Good Bugs for Your Garden

Good Bugs for Your Garden
Author: Allison Mia Starcher
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Total Pages: 73
Release: 1995-01-05
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1565127471

Anyone who gardens knows how snails, aphids, scale insects, and caterpillars can damage vegetables, flowers, shrubs, and trees. But not many of us know that ground beetles eat caterpillars, not plants; that dragonflies feed on mosquitoes; that parasitic wasps prey on tomato hornworms. In this delightful guide to the world of beneficial insects, Starcher, an artist and avid gardener, shows us how to identify the "good guys" and encourage them to reside in our gardens. "Altogether delightful."--Newark Star-Ledger; "A fact-filled, charmingly illustrated guide."--American Bookseller. A GARDEN BOOK CLUB selection.

Good Garden Bugs

Good Garden Bugs
Author: Mary Gardiner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 179
Release: 2015-05
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1592539092

Your guide to the beneficial insects in your garden! Good Garden Bugs is an easy-to-follow reference to beneficial insects that provide pest control, allowing your garden to grow full and bountiful. Aphids, caterpillars, grubs, and slugs are not only creepy-crawlies, they can wreak havoc on your garden and plants. But fear not! You don't need dangerous chemicals to enjoy a lively, healthy garden. The secret? More lady beetles, fewer aphids! Wildlife in your garden--especially insects--can be natural pesticide alternatives. From mantids to beetles to wasps, spiders, and everything in between, entomologist Mary Gardiner tells you how to identify these beneficial bugs, how to enhance your home landscape as a habitat, and how to work with them to grow and enjoy your garden.

The Good Garden

The Good Garden
Author: Chris McLaughlin
Publisher: Island Press
Total Pages: 314
Release: 2023-02-02
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1642832154

What makes a garden good? For Chris McLaughlin, it's about growing healthy, scrumptious fruits and veggies, but it's also about giving back. How can your little patch of Earth become a sanctuary for threatened wildlife, sequester carbon, and nurture native plants? In this joyful guide, McLaughlin gives you all the tricks and tips you need to grow the sustainable garden of your dreams. Gardeners will learn the fundamentals, including how to choose the right plant varieties for their microclimate, and proven methods to fight pests without chemicals. You'll also discover the nuances of developing a green thumb, from picking species to attract specific types of pollinators to composting techniques based on time available. A good garden offers endless possibilities and The Good Garden offers a wealth of knowledge and inspiration.

When Good Gardens Go Bad

When Good Gardens Go Bad
Author: Judy Barrett
Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
Total Pages: 148
Release: 2018-04-12
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1623496225

Gardens do not take care of themselves. Poor soil, pests, disease, fungus, and inclement weather can ruin plants and a gardener’s zeal. In When Good Gardens Go Bad, veteran author and pioneer organic gardener Judy Barrett offers safe, practical, and inexpensive advice for handling common garden problems and challenges. Plants thrive and fail for many reasons, but if you improve the soil, choose the right plants, plant them at the right time, and encourage them along the way, you will have far fewer failures and be able to take the credit when they flourish. Dispelling the belief that gardens should be perfectly controlled environments, Barrett encourages gardeners to embrace the imperfections. If you are frustrated because nothing seems to grow in your backyard or you can’t keep pests or plant disease away, this book offers organic solutions while banishing stress. Barrett encourages readers to learn more about their soil through observation and talking with neighbors and local experts in order to make smarter choices for their yards. Insects are another common frustration for gardeners. Here, Barrett differentiates the beneficial insects from the problem pests, and she offers homemade and store-bought solutions for keeping harmful pests away. She also provides frustrated gardeners straightforward advice for tackling other common hurdles such as weeds and composting. Barrett’s gardening philosophy is that the best gardeners are those who enjoy the process and can live with some dead plants, failed visions, and annoying bugs. A garden doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be fun!

Gardening with Chickens

Gardening with Chickens
Author: Lisa Steele
Publisher: Voyageur Press (MN)
Total Pages: 180
Release: 2016-11-04
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 0760350477

There's no need to choose between chicken keeping and gardening! This book includes a variety of strategies, garden designs, and tips for integrating two popular hobbies.

Bug-Free Organic Gardening

Bug-Free Organic Gardening
Author: Anna Hess
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2019-04-02
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1510742026

Put down those harmful sprays and learn natural pest control! Are you sick and tired of pesky insects in your garden? Do you want to stay away from pesticides and harmful poisons that could be hazardous to your health and your garden? If you answered yes to both of those questions, Bug-Free Organic Gardening has all the answers to your troubles. This book will show you how to bring your garden ecosystem into balance so that beneficial insects and larger animals do the work of pest control for you. Anna Hess has more than a decade’s experience growing all of her family’s vegetables. Here, she sums up all of her knowledge and expertise, teaching you many hands-on pest-control techniques, such as: Succession planting Choosing resistant plant varieties Shielding plants with row covers Timing plantings to bypass bugs And so much more! With Anna’s expertise, you too can grow beautiful, healthy, organic vegetables for yourself and your family, put down those harmful sprays, and learn natural pest control!

Great Garden Companions

Great Garden Companions
Author: Sally Jean Cunningham
Publisher: Rodale
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2000-05-19
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 9780875968476

Designed to help readers make organic gardening easy and productive by using plants themselves instead of chemical care, a gardener offers a system that encourages pest-free growth

Vegetable Gardening For Dummies

Vegetable Gardening For Dummies
Author: National Gardening Association
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2021-02-12
Genre: Gardening
ISBN: 1119782082

Vegetables from your own farm to your own table We all love good food, and the fresher it is, the better! And what could be fresher than farm-to-table terms than vegetables you've grown at home? The new edition of Vegetable Gardening For Dummies puts you in touch with your roots in a thousands of years old farming tradition by demonstrating how easy it is to grow your own. And there's no need to buy a farm: all you need to become a successful cultivator of the land is this book and a small plot of soil in the yard, or a container set aside for some tasty natural edibles. Add water and some care, love, and attention—et voila! In a friendly, come-relax-in-my-garden style Charlie Nardozzi—leading horticultural writer and guest expert on shows such as Martha Stewart Living Radio—shares the nutritious results of a lifetime of vegetable-growing experience to delve into the nitty-gritty of micro-farming. It's not rocket science—quite the opposite—but you do need a bit of patience before you can reap your first glorious harvest. This book shows you how to master that, as you get down and dirty with the enjoyable work of building soil, starting seeds, controlling pests, and maintaining your garden. And as your early efforts turn to green shoots, you can dig deeper into information on special tips and tricks, as well as hundreds of vegetable varieties—many of which are beautiful to behold as well as tasty to eat! Plan out your garden Know your veggies, from tomatoes to chard Keep your plants happy and healthy Harvest, store, and preserve your crops Whether your thumb is a fertile green or you've never put plant-to-pot before, this book will bring out your inner farmer: you'll find everything required to transform your garden into a self-renewing larder—and complement every meal with a crisp, healthy, home-grown treat.