Organic gardening gets better Rodale has been publishing organic gardening books for a long time, and they just keep getting better. Their latest, "Rodale's Vegetable Garden Problem Solver" (Rodale, $19.95), is an alphabetical encyclopedia that spans vegetables and their diseases and pests, from alternaria blight to wireworms.
Organic gardening gets better
February 20, 2008 at 6:14AM
Unlike some organic gardening texts, this book doesn't preach and doesn't pitch unproven techniques. Instead it offers sound advice on how to avoid problems and what to do when they show up -- without relying on chemicals beyond oil sprays and natural controls.
While the book would be even more useful if it had color drawings, that's a small criticism of a book that has an impressive amount of common sense in its 472 pages. Buy this for the spouse or friend who grabs a spray can every time a spot shows up on a tomato leaf.
MARY JANE SMETANKA
Virtual garden tour By now, you've probably been to Tangletown Gardens, the stylish garden boutique in south Minneapolis. But you may not have been to co-owner Scott Endres' yard. Waiting for an invitation? Just pick up a copy of the March-April issue of Fine Gardening, on newsstands now.
In the four-page spread in the bimonthly mag, Endres walks readers through his small but well-appointed side garden. Along the way, he shares his design ideas for "passageway gardens," details his mostly Zone 4-hardy plant picks and offers you a virtual tour at www.finegardening.com.
Winter-weary gardeners will want to check it out.
CONNIE NELSON
