The Autopilot Garden: MIGardener's Guide to Hands-off Gardening

Last spring (2018), my wife threw a bunch of seed packets at me and said, "Here, now grow me some veggies!" Though my grandfather was a farmer, and my parents had kept a backyard garden for years, I was nevertheless a complete novice. Fortunately, we live in the information age and I promptly consulted the all knowing oracle (Google/YouTube) for advice. Almost immediately, I happened upon the MIgardener YouTube channel with Luke Marion. I literally watched (nigh unhealthy) hours upon hours of his videos. People in my neighborhood who had been gardening for years were astonished at my newfound knowledge. However, my first Utah mountain garden (5,000 feet above sea level) largely failed. I started most everything too late in the season. I planted my corn in partially composted wood chips > FAIL. The tomatoes were doing well, till the deer ate them all. Add to this my "moon dust" mountain soil, which is solid clay, alkaline, entirely devoid of nutrients, and bakes to cement in the sun. The problem with watching random videos on the MIgardener channel is the lack of key fundamental information at the beginning, and timing is everything. Enter "The Autopilot Garden...". I bought this Kindle book yesterday, and I've already read the whole thing. It was full of all those key fundamentals that had riddled my knowledge with gaps. It is solid gardening matter, devoid of useless fluff. It addresses all of my previous failures in 5 condensed chapters, and overcomes all of my nearly insurmountable geographical challenges. It also added some important information that I was completely unaware of (re-mineralization). Luke has studied various general gardening methods and explains that core gardening takes the best features of each method. He provides all the detail necessary to build your own core garden, and how to maintain it for as long as you care to. Add some quick tips scattered throughout, and that's the book. This is a general guide to start a garden and the reasons why these methods are superior, and contains little more. It doesn't teach you all of the nuances of growing this or that fruit, vegetable, or tree. It doesn't add ANYTHING beyond the primary purpose. If you want more information about a particular plant, there's an excellent chance that Luke has already recorded a fully loaded video about it on YouTube. If he hasn't, then ask him to, and he just might do it! He has done this for several people in the past. In summary, Luke Marion is passionate about gardening, his knowledge is vast, and this book is a dense guide to get you on the right path. He has proved the validity of his methods over many years of implementation. I dare say that even experienced gardeners would greatly benefit from this little gem. Last summer I fenced off a 25' x 50' space for raised beds. I brought in a truckload of fertile topsoil, one of woody mulch, and one of horse manure that a neighbor gladly gave me. I filled 20 large garbage bags with my brother-in-law's leaves (since I presently have precious few) last fall. All that remains is to build those raised beds themselves and fill them with a combination of everything, according to Luke's instructions, and plant my first successful garden this spring! I fully anticipate becoming the envy of the neighborhood at the harvest, and teaching my neighbors everything that Luke has taught me, as they will no doubt ask. I will post updates as I put these written concepts into practice. Finally, YES, you should buy this book!

This was great! The Autopilot approach Marion recommends is something you have been able to pick up pieces of by watching his many YouTube videos at MIGardener. This book was very helpful in that he puts it all together for you in a succinct way. It was impressive how much he was able to put in a book that was pretty easy to read. This book is simple, and that’s great! I don’t know how many gardeners (including myself) have been overwhelmed by weighty advice or complex solutions for each and every plant possible. This book lays out a plan for any gardener to support your soil and let it all work for you. How can you not love this!? Every new gardener needs to get this on their reading list. Additionally, the pictures are gorgeous and the Quick Hints were super helpful. I highlighted a ton of them! The personal asides were very cool. I had no idea how long his YouTube channel had been up...and I hope my daughter makes it a goal to grow a tomato from seed by age six! Thanks for the great guide Luke Marion. You’ve been a great mentor to folks like me!

Provides a good overview of Luke's (MiGardener) overall garden strategy. Great to read if you're starting gardening or wondering why you haven't been successful in the past

This book is FILLED with a wealth of knowledge and tips for the Michigan gardener. I would highly recommend this to beginner gardeners. I keep this book handy to reference all growing season long!

This book is really awesome and a quick read. It didn't take very long to absorb the information in this book, with it's large type and beautiful pictures. I learned a good amount about how he sets up his garden for success and will likely be utilizing most, if not all, of his practices in the future. I do wish that he would have gone a bit deeper into detail on some topics though. I know that he is incredibly knowledgeable from his youtube channel, but I understand that it is more accessible to the public if it is a bit more surface level. Overall it is a book that I would recommend to others wanting to garden and one that I am happy to have on my bookshelf for future reference.

What I liked about this book is that it gives you a comprehensive system, a master plan to combat all the negative aspects of traditional gardening like weeding and watering. I tried raised beds some years ago but I gave up on them because I had to constantly water them almost daily during hot weather. It just all got to be too much. I'm going to try Luke's methods as soon as I have the time to put a bed in. In my first try at gardening with raised beds, it all came across as being too much work that I was willing to put into it. Luke's methods should greatly reduce the time I spend in routine tasks like weeding and watering. Great job Luke. From a fellow Michigander.

What an enlightening book! This book not only guides you to your path for Autopilot Gardening but it even explains why you would want to have it!! I loved the "Tomato Myth" section! I had heard of a couple of those but after reading the "Reality" part, I understand why it doesn't apply. Very Through! And the glossary in the end is fantastic, in case it wasn't clear in the book! I've followed your YouTube channel for a few years now and I'm still learning new things! Thank you, Luke for taking the time to put your knowledge down on paper, and for always being willing to help! I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is planning to have a garden or even someone who wants to make their gardening more enjoyable!