Dead Daisies Make Me Crazy

May 15, 2000
A typical Ten Speed offering, this slim, unassuming volume is filled with practical information. Its layout is similar to the authors' Dead Snails Tell No Tales (Ten Speed, 1996), with some overlap in pest information. After briefly touting the value of organic methods and explaining standard techniques for soil building, the authors devote chapters to garden- and lawn-disease strategies; pest control; homemade fertilizers, mulches, and compost; planting, potting, and maintenance; and wildlife issues. Classics like Jeff Cox's Your Organic Garden (Rodale 1994) and Rodale's All-New Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening (LJ 3/1/92), readily available in inexpensive paperback editions, are browseable, comprehensive, and easier to use for quick reference. Still, this accurate, no-nonsense collection of chemical-free garden solutions is a reasonable purchase for most public libraries whose patrons are looking for substance over glitz.--Bonnie Poquette, Shorewood P.L., WI

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