Can beer make plants grow? How about buttermilk? Or music—classical or rock? Are you sure about planting trees in deep holes? And how about chasing insects with hot sauce and stopping slugs with eggshells?

Whether in ancient books, on television, or in gardening publications, remedies for all your garden woes are here for the taking: the challenge is to know what will work and what won't.

Fearlessly conducting original experiments and harvesting wisdom from the scientific literature, horticulturalist Jeff Gillman assesses new and historic advice and reveals the how and why‚ and sometimes the why not‚ for more than 100 common and uncommon gardening practices. The results will surprise even experienced gardeners.

"[A] book that shoots down many fabled solutions that are really a waste of time."

"The Truth About Garden Remedies is a great read, with humor, pearls of wisdom, common sense, and garden lore intertwined. . . .Enjoy one of the best gardening tours ever assembled on paper."
—Michael A. Dirr, author of Viburnums and Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs

"The Truth About Garden Remedies showed me what and how remedies work (or don't) and why. I was interested to learn about potentially hazardous 'quick fixes' and, as always, to have nonsensical myths busted. If I so keep any of my harmless homemade concoctions around, I know now that I'll probably be doing it for their placebo effect—on me."
—Ken Druse, author of The Natural Habitat Garden and The Collector's Garden

"Whenever I hear someone offer a solution to a garden problem, I immediately check [The Truth About Garden Remedies] to see if it will work."



"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 results are fascinating and occasionally disappointing. . . . The Truth About Garden Remedies is a book many of us will want to consult frequently."



"While entertainingly relating his experiments and his research, Gillman also packs in a wealth of useful information."

“Both these books [The Truth About Organic Gardening and The Truth About Garden Remedies] are refreshing, lucid and enlightening. Their spare style, with no illustrations, and concentration on facts rather than ‘inspiration’ even gives them an old-fashioned charm.”

“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.”

Jeff Gillman is an associate professor in the department of horticultural science at the University of Minnesota, where he researches plant production and teaches courses on nursery management and pesticide use. He earned his doctorate in horticulture and a master's degree in entomology from the University of Georgia.

Publisher: Timber Press
Distributor: Workman Publishing Company
Publication Date: 02-01-2008
Pages: 216
Measurements: 9.0in X 6.04in X .57in X 0.69lb