A Review of Gaia's Garden

I recently finished reading Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway. Permaculture is a way of living that was developed in the 1970's. The main idea of permaculture is to create human settlements that mimic those of nature. And, because nature is so efficient, these human systems based upon nature end up being quite self sufficient and much more sustainable than traditional human creations. This book focuses on how to design your yard based on the theories of permaculture. Doing so eventually results in a landscape that requires less maintenance, less inputs (and therefore less money) and is much more kind to the environment.
I thought this book was absolutely lovely. It took me quite a few weeks to get through it, mainly because there is lots of information to absorb, and because I am the type of person who is always reading 4 or 5 books at once. But, I loved (almost) every minute of this read.
The author teaches you about the importance of soil and water (in a lot of detail, but not at all boring... at least to me, I am a scientist!). He walks you through the basics of composting, the importance of wildlife and insects to the garden, and includes the human-need for beautiful spaces and plants that yield fruit and food. He explains how to design gardens that improve the soils on their own and landscapes that minimize the need for water.
I love how this book is also quite focused on the yard as a garden, and wanting to grow things that will provide for you. Now that I live in Portland, the land of gardens, and have a garden of my own, this was very relevant information for me (I am still in the serious learning phase pf gardening!). The author talks in detail about how to create food-centered communities in your yard and ways to group plants together so that all of the niches are filled. My one complaint about this book is that I found it to be very centered on folks who live in the suburbs and have at least 1/4 acre of yard to devote to gardens, landscape, compost areas and water features. My entire lot is less than 1/10 of an acre, and once you add in the house, driveway, covered patio and dog area, there is not a while lot left to work with, and I feel like I do miss out on many of the awesome features he has included in this guide.
Our yard is currently in transition, and I am so happy that I read this book before we made any major decisions on what to plant where. This book will allow me to choose plants that work well together and provide a low-maintenace alternative that is better for my family, wildlife and the planet. I would STRONGLY recommend this book to anyone who is considering making major renovations to their outdoor space, even if you are only changing a small area of your yard.