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Grow It!
Book by Langer, Richard W
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 15, 2017
Comprehensive, clearly-explained, natural and an effortless sense of humor!
October 3, 2020
This is one of the best books I've come across for learning to live & support yourself on rural land (small acreage). First edition published in the 1970s — excellent for setting out the basics, and especially for informing the reader who knows next to nothing. Down to earth, practical, with the basics clearly detailed — more so in a number of ways than such honored classics as Living the Good Life (which I greatly enjoyed, but which is skewed by didactic philosophical content). With a grounding from Langer's book you can go on to locate the narrow-focus technical books (or Youtube vids) that can inform you about the latest methods or equipment.
August 11, 2011
Before I get out there with the tractor and 400 pages of how to revive this dead soil, you've gotta read page 3 and the penultimate vestiges of hippiedom:
The die was cast. Mother earth turned in a direction that was to dominate her course from that time to the present. Fro the primitive plants died, leaving organic matter to mix with the inorganic. Life-bearing soil formed, slowly, in minute quantities, giving more complex plants a chance to evolve. Perhaps had the crystalline viruses been more efficient than the bacteria, they would have begun to dominate the world at that crucial juncture. Perhaps those first primitive plants would never have evolved. Perhaps instead the viruses would have increased in complexity. Perhaps the whole chain of life would have developed along inorganic lines instead of as we know it. Perhaps a super-complex ruby would be farming your field today, leading a plow drawn by an emerald to prepare the earth so it could grow rock crystals. Perhaps if man does not learn to recognize the value of life and nature, mother earth will have to start over. Maybe it will be crystals next time.
The die was cast. Mother earth turned in a direction that was to dominate her course from that time to the present. Fro the primitive plants died, leaving organic matter to mix with the inorganic. Life-bearing soil formed, slowly, in minute quantities, giving more complex plants a chance to evolve. Perhaps had the crystalline viruses been more efficient than the bacteria, they would have begun to dominate the world at that crucial juncture. Perhaps those first primitive plants would never have evolved. Perhaps instead the viruses would have increased in complexity. Perhaps the whole chain of life would have developed along inorganic lines instead of as we know it. Perhaps a super-complex ruby would be farming your field today, leading a plow drawn by an emerald to prepare the earth so it could grow rock crystals. Perhaps if man does not learn to recognize the value of life and nature, mother earth will have to start over. Maybe it will be crystals next time.
January 20, 2009
Langer's book was lauded by Stewart Brand, John Shuttleworth, and Euell Gibbons. I hear a lot of you saying "Who?", which might explain why no has reviewed this book. Langer wrote this tome of rural skills for the generation of folk pouring from the cities in the late 60's and early 70's to apprentice their homesteads in the country . We were long on enthusiasm, but short on experience.
You may never wish to raise swans or need to know which way to turn your tractor (or team) when you get to the end of your field, but you just might want to raise bees, grow your own wheat, or milk your own goat. For the rest of you, a major portion of the book covers fruit and vegetable gardening. I can tell you from experience that sitting down to a huge Sunday family dinner knowing that the only things that were purchased were the salt and pepper, is priceless. This book is as relevant today as it was nearly 4 decades ago. If you are a back-to-the-lander want-to-be and you can find a copy of this book, buy it without hesitation.
You may never wish to raise swans or need to know which way to turn your tractor (or team) when you get to the end of your field, but you just might want to raise bees, grow your own wheat, or milk your own goat. For the rest of you, a major portion of the book covers fruit and vegetable gardening. I can tell you from experience that sitting down to a huge Sunday family dinner knowing that the only things that were purchased were the salt and pepper, is priceless. This book is as relevant today as it was nearly 4 decades ago. If you are a back-to-the-lander want-to-be and you can find a copy of this book, buy it without hesitation.
December 25, 2010
Got this off the free book table at a churn activity and it's exactly why I was looking for. A no nonense guide to everything from how to grow and maintain fruit trees to raising pigs. And this isn't one of those new heavy on picture light on information books. It's the real deal for beginner o seasoned pro alike! I love it!
January 28, 2016
Covers just about every aspect of small farming for the back-to-the-lander. And I do mean everything: there are never-to-be-forgotten quotes in here like "Goose eggs, fried, make excellent rubber sink stoppers" and "Don't raise turkeys. They are incredibly stupid." But it also covers the more practical areas of animal husbandry, raising cash and subsistence crops, and making do on very little.
July 21, 2012
So cool! For $5, I'm becoming a hippy farmer. Can you dig it? ;0)
January 13, 2013
Lots of basic info all in one place. Some parts (like beekeeping) are a bit outdated.
May 2, 2012
The first book I read on gardening. Great back to the land guide. Still a good read today.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews