Books

Sally has written more than 250 books over the last 25 years, ranging from first readers for young children to A level texts and adult non fiction.

Sally’s latest book, The Resilient Garden and Allotment Handbook was published in April 2024 by Chelsea Green. As the title suggests Sally looks at how we can make our growing spaces more climate-resilient through caring for the soil, growing a diverse mix of flowers, looking at crop rotations and how we work with pests and disease in a natural way, as well as coping with too much and too little rain.

“This book is a go-to must-read for all gardeners, offering practical advice for expert and beginner gardeners on how to improve your soil and plant biodiversity, manage water, and organically deal with pests and diseases whilst gardening in tune with nature in this ever changing climate. Sally’s extensive knowledge is easy-to-read and follow; even the book has a conscious and is printed on paper from responsibly managed forests with vegetable-based inks. I was lucky enough to recently attend a talk by the author and her passion and knowledge for organic gardening is infectious. Highly recommend this book.” Reviewed by Pebble on Amazon, April 2024

The Healthy Vegetable Garden published in September 2021. She explains how to use natural approaches to cope with the challenges of a changing climate through principles from regenerative gardening, agroecology, and permaculture—all to help your green space thrive.

The Healthy Vegetable Garden shows you how to:

Combat disease and keep pests at bay with natural predators, companion planting, and trap and barrier crops
Choose the right plants to attract pollinators and pest predators
Build a healthy soil full of organic matter, earthworms, and mycorrhizal fungi
Regenerate soil through no-dig practices, composting, cover crops, and mulching
Boost biodiversity through the use of crop rotations and polyculture
Rewild your garden by creating a range of habitats, making use of walls and fences, log piles, water features, and wild corners
Understand plant defences and use biocontrols
Make natural barriers, traps, and lures

A healthy, productive garden should work in harmony with nature to produce and protect delicious fruits and vegetables and build a rich soil that is full of life. With The Healthy Vegetable Garden, growers of all levels will start reducing incidents of pests and diseases while creating a verdant habitat—all without the need for artificial fertilizers and pesticides.

224 pages Publisher Chelsea Green ISBN 9781645020646

“A must read for anyone who wants to know how to grow their own zero-food miles, pesticide-free veg, while treading gently upon our planet” Dave Goulsen, author of The Garden Jungle and Gardening for Bumblebees

“I have bought several books over they years from various well known gardeners but none has inspired me to look at my gardening methods like this book has, Its just a fantastic book to reference to and to learn from, even at a grand old age of 62.” Reviewed by Steven P. on Amazon, 2022

“Fantastic well written book which takes a holistic and regenerative approach to growing vegetables. It’s very comprehensive – from regenerating soil, permaculture, rewilding habitat to stimulating natural defenses in plants. I’m a slow reader but found it accessible with principles for gardening which go beyond growing vegetables. Can’t recommend it enough”. Reviewed by Steve on Amazon, 2022

Find out more here

Another best selling book is Living on one acre or less published by Green Books in 2015. and reprinted in 2021 with a new chapter on coping with extreme weather.

Sally shows you how to grow all the fruit and vegetables your family needs, raise animals for meat and eggs, keep fish and bees, and even produce firewood on a plot of land of just one acre or less – alongside your work and family life.

Whether you have a garden, a paddock or perhaps the corner of a field, Sally guides you through:
● How to lay out your plot – including fencing and polytunnels/grow tunnels or greenhouses
● Managing soil fertility
● Growing fruit and vegetables throughout the year
● Keeping livestock: poultry, pigs, sheep and goats
● Producing fish with aquaponics

Filled with practical advice, this book is essential reading for anyone who wants to be more self-sufficient and live a more sustainable life.

The book can be ordered can from Amazon and all good book shops. Find out more here

Sally’s course at Empire Farm, Living on one acre or less, shows you how to implement the ideas featured in the book. Find out more here

Her other books include:

The Incredible Life of David Attenborough (Big Cat, Collins)