Barefoot in the Backyard: Where It All Begins

I wrote Barefoot in the Backyard: Where It All Begins because I genuinely believe that once you understand what’s happening beneath your feet, the way you garden begins to change.

So many of the problems we battle above the ground — plants that struggle, water that seems to disappear, pests and diseases — often have their beginnings below it. Soil doesn’t need to be complicated or wrapped up in scientific language for us to understand it. Sometimes, we just need someone to explain what’s actually going on in a way that makes sense.

Across 196 beautifully illustrated pages, I’ll help you get to know your own patch of earth and understand how soil, compost, mulch, water and plant nutrition work together to grow a healthier, happier garden.

It’s filled with fun little experiments you can try for yourself, practical garden recipes and warm stories from my own garden and everyday life in regional South Australia. I want you to learn as you read, but I also want you to smile, reminisce, get curious, wander outside to investigate something and perhaps even begin looking at your own backyard a little differently.

Whether you're planting your very first garden or you've been gardening for decades, this is a book to keep close, scribble notes in, come back to and hopefully treasure for years to come.

And if you really enjoy Where It All Begins, sit tight, because it really is just that… the beginning!

There are two more Barefoot in the Backyard books to come, taking us beyond the soil and further into creating, planting and a whole lot of fun!