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If you’re tired of battling blight on your tomatoes, losing your basil to downy mildew, and watching deer raid your vegetable garden, you’ll find all the answers you need right here.
*2024 American Horticultural Society Book Award Winner* In
The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook, author and veggie-growing guru Susan Mulvihill of YouTube’s Susan’s in the Garden is ready to set you up for long-term success in the vegetable garden. In these pages, Susan hands you all the info you need to
stand firm against plant diseases, viruses, disorders, stressors, and even animal pests, and to do it without having to turn to harsh synthetic chemical products. All-natural solutions to your worst gardening woes are featured in an organized, problem-by-problem manner that makes this a quick and useful reference for both beginner and expert gardeners. This book is a wonderful companion to Susan’s previous book,
The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, which covers organic solutions for managing insect pests common in home veggie gardens.
In this book, not only will you discover how to get your plants off to a healthy start, you’ll also find out how to properly identify plant pathogens, how to troubleshoot problems like pollination issues and weather-related disorders, and how to prevent ailments such as fruit cracking, leaf roll, and blossom end rot.
In addition, Susan hands you natural solutions to:
- Over 28 bacterial and fungal diseases, including nasties like powdery mildew, potato scab, and leaf spot
- Limit damage from plant-eating animals, including birds, chipmunks, rabbits, groundhogs, gophers, deer, and 8 other critters
- Manage a dozen physiological disorders common to the veggie garden, including bitterness, bolting, and sun scald
- Prevent problems before they occur using the many strategies detailed throughout these pages
Keeping vegetable plants healthy and productive is no easy task. An extensive quick-reference chart is included to help with identification and to direct you to the best possible solutions based on both the symptoms you see and the vegetable those symptoms have appeared on. This truly is THE guide every vegetable gardener has been waiting for!
List of contents
Introduction
1 NURTURE YOUR GARDEN & TROUBLESHOOT PROBLEMS
Get Your Plants Off to the Best Start Possible
2 VEGETABLE PLANT DISEASE GUIDE
Vegetable Crops and Potential Diseases
Disease Profiles
Organic Strategies Explained
Organic Disease Control and Prevention Products
3 CRITTERS IN THE GARDEN
Birds, Chipmunks, Deer
Gophers, Pocket
Groundhogs (a k a Woodchucks, Marmots)
Mice, Moles, Opossums, Porcupines
Rabbits, Raccoons, Rats
Skunks, Tree Squirrels
Voles, Meadow
RESOURCES
PRODUCT SUPPLIERS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
PHOTO CREDITS
INDEX
About the author
Susan Mulvihill is a long-time garden columnist with The Spokesman-Review, a Master Gardener, and author of the blog, Susan's in the Garden. Susan and her husband, Bill, live in Spokane, Washington, where they tend five acres. Susan is known for her down-to-earth approach to teaching and writing that appeals to beginning and experienced gardeners alike. Her humor and enthusiasm for gardening are evident in the hundreds of how-to-garden videos found on her YouTube Channel. In 2019, Susan was the recipient of the Media Award given by the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State. Susan is passionate about vegetable gardening and following organic practices. She is co-author of Northwest Gardener's Handbook and author of The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook. In addition to being a prolific writer, Susan is also a garden photographer.
Summary
The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook contains all-natural solutions for common problems plaguing your vegetable garden, including plant diseases, disorders, animal pests, and weather woes.
