The Truth About Garden Remedies: What Works, What Doesn't and Why - Softcover

Jeff Gillman

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0881927481 ISBN 13: 9780881927481

Publisher: Timber Press, 2006

Synopsis

The Truth About Garden Remedies Can beer make plants grow? And how about stopping slugs with eggshells? This book assesses advice and reveals the how and why, and sometimes the why not, for many common and uncommon gardening practices. Full description

About this title

Review:

Jeff's humor and his own hilarious experiements held me captive all the way until the end. -- Debra Teachout-Teashon "Rainy Side Gardeners" (05/04/2006) We found it highly entertaining to browse through the book, enjoying Dr. Gillman's frequently humorous presentations of both common and strange ideas. -- Greg and Pat Williams "HortIdeas" (03/01/2006) "The Truth about Garden Remedies" is a book that is sorely needed in the gardening world. ... The discussions are thoughtful and researched or tested by easily repeatable experiments. -- Luurt Nieuwenhuis "American Rhododendron Society Journal" (02/01/2006) This book is the result of years of research into what really does and does not encourage plants to grow faster and what works to protect them from diseases and pests. Gillman is also very clear on what concoctions should be avoided. -- Valerie Easton "Seattle Times" (01/18/2006) Looks at more than 100 home remedies and garden practices, reviews any past scientific research about them, and in some cases sets up experiments to determine if they work and how best to use them. ... [An] eye-opening new book. -- Charlie Nardozzi "National Gardening Association" (02/02/2006) Gillman meets his goal of helping gardeners get a better understanding of the science behind the practices and does so in an entertaining and engaging style. His analysis is always helpful and sometimes even surprising. Recommended for all gardening collections. -- Daniel Starr "Library Journal" (01/01/2006) In "The Truth About Garden Remedies," things like putting a cup of beer out to trap slugs and snails and playing music to get your houseplant to grow are put under the microscope and analyzed by a professor from the University of Minnesota. Those gardeners who like to pick things apart with science will love this book. Smoothly written in Jeff's folksy, conversational style, this is a terrific book for beginning and advanced gardeners alike. Not only will you learn which homemade and commercial products work and which don't, you'll gain a solid layman's understanding of the science and chemistry behind plant growth and plant protection. Does music make plants grow more luxuriantly? Should you plant trees deeply so roots won't dry out? Do coffee grounds change soil pH? ... Be prepared to have some of your long-cherished gardening notions debunked. But you'll also learn how to spend your gardening time and money. -- Valerie Easton "Seattle Times" (01/18/2006) Gillman writes with a light touch, offering a horticultural version of David Letterman's 'Will it float?' In one hilarious scene, he's in the kitchen arranging slugs and crushed egg shells on a paper plate while his wife, Suzanne, bakes lime pies. In others, he's fertilizing tomato seeds with buttermilk or sprinkling orange peels on ant mounds. -- Marge Hols "St. Paul Pioneer Press" (03/04/2006) With graduate degrees in entomology and horticulture, Gillman brings scientific rigor to the topic of commercial, homemade and 'traditional' garden remedies. ... Never didactic or preachy, Gillman takes pleasure in testing techniques for treating plants and urges readers to 'divide off a section of plants in your garden just for experimenting and have fun with them.' Gillman teaches gardeners to think about what they do, know why they're doing it, and observe the results, trusting their knowledge and experience over claims made by companies, 'experts' or garden folklorists. The book offers something for everyone, no matter what your experience might be. -- Randy Miranda "Minneapolis Star Tribune" (05/16/2006) Jeff's humor and his own hilarious experiments held me captive all the way until the end. -- Debra Teachout-Teashon "Rainy Side Gardeners" (05/04/2006) This thoroughly delightful book will make you a less gullible and hence better gardener. -- Luurt Nieuwenhuis "American Rhododendron Society Journal" (05/01/2006) Worth its weight in gold as it clears up the mysteries behind all sorts of folklore remedies touted by gardeners for eons. -- Jody Headlee "Oakland Press" (05/07/2006) [Gillman's] efforts have given us a book that's filled with a great deal of relevant information. It's also well-organized, written with flair, and darn interesting. -- Sarah Robertson "Albany Democrat-Herald" (05/21/2006) Although Gillman writes that gardening gurus are necessary to dole out knowledge of plants and the traditions that surround growing them, he also winces at all the superstition and half-truths flying around, hence, this terrific book. While entertainingly relating his experiments and his research, Gillman also packs in a wealth of useful information. -- Beth Botts "Chicago Tribune" (06/04/2006) Some of these may come as a shock or upset your favorite long-held ideas, but the book is worth it and is a fun read. It gives you lots to talk about with your gardening friends. -- John Van de Water "Newark Star-Ledger" (06/06/2006) "The author has put various products and practices to the test and explains his findings in a clear and useful format. Rather than give the remedies a simple thumbs-up or thumbs-down, he explains that some things work to a certain extent and under specific conditions." Steve Aitken, "Horticulture" Jan/Feb 2007 "This is a must-have book for both its information on home remedies and its survey of commercial remedies. Clearly, we need fewer gurus and more people like Gillman." ""--Elizabeth Licata "Buffalo Spree " "Gillman s goal is to get gardeners to think to make sure there is a reason behind everything they do for their plants."" "Gillman's goal is to get gardeners to think to make sure there is a reason behind everything they do for their plants."" Wondering how best to keep your garden healthy? Let Jeff Gillman do the research, so you don t waste time and money trying to add nutrients to the soil, keeping slugs and deer away, or protecting your roses from powdery mildew and black spot. " "The book is organized in a no-nonsense and user-friendly manner, setting out the theory and practice of each claim as well as the bottom line for the gardener. The results are fascinating. This is a book that many of us will want to consult frequently." --Linda McIntyre, American Gardener, September/October 2006 "Some of these may come as a shock or upset your favorite long-held ideas, but the book is worth it and is a fun read. It gives you lots to talk about with your gardening friends." --John Van de Water, Newark Star-Ledger, June 6, 2006 " The book is organized in a no-nonsense and user-friendly manner, setting out the theory and practice of each claim as well as the bottom line for the gardener. The results are fascinating. This is a book that many of us will want to consult frequently." -- Linda McIntyre, American Gardener, September/October 2006 " Some of these may come as a shock or upset your favorite long-held ideas, but the book is worth it and is a fun read. It gives you lots to talk about with your gardening friends." -- John Van de Water, Newark Star-Ledger, June 6, 2006

About the Author:

Jeff Gillman was born in South Eastern Pennsylvania and spent the first years of his life living on a small orchard in the then rural setting of Pughtown, Pennsylvania. He attended Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Jeff earned his a master's degree in entomology and his doctorate in horticulture from the University of Georgia. Jeff is an associate professor in the department of Horticultural Science at the University of Minnesota where he teaches graduate and undergraduate classes in nursery management. He also conducts research and gives talks on the production of woody ornamental plants and the use and abuse of pesticides. Throughout his professional career, Jeff has published numerous papers and articles on subjects that range from how plant hairs affect mites, using soluble silicon to combat plant diseases, and using lime in containers, to how to control deer. Jeff has a loathing for information that is passed out without concern for the consequences. Hearing self-proclaimed experts spouting things such as feeding syrup to plants gets him so fired up that he decided to do the research on all those common household remedies and write the tell-all book. When not teaching, conducting research, or participating in numerous master gardener programs in Minnesota and nearby states, Jeff likes to spend time with his four-year-old daughter who involves him in her slug hunting and slug control research. Together they test lint, eggshells, coffee grounds, and other top-shelf ingredients. "But," says Jeff, "that's another book." Jeff lectures throughout the year and speaks on a wide variety of topics such as homebrewed remedies, organic pesticides, and sprayer and fertilizer calibration techniques. Jeff currently lives in Maplewood, Minnesota where he spends his time growing plants and working on other research projects.

About this edition

• Publisher: Timber Press
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0881927481
• ISBN 13: 9780881927481
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 212