Book Review - Soil Mates

From time to time I get emails from various organisations asking if I want to advertise their product on my blog. Until now I have turned them all down... until now. I was asked to review a copy of this new book, 'Soil Mates' - Companion Planting for Your Vegetable Garden by Sara Alway. A beautifully produced little book telling a romantic story of why 'Miss Carrot' finds Mr 'Well Built Onion' exceedingly attractive! I loved the idea of companion planting. Which plants love the close proximity of others, and finding out why they can benefit each other and how. I've known that planting chives and onions next to a row of carrots deters the carrot root fly, but I had no idea that romance was involved!

This wonderfully illustrated book is written like a 'dating agency' for veggies listing turn-ons and turn-offs and describing each pairing as a 'love match'. In the current state of the world it is useful to know how to protect your edibles from pests and diseases without resorting to sprays. I was fascinated to read through this book enjoying the illustrations, but one question kept cropping up time after time. Why?

Perhaps it is my scientific mind, but I was just itching for some scientific or chemical details of why these particular plants benefit each other. The idea of a romantic pairing is fun to read, but I really could have done with a couple of sentences on 'the science bit'. Having said all that, If you know someone who is starting out in the veggie growing world, after pointing out Matron's blog to them, you could do worse than point them in the direction of Quirk Books where they will be able to buy a copy for £10.99.