Hacking is the clever way to tweak traditional rules and methods to accomplish something, especially to save money or time or both. In 101 Organic Gardening Hacks, you’ll find eco-friendly solutions to improve any garden—all top tips, tricks, and solutions dug up by Shawna Coronado, “America’s most creative home gardener.”

Some of the hacks in this book are practical timesavers, others offer clever ways to upcycle everyday items in your garden. One characteristic of every hack in this clever new book, however, is that each is completely organic and environmentally friendly. And all about the very sustainable process of searching your community for treasures and keeping those items out of the landfill by using them smartly.

Our Review: First and foremost, the best thing about this entertaining and well-written book is the theme of protecting our environment and the future of the planet. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. Author Shawna Coronado has a passion for making the most of everything she does, and credits most of her inspiration to role-model grandmothers. “One thing you learn from grandparents who grew up in a wartime era is, they wasted nothing and they saved everything,” says the author.

On leafing through the colorful pages well illustrated with photographs of each hack idea, as well as several step-by-step pages, one realizes that even the simplest things can be beautiful and beneficial. Each section is themed and filled with great ideas for everything from creating your own soil, to the ultimate compost recipe, to capturing rainwater, to attracting pollinators, to collecting seeds, and everything in between. Clever and colorful uses for discarded furniture, tools, fencing, buckets – you name it, the author has found a use for it in the garden.

The book is well-presented with dozens of beautiful photographs, conversion tables, and a good index. 101 Organic Gardening Hacks is a book worth having and would make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves to garden and loves the environment.

Hachette sent us this book in exchange for an honest review.

This article and photographs were provided by Toni Leland, a Connecticut freelance writer and Master Gardener in southeastern Connecticut. She is available for assignment on a wide range of subjects: travel, history, nature, gardening, wildlife, cooking, writing, horses, and outdoor living to name a few.

Toni’s fiction has appeared in several anthologies, magazines, and various writing newsletters,and she keeps up with the writing community through her Facebook page, as well as membership in Sisters In Crime and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association.

Visit her website www.tonileland.com and contact her by email for further information.