Helping Gardeners Garden Better
Jeff Gilman’s book The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn’t and Why should be on every gardener’s book shelf. Gilman, a horticulturist at the University of Minnesota, discusses the science behind more than 100 different concoctions gardeners use to care for their plants. Some of these concoctions are home-made remedies while others are commercially produced.
The book is written in a conversational, often humorous tone which makes the science more palatable. Gilman begins with the basic elements that affect a plant’s growth and development which lays the groundwork for understanding the science behind the evaluation of whether or not the 1oo+ concoctions profiled actually work. The remainder of the book is divided into chapters on fertilizers, biostimulants, pesticides and other protectants and products that affect water retention.
The analysis of each product contains a brief overview, info on how the product is used, the theory behind why it should work, the real story on how it works (or doesn’t ) and finally, a section on what it all means to you as a gardener. Each chapter ends with a ‘Putting It All Together’ section that helps gardeners sort through the often conflicting claims we hear from various ‘experts’ and make informed decisions about what we want to use in our gardens, now that we know the pros and cons of each concoction.
The wonderful part of reading The Truth About Garden Remedies, is that whether you are a novice gardener or already have a serious green thumb, you’re sure to learn something that will not only make you a better gardener but also save you some money. For instance, instead of treating powdery mildew with one of the commercially available fungicides, you’ll discover some simple homemade brews that work better, including a simple spray of water!
The Truth About Garden Remedies is a book you’ll refer to time and again because it will help you become a more informed gardener and that in turn will make your garden more beautiful.
I think I’ll have to add this to my to-read list. Thanks for the review.
Happy to help…I’m always pleased to find an unbiased source of information can help us all be better gardeners and so I thought I’d pass it along for others to learn from too.
Thanks for this excellent review, Debbie. I have Gilman’s other book on organic gardening and found it so hard to navigate – I hated the way it was laid out. Yet there was some great info in there and I liked the conversational tone too. I found I really needed to read it front to back and just bookmark the most relevant bits that I wanted to return to.