Truth About Garden Remedies

If you have enjoyed the V8 commercials with the people popping themselves on the head, then you know how it feels to read this great little book from Timber Press.

Jeff Gillman , PhD, actually did experiments to find out if the soil amendments and mother's little helpers some of us believe in actually are effective. Well, sufice it to say, most are not.

I was happy to find out about most of the truths Gillman reveals because it will save me quite a bit of time and effort in the future.

The forward was written by horticulture giant Michael Dirr, one of Gillman's mentors.

The book is written in a down-to-earth style with plenty of tongue in cheek comments sprinkled throughout.
Photo: Blossoms Garden Center in Muskogee

In northern Canada there is a garden blogger whose cheerful resolve toward gardening is a real treat to read. Click on Northern Exposure Gardening to see what it is like to garden in an area with no soil, no commercial farming and a very short growing season.

Another favorite garden blog is Garden History Girl. The author is earning a Masters Degree in Garden History from the University of Bristol in England. She shares what she is learning and it has been so fascinating to learn what she is learning without leaving the house.

And then there is the fun blog of illicit cultivation, Guerrila Gardening. You may find inspiration or your true calling by reading about the work of these young people who are waging war on ugliness. You will see pictures of before and after, happy children, updated planters.