also covers...more I can't say that this book has any earth shattering information in it - if you are already growing vegetables in your apartment or have read books like Urban Homestead Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City, then you probably won't find a ton of new information in it. However the author does focus specifically on a few plants that are particularly good in low space / low light situations, such as berries and dwarf trees, so I appreciated that insight.

The author also covers fermentation, and recommends a book (Wild Fermentation The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods) that I intend to check out of the library for a more detailed view. He also brings up chicken and bee-keeping, something that both Toolbox for Sustainable City Living and Urban Homestead Your Guide to Self-sufficient Living in the Heart of the City covered. I skipped over that section, being a vegan and not having nearly enough space.

The author also covers mushroom cultivation, composting and sprouting (of which he is a huge advocate) and keeping prepared with food and water in case of emergencies. I like the mushroom and sprouting ideas, but sprouting always comes with the caveat that you have to continue to buy seeds and grains, whereas veggies provide seeds for future plants without further purchases.

I was sort of disappointed that the author seems to assume that everybody has plenty of patio space, even though this book is specifically written for apartment dwellers and people who live in cities. I only have a fire escape which dramatically limits the amount of vegetables I can grow outside. The author doesn't really mention growing veggies indoors, how that affects the growing season, etc.

I also found it annoying that the author said that apartments without outdoor space cannot compost (without worms). It's a long, slow wait, but I have been composting for awhile, and while I have yet to get my first bin totally decomposed, it's not out of the question for patient apartment dwellers to compost their organic waste.

Overall, this is a really good introduction book, and I look forward to trying my hand at growing berries and reading the fermentation book he recommends.(less)

like · see review

Mar 14, 2009 Mo Tipton rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: everyone who eats

Shelves: gardening, want-to-buy

One of the things I initially found difficult when I was looking for ways to grow more of my own food in a teeny tiny space was how best to get started. It was easy to assume that one or two herb plants was all I had room for, hence why should I bother? But this book is a great way to take a mental inventory of your space and come up with a handful of creative ways in which to coax more food from it. Whether you decide to cultivate mushrooms in the closet or grow sprouts on top of the refrigerat...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 25, 2011 Jeri rated it 3 of 5 stars

Fresh Food from Small Spaces is an informative book. It tells you how to do the things that the author suggests in a way that someone who has never picked up a spade before could do. It even gives you tips that make a lot of sense, but that would be hard to discover yourself. It made me want to go plant a fruit tree, make my own yogurt, and get some chickens. I'm not so sure about sprouting or having a bee hive.

Ruppenthal, the author, makes a good case for learning how to do all of this stuff.....more

like · see review

Mar 15, 2010 Happyreader rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: food-and-drink, planting, health-and-diet

If you're a beginner urban gardener like myself, you'll finish this book with a long list of gardening desires - dwarf fruit trees (I so want a fig tree), strawberries, winter greens under solar bells, Earthboxes (although one gardening instructor said it was a waste of money), sprouts (I want an Easy Sprout container), chicken tractors to take chickens on foraging road trips (although what's with the suggestion in the intro, fortunately not repeated in the chicken chapter, of attaching elevated...more

like · see review

Jan 10, 2009 Cindy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

This is a good book for ideas - the author dips into gardening, beekeeping, mushroom growing, sprouts, etc... with more expertise in the gardening and sprouting areas. I may not be as ready as he is to contemplate more closely any future shortages in resources that will make more urban food production necessary, but I'm thinking I might try raspberries this spring and may try out some sprouting this winter. The writing style made my eyes roll from time to time (supernouns and "you may laugh" esp...more

like · see review

Dec 23, 2009 Leigh-ann rated it 2 of 5 stars

I borrowed this book from the library after reading Amazon.com reviews of it. I was trying to find out more about making homemade dairy products, like cheese, yogurt, and kefir, and this book seemed to be a popular title in that category. Unfortunately for me, the book was more of a how-to guide for growing foods in containers, in small shaded, areas, etc. In other words, it was exactly what the title indicated, but I'm only giving it a two-star review because it lacked the recipes I'd hoped to...more

like · see review

Jun 17, 2009 Anju rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, from-library, gardening, food

This book is a good introductory work for people who want an idea of what's possible. It certainly won't tell you everything you need to know, but it's a good place to start.

I particularly liked the discussions of container edibles, backyard fruit varieties, sprouting, yogurt making, and chickens. The sprouting and yogurt making are of particular interest to me since I learned to sprout mung beans from my mom, and my dad used to make yogurt at home. The book often recommends against using metal...more

like · see review

Dec 18, 2008 Cindywho rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

like · see review

Mar 07, 2010 Taylor Ansley rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: gardening, kindle

This was a strange book. At its best moments it felt like an urban agricultural guide as created by the editors of Lifehacker--in a very, very good way. Many helpful tips for DIYers looking to grow all sorts of fruits and vegetables in less-than-typical conditions. Tons of interesting hacks and a plethora of websites and books to dig deeper into topics like mushroom cultivation, dwarf fruit trees, worm composting, etc.

In its weaker moments, though, the book veered into a strange survivalist and...more

like · see review

Jul 15, 2012 Andi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gardening

Sort of a 'quick guide' that leads the reader to visualize the possibilities they have for producing some of their own food, R.J. Ruppenthal packs a lot of ideas into this simple, short read. He takes a refreshing look at growing food in VERY small spaces. I say 'refreshing' because I've read so many wonderful gardening books loaded with ideas that stop me in my tracks once I realize how much SPACE is needed. Through his own trial and error he has learned to maximize his small apartment and pati...more Sort of a 'quick guide' that leads the reader to visualize the possibilities they have for producing some of their own food, R.J. Ruppenthal packs a lot of ideas into this simple, short read. He takes a refreshing look at growing food in VERY small spaces. I say 'refreshing' because I've read so many wonderful gardening books loaded with ideas that stop me in my tracks once I realize how much SPACE is needed. Through his own trial and error he has learned to maximize his small apartment and patio to produce a good portion of his own food.

He has nice descriptions of effective containers for veggies, where to place them, and how to care for them. He provides many good ideas for helpful tools like homemade coldframes that are small enough to fit on a balcony or patio, which can provide year-round leafy greens. He doesn't just focus on veggies, however. I was enlightened by his chapter on sprouts. I really had no idea that sprouts are so nutritious and are so simple to grow. The author grows pounds of sprouts of many varieties each week on top of his refrigerator! His chapter on fermented foods such as yogurt, kimchi and saurkraut made me want to try the processes out for myself. I was astounded by the idea of housing some chickens in a tiny yard, but he explained his ideas for a chicken 'tractor' (a pen that is moved around the outdoor space), vertical chicken coops, or miniature coops. He explains the possibility of keeping a beehive in an urban outdoor space, and of growing mushrooms just about anywhere.

What I liked about this book is that it was realistic and yet hopeful. The author admits that it is really not possible to be completely self-sufficient in an urban lifestyle. He writes that an urban gardener could probably grow 20 to 40 percent of his nutrition needs. However, he also describes scenarios of specializing in one food production within your space and then bartering with someone else who specializes in another (the oldest and purest form of free trade!). His main point is that no, in an urban setting with lack of land/space, you will not become completely self sufficient, but you can at least depend on yourself for a portion of your food and keep your food costs down. He is not alone in his opinion that food prices will inevitably go up as we face an energy crisis, so learning some ways to grow at least some of your food is a good idea. The author emphasizes that the techniques he describes are not new, and that before the last couple of generations who have grown up in our cheap-fuel-lifestyle (which includes cheap, albeit not always healthy, food), growing as much of your own food used to be just a normal part of life. He feels it is imperative that we reconnect with that spirit of our not-so-distant ancestors.

The author describes some of the uncomfortable changes we might be facing in a society that has built this cheap-fuel-lifestyle, once that source of energy is depleted, and once food production is also affected by climate change and the harmful effects of industrial farming. He approaches the possible changes with amazing hope, however. Though he doesn't describe himself as a survivalist, he has some practical thoughts on getting prepared for looming shortages in food and energy.

Though not incredibly detailed in every topic, I found this book very useful and it has inspired me to look further into some grow-it or produce-it-yourself methods beyond just vegetable gardens.

(less)

like · see review

May 31, 2009 Elizabeth Hills rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: farming-gardening, food

very general book
reasons for growing your own food
includes a discussion of peak oil and climate change, which, while true and interesting, takes a little focus away from the book.

Includes lots of suggestions about how to best utilize your space. few details, though provides a lot of references, both links and books.

what plants grow best in what conditions (full sun, partial sun, shade)
touches on how to extend growing season and increasing light in shady spaces, pest control, soil amendments
touch...more

like · see review

Aug 09, 2009 Joshua added it

Shelves: hippie, summer09

An enjoyable read, but not too substantial or informative. I would describe it as "motivational", as it is not a how-to manual, and lacks specific details. More detailed tutorials for making sub-irrigated planters (and pretty much everything else) can be found online (for free). This book would be good to give to a neighbor/friend who you are trying to persuade to get into this kind of stuff, but said person would be hard pressed to actually get anything done using only this book.

like · see review

Jul 17, 2011 Deb rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: gardening, non-fiction, summer-2011

Mostly a "Rah!Rah! You can do it!" kind of book, however it dies have a couple of unique DIY gems.
The directions for making a self-watering planter are detailed, and also explain the function of each part so you can easily adapt them to many kinds of containers.
The chapter on fermented foods is something I've not seen before in a gardening book. Again, there are detailed instructions for making sauerkraut, kefir, and best of all, three kinds of kimchee.

like · see review

Apr 18, 2010 Eva rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you live in an apartment and want to garden, this book is perfect for you. Seriously. Its so easy to read and you can easily skip around to the parts you need - like how to build a self-watering planter and where to order seeds and how to grow blueberries and how to make your own yogurt. Thanks to this, I'm starting peas and carrots and cherry tomatoes and mint and chives on my balconey next week.

like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 Carrie rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was a really interesting book particularly about container gardening. It is by no means definitive or very instructive. It will give you some great ideas to get started but I wouldn't recommend to buy this for anyone but vegetarians. Sprouting, fermenting and growing mushrooms are covered in this text which topics are often omitted in other books of the same genre.

like · see review

Jan 28, 2011 Colleen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: gardening-containers, diy, gardening-edibles, gardening-seeds, library-borrowed

good ideas that are only very superficially described—akin to browsing a blog or magazine that refers you elsewhere. still, this is a decent primer for those who are absolute small-space gardening virgins.

the author is also very much a generalist; this doesn't appear to inhibit quality since there's never enough depth for him to really get off track, though.

like · see review

Mar 19, 2010 Kristen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Actually addresses the problems of low or little light and minimal or no outdoor space for producing food. Very detailed guide, with lots of diy or low cost options for materials, covering a variety of food sources. The last chapter covers being prepared in the case of emergency/temporary resource depletion. Very accessible, comprehensive.

like · see review

Jan 25, 2012 Kelly rated it 3 of 5 stars

Great advice but not a lot of pictures or ideas for indoor gardening. The book does mention people that live in townhouses and don't have a yard or only have windowboxes but most of the info seems to be geared toward outside greenhouses and setting up solar lighting indoors. Not practical solutions to those of us in apartments.

like · see review

Jan 06, 2009 Callina rated it 3 of 5 stars

Good source of information for people interested in gardening in limited spaces. I have a nice backyard, and this book focuses a little more on how to deal in uber-cramped urban spaces, but practical, clever ideas nonetheless. Gave me good ideas for what to plant and when, etc.

like · see review

Apr 15, 2011 Tisha rated it 3 of 5 stars

It had some really great ideas for gardening in small spaces (even on balconies in large cities). Since I don't have a huge yard I found it interesting. I'm pretty sure I won't be making my own mushrooms in the garage though. Isn't the author's last name pretty cool?

like · see review

Oct 15, 2009 Christina rated it 5 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this book for the ideas it gave me. He makes sprouting, fermenting, and cultivating mushrooms seem like normal things everyone should try and points you in the direction you need to find more information. And now I want to try sprouting and fermenting!

like · see review

Mar 20, 2009 Cherie rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Great book for those with urban spaces to garden. However, a lot of what he recommends is for those with slightly more space than I, but he really has a lot of great gardening tips for those with apts -- and info on how to sprout, ferment. Interesting.

like · see review

May 16, 2010 Ginger rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: health, gardening

Although I learned a couple valuable tips to help in my quest to grow most of our food, I thought the contect was a bit lacking. For many it would be a wonderful starting point. It's more of a summary of the possiblities with only a few how-tos.

like · see review

Apr 14, 2013 Latasha rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: for-the-home, instructional-how-to, library-reads

This book was a little more advanced with bigger projects than I was hoping for. I am looking for a quick intro into just starting a container garden, and this was much more in depth for people with a little more space for a raised-bed type garden.

like · see review

Sep 07, 2012 Lisa Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book has a lot of information! It is really a DIY kind of book! I had to return it to the libray, but I would definitely buy a copy used on Amazon, and have my husband read for ideas for our outside areas. He really knows his stuff! If you like hands-on books, and are ready to get down and dirty, wink, wink, this book is for you!

like · see review

Mar 08, 2011 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

I picked this book up to learn more about sprouting, but it is chuck-full of amazing information and tips for living a more sustainable lifestyle. I thought it was brilliant! Highly, highly recommend!!!

like · see review

Jan 22, 2011 Jenn S rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: outdoors

The author says that this book is for those in apartments, but really, I couldn't do most of the things he mentions - I can't have plants on my balcony. I appreciated the parts on reflected light, deciding what to grow and the part about containers, but that was about it. It even covers chickens and honeybees. If you're looking for something outside the mainstream thought of city growing, you might enjoy this.

like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 … 29 30 next »

Non Fiction

25 users

Food And Drink > Food

22 users

Food And Drink > Cooking

4 users

Food And Drink > Cookbooks

3 users

Environment > Nature

3 users

Science > Agriculture

3 users

Health

2 users

Environment > Sustainability

2 users

Reference

2 users

See top shelves...

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by R.J. Ruppenthal

Backyard Chickens for Beginners: Getting the Best Chickens, Choosing Coops, Feeding and Care, and Beating City Chicken Laws

Best Chicken Breeds: 12 Types of Hens that Lay Lots of Eggs, Make Good Pets, and Fit in Small Yards

Fall and Winter Gardening 25 Organic Vegetables to Plant and

How to Grow Beans and Peas: Planting and Growing Organic Green Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, and Heirloom Dry Beans and Peas

More…

Share This Book

Facebook Twitter Your website

Trivia About Fresh Food from S...

No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »

title link	preview: Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting
avg rating	preview: Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, an Goodreads rating: 3.58 (302 ratings)
small image	preview: click here [close]
med image	preview: click here [close]
BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3298050-fresh-food-from-small-spaces?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347310027l/3298050.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3298050-fresh-food-from-small-spaces?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R.J. Ruppenthal[/url]

Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (1)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by R.J. Ruppenthal

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Fresh Food from S...

Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting

Friend Reviews

Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

combineOther Editions (1)

Genres

Readers also enjoyed similar books

Books by R.J. Ruppenthal

Share This Book

Share This Book on Your Website

Trivia About Fresh Food from S...

new topic
Discuss This Book

combine
Other Editions (1)