The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food, By Tanya Denckla Cobb

Reviewed by Chris Travis

Storey Publishers, 2024, 328pp, $24.99

A must-have for all gardeners, Tanya Denckla Cobb's The Backyard Homestead Guide to Growing Organic Food will inspire, educate, and become a dog-eared, soil-stained reference for any backyard enthusiast, whether neophyte hobbyists, experienced veterans, or commercial producers. 

It is not often that a work of nonfiction becomes a favorite, but this reference will become one of the most frequently checked books on your bookshelf; I speak from experience. Last season, I pulled this little gem off my bookshelf over and over again, pouring over each entry for the in-depth, well-researched, well-crafted summaries. These summaries address the science of ecosystem management and convey the depth of knowledge and years of experience Cobb has invested in this work.

This guide is encyclopedic, well-organized, and systematic. Each entry addresses the fundamental requisites related to a plant, ticking the proverbial boxes of site, soil and water requirements, plant size, cultural aspects, pests, disease, companion planting, antagonistic plants, and common varieties. Cobb has packed this informative resource with succinct paragraphs. The first few sentences aptly describe the crop of focus and, a detail I personally appreciate, estimate the number of plants required per person.

Cobb does not shy away from including some of our most rewarding but also challenging backyard denizens, fruit trees, and shrubs. Think of the stymied blueberries you’ve kept alive for the last five years and those filberts you aren’t sure about.  Cobb dedicates chapter three to a few of the most common backyard fruits and nuts.

My favorite chapters are Chapter 5 – Organic Remedies, and Chapter 6 – Allies and Companions. Cobb presents an in-depth list of pests, preventatives, and easy-to-read tables of pests, remedies, allies, and companions. I was impressed with her discussion of pests; she takes the time and space to address those little organisms with whom we battle in vain to defend our plots. Cobb addresses fungal agents, insects, and animal pests. As all organic growers are aware, a battle with pests can elicit tears of frustration and result in a lost season. I am grateful to Cobb for the pages and space she dedicated to those season-altering buggers. 

The author’s philosophical rumination on what it means to be organic is particularly interesting. Thankfully, Cobb applies an expansive view of ecosystem management and stewardship. She is far from heavy-handed, and her advice never sounds like moral finger-wagging. The concept of ecosystem management infuses Cobb’s writing and her garden practices. Ecosystem stewardship is the underlying paradigm of her work, probably because she uses the word “stewardship” repetitively in her forward. Her care, sincerity, and passion resonate in her foreword and afterword.

This book should be on every grower’s bookshelf. I’m looking forward to experimenting with some of her suggestions for managing the rabbits and deer eating my cut flowers. This spring, I will try the stinky shoes and rubber snakes.