BOOK REVIEWS
GET UP AND GROW
by Lucy Hutchings
Hardie Grant, £16.99 ISBN 978-1784883928
Fans of She Grows Veg will delight at this vibrant book from Lucy Hutchings, packed with projects to inspire you to grow your own edible garden.
Reviewer Katie Beale is editorial assistant of Gardens Illustrated.
While her Instagram feed (@shegrowsveg) has amassed more than 1,000,000 followers and is full of vibrant scroll-worthy images of her garden, there is little we know about the woman behind this brand: Lucy Hutchings. Get Up and Grow sheds some light on the author’s personal journey and passion for gardening, and how she has experienced both the mental and physical health benefits. After a brief introduction, she covers The Basics, which include lighting, potting, feeding and trouble shooting. Each chapter is packed full of handy tips and written in an informative, yet mildly informal tone, which resonates well with a new gardener like myself.
I particularly liked the chapter on Potting Up – aimed specifically at indoor and outdoor potting in small spaces. Many novice gardeners who live in relatively small spaces will appreciate and relate to this and – most importantly – feel inspired to find ways to make their space work for them. Following on from this are pages on edible flowers and houseplants, and a long list of popular fruit and vegetables, with key facts and top tips on growing.
The main portion of the book is a series of 19 projects ranging from
