Skip to main content

The Organic Gardener's Handbook: How to Have a Chemical Free Garden, by Barbara Ellis & Fern Bradley



Organic gardening has become much more popular in recent years, and for good reason. We've learned a lot about the ill effects of pesticides: in our foods, in water runoff, in the air we breathe, in the foods that our friendly creatures rely on, in the harm we expose our pets to. We are a much greener planet today, or at least trying our best to be, and it's a healthy goal for all of us. But leaving your garden to the bugs is not an effective solution. There are much more appropriate options available. You just need a good resource to keep your garden healthy, green and safe. The Organic Gardener's Handbook is a pictured reference guide that will keep you from ever feeling tempted to buy a bottle of poison again.

Addictive Pest Control

One surprising lesson about using pesticides is that your garden becomes dependent on them in much the same way drugs affect humans. The more you use, the more you need until finally, your garden can't survive without artificial help. It loses its own ability to defend itself against intruders. But nature provides its own remedies for a gardener's problems, and we just need an education on how to create a garden that will work with nature rather than against it. Pesticides are a very short-term solution.

Plant and Pest Pictures

You can't have a plan of attack if you're not sure which intruder you're fighting. Bugs can be tricky looking. There are harmless worms, and then there are incredibly powerful monsters who will eat your every last tomato just before they turn red. You won't know the difference without a proper picture, and this book is filled with photographs that will help you recognize pests and plants alike. Learn to recognize various pest species before a gardener's frustration has you reaching for a gun to keep the tomatoes safe.

A Proactive Garden

Organic gardening requires an extra dose of patience at first because, for the best results, you need to learn how to plant things together (or apart) that will work with nature rather than against it. This method goes against the grain for long-term gardeners who are used to choosing plants based on color, height, fragrance or some other design purpose. You will still have beautiful gardens, but it takes some effort to learn which pretty plants can be safely planted together. And sometimes you have to mix things up. A bit of garlic planted in the flower bed can go a long way to keeping pests at bay. Certain herbs tossed in with vegetables will keep deer from feasting in your garden. Think of it as proactive gardening. You're starting out on the offense rather than waiting and defending your plants later.

Environmental Impact

The long-term payoff of organic gardening is well worth the initial effort. Eventually, your garden will be taking care of itself, and your wallet will be fatter from the pesticide savings. You can also feel good about your efforts to help improve our environment and the lives of all the innocent creatures in the natural world around you. Start small, and grow as you learn. Soon you'll have a garden you can be proud of on all fronts.

Publisher: Rodale Books, 5/15/96, 544 Pages
Price: $14.93
ISBN-13: 978-0875967530

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Changes Can I Make to My Garden to Be More Natural?

Gardening has changed a bit in recent years as people’s philosophy of gardening is starting to change to go back to more natural and organic methods. For those who have been gardening for a number of years, these new practices might be a bit hard to understand at first since the traditional ways of doing things is adding chemicals to the soil or plants to take care of problems and grow larger plants. Organic methods work a bit differently. Traditional methods use chemical fertilizers to add nutrients to the soil. Organic methods use compost . This is organic matter and carbon matter mixed together. This would be things like fruit peels, vegetables, grass, hay, leaves, and other types of waste mixed together. Over time it breaks down into rich soil that doesn’t need any fertilizer at all. A good compost is natural and doesn’t require extra chemicals. Pest control is a bit more difficult since you don’t want to use chemicals on your plants that end up killing everything. There are a fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Create an Evening Oasis of Bloom and Fragrance

I think it is equally important to turn your outside space into a place to feed your family, but not overlook the chance to escape into it. We have a suburban house, that has a backyard backed up to 5 other yards, so we wanted to create a perfect little oasis for ourselves to escape into. So, we are creating a moonlight garden, to give us a perfect little escape for those late-night bonfires.   Many plants bloom in the evening, particularly in warm climates, and their delicious fragrance can be smelled on the breeze perfuming the whole area. The flowers are usually white or light yellow.   One vine that I especially like is an annual called, appropriately enough, moonflower. It’s in the same family as morning glories and the large white flowers can be up to 6 inches across and very fragrant.   The great thing about this plant is the way it opens its flowers. The large buds look like furled white beach umbrellas. But look again. Did you see the bud move? As the twili...
Post a Comment
Read more

Soil Basics – Creating Fertile, Healthy Soil

Have you ever looked at the soil in your garden and considered it as anything more than dirt? If not you should because there is a lot more there than meets the eye. It performs many functions that you may not be aware of and having good quality soil in your garden is essential for your plants. In this article we will look at the functions of soil, what different types there are and finally some ways to make it healthier. Functions of Soil The most immediately apparent function of soil is a medium to support plant life. It provides support both physically and biologically. Physical support is provided by allowing the plant to grow its roots through the soil to hold itself in place. Biological support is provided by its ability to hold nutrients and water that the plant needs. It also supports other types of life as well. Microorganisms and insects live in the soil and they in turn aid plant life by helping to decay organic material and adding structure to the soil. Soil allows the gr...
Post a Comment
Read more