The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control

If you want to garden organically, you’ll need some advice, knowledge, and encouragement. You might be able to come by some of those things from your local garden store or center, but if you don’t want your advice to come with a strong suggestion that you purchase some chemical pest spray, you will need to widen your circle of experts.

One nearly indispensable book that you’ll want to consult is The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control: A Complete Problem-Solving Guild to Keeping Your Garden and Yard Healthy Without Chemicals. Editors Barbara W. Ellis and Fern Marshall Bradley have crafted a nearly-encyclopedic book that will make you a smarter, better gardener. These are two experts you’ll want on your side.

You’ll learn to look at a plant in a wholistic manner, not simply focusing on those weird little bugs or that rusty mold that you wish were not there, but instead evaluating the overall health of the plant. Moreover, you’ll be offered problem-specific treatments.

The book features lovely pictures and drawings. Page-size illustrations explain the multitude of issues that might arise with, say, an apple tree, including its roots, bark, branches, leaves, blossoms and fruit. You’ll be astonished that anything grows, given all that can go wrong! With this guide by your side, you’ll feel sure that whatever insect or disease concerns might arise in your garden, you’ll be able to deal with it in a non-chemical, non-harmful manner.