Great Gardening Book

2014 - Volume #38, Issue #3, Page #32

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I was excited to discover the book, “Decoding Gardening Advice: The Science Behind the Most Common Recommendations,” written by master gardener Meleah Maynard and horticultural scientist Jeff Gillman.
  The authors accomplish what the book title promises by breaking topics down under 3 headings: “Good Advice”, “Advice That’s Debatable”, and “Advice That’s Just Wrong”, and then concluding with “The Real Dirt.”
  Here are some of the things I learned:
  • Good Advice: Incorporate eggshells into the soil to control rot in tomatoes. The mushy spots on the bottom of tomatoes are a sign that plants aren’t taking up enough calcium from the soil. To make more calcium available, crush 4 eggshells and drop them in the hole before planting each tomato plant. Some gardeners add more eggshells every couple of weeks through the summer.
  • Advice That’s Debatable: Though it’s not ideal, it can be OK to water from an overhead source like a sprinkler. Drip irrigation is the best option, but not one every gardener has. The risk is that wet leaves provide the ideal environment for spreading disease pathogens.
  • Advice That’s Just Wrong: Don’t mess with compost tea. Though there are many proponents of the “soil building” method, scientifically it can be difficult to prevent bad bacteria (such as E.coli) from growing. Why not just use the compost?
  Other things that made the “That’s Just Wrong” list include: Don’t add sand to clay; you’ll get concrete. Don’t use gravel or rocks at the bottom of containers; water doesn’t travel well between different textures. Don’t use synthetic fertilizers and herbicides to get a lush lawn. Natural fertilizers like alfalfa and soybean meal can provide the nutrients lawns need. Corn gluten meal, while not as thorough or fast as herbicides, can be used for weed control.
  On the “Good Advice” list, the authors agree that compost and vermicompost (worm castings) build soil, that you should stop fertilizing during hot weather to reduce plant stress, and that grass should never be cut more than one-third of its length at a time.
  “Decoding Gardening Advice” is published by Timber Press and can be ordered through Maynard’s blog, www.everydaygardener.com and on Amazon.com.

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Great Gardening Book FARM HOME Miscellaneous I was excited to discover the book “Decoding Gardening Advice: The Science Behind the Most Common Recommendations ” written by master gardener Meleah Maynard and horticultural scientist Jeff Gillman The authors accomplish what the book title promises by breaking topics down under 3 headings: “Good Advice” “Advice That’s Debatable” and “Advice That’s Just Wrong” and then concluding with “The Real Dirt ” Here are some of the things I learned: • Good Advice: Incorporate eggshells into the soil to control rot in tomatoes The mushy spots on the bottom of tomatoes are a sign that plants aren’t taking up enough calcium from the soil To make more calcium available crush 4 eggshells and drop them in the hole before planting each tomato plant Some gardeners add more eggshells every couple of weeks through the summer • Advice That’s Debatable: Though it’s not ideal it can be OK to water from an overhead source like a sprinkler Drip irrigation is the best option but not one every gardener has The risk is that wet leaves provide the ideal environment for spreading disease pathogens • Advice That’s Just Wrong: Don’t mess with compost tea Though there are many proponents of the “soil building” method scientifically it can be difficult to prevent bad bacteria such as E coli from growing Why not just use the compost? Other things that made the “That’s Just Wrong” list include: Don’t add sand to clay; you’ll get concrete Don’t use gravel or rocks at the bottom of containers; water doesn’t travel well between different textures Don’t use synthetic fertilizers and herbicides to get a lush lawn Natural fertilizers like alfalfa and soybean meal can provide the nutrients lawns need Corn gluten meal while not as thorough or fast as herbicides can be used for weed control On the “Good Advice” list the authors agree that compost and vermicompost worm castings build soil that you should stop fertilizing during hot weather to reduce plant stress and that grass should never be cut more than one-third of its length at a time “Decoding Gardening Advice” is published by Timber Press and can be ordered through Maynard’s blog www everydaygardener com and on Amazon com

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