Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening

Grow or Die: The Good Guide to Survival Gardening by David The Good is a book that provides readers with the knowledge and skills needed to create a self-sufficient food growing system.
Written in an entertaining and informative style, the book covers topics such as setting up a garden, choosing the right crops, and understanding the environmental and health benefits of growing your own food.
The book begins by discussing the importance of having a survival garden and the best crops to grow for survival. It then goes into detail about how to set up a garden, from choosing the right location to selecting the right tools and materials. Additionally, the book provides tips on how to maximize the yield of your garden and how to store and preserve the produce.
The book also covers the environmental and health benefits of growing your own food. It explains how growing your own food can reduce carbon emissions, reduce pesticide and fertilizer use, foster a connection with nature, provide learning opportunities, and provide better nutrition. Furthermore, it emphasizes the importance of eating fresh fruits and vegetables and controlling what kind of fertilizers and pesticides come in contact with your food.
What I Liked
This is my favorite gardening book ever. When I plan a garden, I am less concerned about spending $50 growing a perfect tomato. Instead, I want to put seeds in the ground and have them turn into food. Simple. This book covers that.
This book gave me the best gardening tip that I’ve ever read. Take leftover grocery store potatoes, let them grow eyes. Dice them up. Put them in ground. Wait. Get dozens of potatoes. It turned into the best gardening project I’ve ever done – and I didn’t spend a dime at Home Depot.
I loved his focus on soil nutrition. I know, I know that soil is the obsession of every garden writer ever. Garden writers are to compost and soil the way dentists are to teeth and flossing. We all know that it’s the most important thing that nobody actually does. But – this guy made soil so much more…approachable? Or at least, realistic.
I also liked his focus on less equipment. Every garden book seems to forget that humans have been (and still are) growing stuff without the latest app-driven electric hoe and soil thermometer combination on Amazon. He gives equipment recommendations straight from the middle ages and how think about when & what to upgrade when necessary.
What I Did Not Like
It’s self-published, so it’s a little rough around the edges without many images.
- Provides practical knowledge for self-sufficient gardening
- Entertaining and informative writing style
- Offers valuable tips on soil nutrition and gardening techniques
- Focuses on low-cost and less equipment-based gardening
- Highlights the environmental and health benefits of growing food
- Self-published, resulting in a rough presentation and few images