I liked the book pretty well. There are some interesting ideas and some good information. The only thing I don't like about the book is the cost of the cold frames that he shows how to build. There are much less expensive ways of doing the same thing. Good luck, Rick

I loved the book, lots of great detail about different veggies and his designs were very interesting. Yes, maybe more expensive, but more durable and better quality. However, I was unable to find the type of plastic, or maybe it was fiberglas, that he recommended. I really want to get some and make some of those solar cones, an improvement on the idea of a cloche.

Can't say about warmer zones, except that his ideas would apply anywhere. I recall pictures of snow, so I think the book doesn't focus on warmer zones in particular, the authors don't grow there.

I read this book recently and it is really geared to growing in colder zones (as another poster pointed out, many of the pics in the book show snow, sometimes lots!). The "solar appliances" are also a substantial money investment. It seems to me your mediterranean conditions would be very different. Can you get it from the library rather than investing the money without reading it first?

One book which might be closer to your conditions would be "Winter Gardening in the Maritime Northwest" by Binda Colebrook, which is region specific to the Pacific Northwest (Washington/Oregon/British Columbia) with cool, cloudy, wet winters.

OK, another book for that region is "Gardening Under Cover: a Northwest Guide to Solar Greenhouses, Cold Frames and Cloches" by William Head.

I also got a lot from Eliot Coleman's "Four Season Harvest", even though he gardens in Maine which is colder and sunnier than here.

Hope those help

Kevin Wilson
Powell River, BC

These solar cones are for sale on Ebay as "Solar Plant Cones". They seem to be well made and the price is affordable.
We are impressed with the quality and plan to use them to extend our growing season right through the winter for some plants (since we live in a mild climate along the southern Oregon coast) and to start our plants, early right in the garden.