Oh ginger nubbin, I’m going to plunge you into some dirt so fast, you won’t know what hit you.

Can you tell I’m avoiding real work? My mother used to have the same problem with me as a kid. She’d shake her head and ask, “What’s wrong with you?” And I say, “I wish I knew Ma, I wish I knew.” Except I never called her Ma. And I probably just grunted in response before shuffling off to my room to read comic books.

A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherezade Goldsmith (Ed.)

Novices taking their first toddling steps toward a more sustainable lifestyle should look elsewhere for a reassuring hand and the soft coo of encouragement. A Slice of Organic Life, edited by Sheherezade Goldsmith, dives headlong into the often baffling business of eco-friendly living by rattling off a series of instructions, without framing them in any kind of context that might make sense to a greenie-to-be.

A foreword by acclaimed chef, author, and food activist Alice Waters is followed by an introduction by Goldsmith. But just when you think you’re on solid, navigable terrain, the ground suddenly opens up below your feet and you find yourself inexplicably rushing past an edict to “Grow Salad Leaves in a Window Box.” Immediately after, you’re asked to “Save Energy the Easy Way,” and then to “Shop Ethically,” as if you were flipping through a stack of flash cards, each bearing little relation to its neighbors.

It would be unfair, however, to say that no effort at organization has been made—the book is ostensibly split into three sections based on your living situation: 1. No Need for a Yard, 2. Roof Terrace, Patio, or Tiny Yard, and 3. Yard, Community Garden, or Field. It might be easier to think of Slice as a collection of homesteading projects, from making and freezing baby foods to—I kid you not—raising a couple of young pigs.

The large type, vibrant and generously laid-out photographs are certainly appealing, and so this is the kind of glossy picture book you could strategically place on your coffee table to pique the curiosity of non-environmentally inclined guests. Slice makes for an easy, non-threatening read—and you really do emerge from its pages believing that yes! you could grow sweet peas on a teepee or become a bee keeper—but the book also tries to toss too many balls in the air at the same time, and keeping track of all them can leave you feeling dizzy. ($25, cloth)

Want to snag my free copy of the book? Comment below about something you never thought you’d DIY, but you did. I’ll pick a winner at random on August 1.

This review refers to a first American hardcover edition, courtesy of DK Publishing. A Slice of Organic Life can be found in stores now.

Graphic from ReadyMade

ReadyMade, my favorite mag “for people who like to make stuff” has generously opened up its print archives online. You can search past issues by keyword or browse the archive by issue (although the latter function is less user-friendly). You only have to part with your e-mail address, but that’s hardly a sacrifice when you can learn tricks such as how to transform a pillowcase into a pencil skirt, how to commandeer the contents of your recycling bin for your garden, and how to turn a pair of metal file cabinets into an island for your kitchen.

Photo by andreas., under a Creative Commons license

No doubt you’ve heard about the mysterious ailment that has been wiping out up to 80 percent of beekeeping colonies across North America and Europe. Known as “Colony Collapse Disorder,” the bee losses have stirred beekeepers and conservationists alike into a panicked frenzy. We should be doing the same, considering that a study last year concluded that pollinators such as bees, birds and bats affect 35 percent of the world’s crop production, increasing the output of 87 of the leading food crops worldwide.

“If the tireless apian workers didn’t fly from one flower to the next, depositing pollen grains so that fruit trees can bloom, America could well be asking where its next meal would come from,” says Kevin Berger in Salon.

While the eggheads continue to debate about what’s causing the bees to vanish en masse—cell-phone signals? pesticides? Dick Cheney’s all-encompassing, life-extinguishing aura of evil?—we can still invite bees into our gardens by creating a chemical-free botanical sanctuary they can’t resist. (Organic beekeepers, it seems, have been reporting no losses.)

Here are some suggestions from Greenlight on how to encourage bee frolics on your home turf:

• Start by planting things that will be attractive to bees. Check out the Urban Bee Project’s recommendations for plants that will do well in your area. In my garden, I can attest that bees love blooming lavender.

• Create as much plant diversity as possible¹.

• Plan your plantings to bloom over a long season—so there will always be flowers.

• Keep in mind bees’ preferences: no mulch (bees tunnel into bare soil) and a slightly wild look. How far you go with calculated neglect is up to you. This is not permission to refrain from weeding and mulching your garden.

You can also find a trove of tips at the Urban Bee Project.

Additional resources:
1. How to Invite Bees into Your Backyard
2. How to Green Your Gardening

Related articles:
1. Lawn & Order
2. Leave Me the Birds and the Bees, Please

¹Gardens with 10 or more species of attractive plants have been found to entice the most bees.

Photo by Ange, under a Creative Commons license

I only have window sills—good for a mini herb garden and one perching cat, but not much else, so let me live vicariously through you lucky backyard and porch types. What are you planting (or planning to plant) this growing season?

P.S.: Check out Summer’s home-grown strawberry!

Another update to my rundown of sustainable gardening tools, this time with some recycled-plastic-lumber action. (As always, for your convenience, you’ll find the post under Sustainability 101 on the right-hand bar.)

Ch-ch-check it out.

War on global warming; plant Victory Gardens [via Pocket Farm]