Practical Organic Gardening

The No-Nonsense Guide to Growing Naturally

Mark Highland

• Publisher: Cool Springs Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9780760359686
• Topic: Biological Sciences
• Subtopic: Horticulture
• Index: Biological Sciences

Get your hands dirty in the garden! Practical Organic Gardening is a comprehensive guide to organic gardening practices that focuses on hands-on, up-to-date information and high-quality visual information. Practical Organic Gardening sprouts homegrown, healthy ediblesand other safe plants that are nourishing and tasty for your family, pets, and beneficial wildlife. Organic gardening isn't just for environmentalists anymore. Over the last several years ithas been a popular gardening method. Believe it or not, it organic gardening has actually been aroundfor most of the last century, but interest in organic gardening has soared in recent years as gardeners have become more aware of the quality of their food. Now is your chance to learn with this comprehensive book. Written by Mark Highland, founder of The Organic Mechanic, this is far from a hippie manifesto; it is a scientifically driven, modern-daydive into the organic methods, products, and practices that will appeal to any home gardener looking to make the transition from conventional to organic.

Index

A

acidic soils, 26, 35, 114, 222, 226

actinomycetes, 28

airflow, 123

alkaline conditions, 26, 35, 78, 88, 222

animals

garden pests, 149

incorporating into garden, 186

repellants, 149, 150

anion exchange capacity, 26

annuals, 49, 104

anthocyanins, 16, 18

antioxidants, 16, 18

aquaculture, 189

arborists, 118, 119

assassin bugs, 138

auxins, 75

B

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), 161, 228

bacteria, 28, 228

bees, 140, 188

biochar, 25, 27, 77

biodiversity, 12, 16

biodynamic agriculture, 8

biosolids, 64

blemishes, 18

braconid wasps, 138

bruised produce, 18

bulbs, 105

burlap, 113

C

cactus, 32

capillary action, 10...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Contents
• 01 Benefits of Organic Gardening—It’s Not Just about Food
• 02 It All Begins with Soil: Organic Gardening from the Bottom Up
• 03 Respecting the Soil Versus “Working” the Soil
• 04 Organic Fertilizers and Amendments
• 05 Water-Smart Organic Gardening
• 06 Care, Cultivation, and Conditions
• 07 Fighting Pests and Diseases Naturally
• 08 Propagating Plants Organically
• 09 Planning Your Organic Garden
• 10 Organic Container Gardens
• 11 You CAN Have a Lawn… Organically
• 12 Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle: The Organic Lifestyle
• Resources
• Acknowledgments
• Image Credits
• Index
• Dedication
• About the Author
• Copyright