When Good Gardens Go Bad

Gardens do not take care of themselves. Poor soil, pests, disease, fungus, and inclement weather can ruin plants and a gardener’s zeal. In When Good Gardens Go Bad, veteran author and pioneer organic gardener Judy Barrett offers safe, practical, and inexpensive advice for handling common garden problems and challenges. Plants thrive and fail for many reasons, but if you improve the soil, choose the right plants, plant them at the right time, and encourage them along the way, you will have far fewer failures and be able to take the credit when they flourish.

Dispelling the belief that gardens should be perfectly controlled environments, Barrett encourages gardeners to embrace the imperfections. If you are frustrated because nothing seems to grow in your backyard or you can’t keep pests or plant disease away, this book offers organic solutions while banishing stress. Barrett encourages readers to learn more about their soil through observation and talking with neighbors and local experts in order to make smarter choices for their yards. Insects are another common frustration for gardeners. Here, Barrett differentiates the beneficial insects from the problem pests, and she offers homemade and store-bought solutions for keeping harmful pests away. She also provides frustrated gardeners straightforward advice for tackling other common hurdles such as weeds and composting.

Barrett’s gardening philosophy is that the best gardeners are those who enjoy the process and can live with some dead plants, failed visions, and annoying bugs. A garden doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be fun!

“"If you think you have a brown thumb, you need only read When Good Gardens Go Bad to find the cure and turn both thumbs green. With sage advice and a generous dash of humor, veteran gardener Judy Barrett spills the dirt on how to build a healthy, sustainable garden from the ground up." -- Pam Penick, author of Lawn Gone! and The Water-Saving Garden”

"Down-to-earth advice on how to create a healthy garden you will truly love and how to keep it from getting out of hand and being a burden."--T. Henry Flowers, Garden Director at Festival Hill in Round Top
-- "T. Henry Flowers" (10/30/2017 12:00:00 AM)
"If you think you have a brown thumb, you need only read When Good Gardens Go Bad to find the cure and turn both thumbs green. With sage advice and a generous dash of humor, veteran gardener Judy Barrett spills the dirt on how to build a healthy, sustainable garden from the ground up." -- Pam Penick, author of Lawn Gone! and The Water-Saving Garden
-- "Pam Penick" (10/30/2017 12:00:00 AM)

Judy Barrett is the author of several books, including Easy Edibles: How to Grow and Enjoy Fresh Food, Recipes From and For the Garden: How to Use and Enjoy Your Bountiful Harvest, What Can I Do with My Herbs? How to Grow, Use, and Enjoy These Versatile Plants, and Yes, You Can Grow Roses. She is a pioneer of organic gardening in Texas and is present online at Judy Barrett’s Homegrown on Facebook. She lives in Taylor, Texas.

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