Gardening in Malta. The Ultimate Gardening Guide for Malta and Gozo
Author: Peter Calamatta
Hardback 220 pages

The good Lord did not endow me with green fingers. Yet I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, which is also a feast for the eyes. Well over 1,000 photos enliven this work, which also offers a number of attractive educational illustrations. The vibrant, eye-catching presentation attracted my interest and relaxed me. Maria De Gabriele (Sense) who was responsible for design and layout has done an excellent job, as usual.

Calamatta's parting advice in the last page of this book is to avoid buying too many books at a time on this subject and recommends building a library slowly. May I personally add that this book should undoubtedly grace your library, whatever stage you have reached on the subject.

The author has the best credentials for this type of publication. He is considered Malta's foremost horticultural guru. For over 17 years he advised the Malta Government on horticulture and had his own widely followed television programme on gardening Dawra mal-Gnien, for 45 whole years. His first publication Mediterranean Gardens (2000) was a best-seller, followed by Maltese Plants in the Bible (2016), another success which generated over €150,000 in funds for the Millennium Chapel, and more recently Me and My Mentors (2017). The book under review is his fourth publication and hopefully will be followed by others. In spite of his 78 years, Calamatta is still blessed with a positive determination to overcome hurdles and share what he knows, while persistently looking at the silver lining. He is also blessed with the gift of a collaborator, Peter Calleja, who has helped him in this considerable task.

I have described this book as gentle, genial and generous. Gentle, because it leads readers carefully by the hand without being too technical and imposing. Genial, because it is user-friendly and generous because the author unselfishly pours out his knowledge for everyone's benefit and takes nothing for granted. This work is undoubtedly the essence of a lifetime dedication.

The book offers a short history of gardening with some interesting tidbits such as: did you know that tomato, which was introduced by Sir Walter Raleigh from South America, was thought to be poisonous until some brave soul (may Go bless him) had the courage to try one?

The author intelligently deals with the subject by first establishing basic principles. These are the building blocks of knowledge, which we often foolishly throw aside to push our way forward, only to end with a confused picture that can only grow misshapen.

In this fashion, Peter establishes the basic principles concerning plant nutrients, such as the functions of soil and compost, how to make compost and what not to use. He explains the pH scale in relation to Maltese soil (soil in Malta is highly alkaline, so always above 7). There is an illustration which shows signs of deficiency in plants, for example, lack of calcium causing misshapen new leaves, lack of nitrogen making upper leaves light green, and so on. This is what attracts me in this book. One diagram or illustration intelligently encapsulates a lot of material which would otherwise swell into boring details.

We are also led through the watering process and weed control. The latter makes essential reading. "Every square centimetre of your garden contains weed seeds, however, only those in the top centimetre or two of soil gets enough light to trigger germination. Digging and cultivating brings hidden weed seeds to the surface... so dig only when you need and immediately save the disturbed spot with plants or mulch." He adds: "organic mulches... can actually host crickets and other beneficial insects, which seek out and devour thousands of weed seed".

Very interesting is the part on the flower's sexuality, with most flowers being hermaphrodite (containing both sexes). Others would be unisexual. My memory went back many years to when I had started learning biology and I enjoyed studying the flower structure, such as stamen, style, stigma and so on. If only I had such good and clear illustrations at the time. I loved biology then but I would have loved it more. Peter then explains how a flower builds itself to attract insects and entice pollination. I recalled David Attenborough's book The Life of Plants, which I had read with great love and interest and called to mind the devices which plants had evolved throughout the ages to help themselves to propagate.

Those who are interested in growing vegetables will surely enjoy the  vegetable seed sowing guide on when to sow some 40 different vegetables. Same exercise is repeated for flower seed and herb seed sowing.

The art or science of pruning is one of the most important chores, so the author takes minute care in clearly guiding us through this process, assisted by clear illustrations which make life much easier for those who want to get this absolutely right. An essential rule is that "trees with competing stems can be pruned so there is one trunk to the top of the crown". Achieving a dominant trunk is the aim.

Those who have a kitchen garden can enjoy a good collection of guidelines and tips on the choice of the best location and other essential processes to enrich the ground and introduce a good irrigation system.

You may not have a garden but wish to grow indoor plants, in which case this book would serve as a source of practical tips on how to decide if it is time to water the plants, how to make good drainage and other essential first and second aid. On the other hand if you have olive trees, Calamatta offers an extensive treatment of these trees, including choosing the area, preparing the site, planting and fertilisation, pruning, irrigation, weed control, pests, diseases and so on ... the whole lot.

Courtyard gardens are not rare in Malta, though certainly not as common as they were in days gone by. Unfortunately, such a limited space is sometimes over-cluttered as a result of lack of knowledge and, alas, also bad taste. Often it is a question of overlooking basic, simple, considerations. When you read the suggestions in this book, you are bound to conclude "Elementary Dr Watson".

Certainly a good chapter on safety in the garden makes not only interesting but also essential reading. Safe disposal of garden chemicals, protection of hands and feet, proper use of storage of garden tools, safe and correct use of power tools and safety for children are some of the topics.

The gardening year starts in September. It is naturally important to know what to sow in each month of the year. This book offers a well-informed list of flowers, kitchen garden vegetables and fruits. All the reader needs to do is know the month and see what s/he can sow. Even I can do it!

All the above is just a taste of what awaits the reader of this book, which, I repeat, is indeed a gentle, genial, generous gardening guide. Definitely not to be missed but to be read, enjoyed and kept as a regular practical reference. Peter Calamatta has given us his all. The next step is yours.