What Is Garden Alchemy?

Alchemy’s history is shrouded in controversy. Those practicing the art were admonished for tirelessly working on transmutation, famously failing to turn metals into gold. Yet as anyone who has experienced failure knows, alchemists learned a whole lot about the natural world through their experimentation. They hacked natural processes to get a better understanding of how things work, and while their research has been left to many interpretations, the investigational methods they used can be employed to give us a deeper understanding of the natural processes of our gardens.

Alchemists also searched for the universal cure for disease and for longevity, and it is again their inability to meet those lofty goals that teach us more about gardening. Many gardeners have a strong desire to know the exact formula for success for their garden, yet there are endless conflicting studies and opinions out there from PhDs to elders.

So what does that tell us? That there is no magic potion or secret sauce that will grow a perfect garden every time (although compost comes pretty close). The most successful gardeners have learned the formula that works best for them through observation, testing, and time. You can read and study every written word, but, in the end, it’s getting your hands dirty that will give you the definitive answer how best to grow plants in your unique garden.

That’s where Garden Alchemy comes in. Whether you are a brand-new gardener or have many homegrown tomatoes under your belt, this book is full of recipes, concoctions, experiments, and projects for you to play with in your garden. Using nature as a guide, the recipes come from the earth and work to build on the foundation Mother Nature has created.

Get started with Garden Alchemy by completing the soil testing recipes in chapter 1. This will help you to get to know your unique garden soil. Then you can go through the recipes like a cookbook, finding those that look interesting to you and giving them a try in your space. Before long, you will have some new favorite natural ideas for growing a lush and thriving garden, along with the confidence that you know what truly works for your individual space.