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Transforming Florida Yards offers readers a way to easily grow edible plants by creating a natural ecosystem. All one needs to successfully begin their food forest is a lawn and this book! Knowing which plants grow in each part of the state (north, central, and south) simplifies steps to create a flourishing garden. Permaculture, or the process of working with nature rather than against it, teaches affordable, sustainable, and research-based ways to beautify surroundings. Backyard gardens also lower the risk of food insecurity and help prepare communities for continuous climate change.
Thanks to ample rainfall and warm temperatures, Florida is the perfect state for growing produce, herbs, and other edibles year-round. Most plants in a food forest are long-lived and low maintenance. Often, food forests even take care of their own fertilization and pest control!
Empowered with easy-to-follow, one-page reference sheets for 200 plants (with corresponding hardiness zone, recipes, cultural information, and landscaping design tips), readers will quickly watch their lawns transform into a gorgeous, yet edible paradise.
About the author
Amanda Pike, PhD, ATR-BC is a board-certified art therapist, professional educator, certified educational leader, and past president of the Florida Art Therapy Association. Dr. Pike grew up spending summers exploring her grandparents' farmland, and lived in Cuernavaca, Mexico for multiple years, working for a holistic wellness company. During this time, she learned to grow and use plants to create health and beauty products. During her master's and bachelor's degrees, she lived and worked on farms and therefore brings to her writing the groundedness of first-hand experience. She currently owns a two-acre, permaculture farm in Jupiter, Florida where she manages her food forest complete with free-roaming chickens and 26 beehives. At present, Dr. Pike also serves as Education Chair and Chapter Representative for the Palm Beach County chapter of the Native Plant Society and provides on-going consultations for educational and community-based programs. Her last book, Eco-Art Therapy in Practice, published internationally by Routledge, highlights the importance of growing and using plants in educational and therapeutic settings. In particular, this text highlights Dr. Pike's knowledge on cultivating natural settings like food forests to enhance physical, mental, and emotional health. As a certified educational leader and local 4-H program facilitator, Dr. Pike helps make food forestry an accessible and practical landscaping option.
