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spine .768”Gardening/OrganicWant to grow an organic garden? This guide shows youhow. From maintaining your lawn and choosing problemfree plants to growing hearty fruits and vegetables, you’lldiscover how to stay organic year-round and reduce yourgarden’s impact on both the environment and your wallet. New to this edition — learn about the latest natural fertilizers,pest control methods, equipment, and gardening resources Is organic right for you? — understand the basic concepts oforganic gardening and plan a low-maintenance landscape It all starts with the soil — test your soil, make compost, andnurture the underground ecosystem that helps your plants thrive Deal with pesky pests — from weeds to bugs to diseases,discover the specific control measures and products for organicpest management Food, glorious food — grow the freshest, tastiest, and mostnutritious fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nuts Open the book and find: The benefits of gardeningorganically Hands-on tips for gardeners at alllevels Color photos of successful organicgardening practices Guidance in building andmaintaining healthy soil An overview of pest-controlproducts Inspirational tips for makingeco-conscious decisions Ways to attract helpful insects andother organisms Ten ways to have an eco-friendlylandscapecinagrOgninedGarLearn to:Go to dummies.comfor more! Grow an environmentally friendly garden Cultivate without chemicals Use the latest, safest pest controlmethods Battle plant diseases effectivelyAnn Whitman is the author of the first edition of Organic Gardening ForDummies. Suzanne DeJohn is an editor with the National GardeningAssociation, the leading garden-based educational nonprofitorganization in the U.S. NGA’s programs and initiatives highlight theopportunities for plant-based education in schools, communities, andbackyards across the country. These include award-winning Web sitesgarden.org and kidsgardening.org.2nd Edition2nd EditionOrganic GardeningEnsure a healthy harvestthrough environmentally friendlygardening techniques.g Easier!Making EverythinAnn Whitman 19.99 US / 23.99 CN / 13.99 UKAuthor, Trees & Shrubs For DummiesISBN ociationSuzanne DeJohnThe Editors of the NationalGardening Associaton

OrganicGardeningFORDUMmIES‰2NDEDITION

OrganicGardeningFORDUMmIES‰2NDEDITIONby Ann Whitman, Suzanne DeJohn,The Editors of the National Gardening Association01 430675-ffirs.indd iii2/6/09 5:30:30 PM

Organic Gardening For Dummies , 2nd EditionPublished byWiley Publishing, Inc.111 River St.Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774www.wiley.comCopyright 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, IndianaPublished simultaneously in CanadaNo part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any formor by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except aspermitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the priorwritten permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee tothe Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600.Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley& Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, 201-748-6011, fax 201-748-6008, or online at http://www.wiley.com/go/permissions.Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for theRest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com, Making EverythingEasier, and related trade dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission.All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associatedwith any product or vendor mentioned in this book.LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NOREPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OFTHE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BECREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIESCONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THEUNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OROTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OFA COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THEAUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCEOF FURTHER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSESTHE INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS ITMAY MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THISWORK MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN ANDWHEN IT IS READ.For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer CareDepartment within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print maynot be available in electronic books.Library of Congress Control Number: 2009920904ISBN: 978-0-470-43067-5Manufactured in the United States of America. This book is printed on recycled paper.10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

About the AuthorsSuzanne DeJohn describes her fascination with all things botanical asencompassing a curiosity about the natural world and a passion for the science that explains what she sees, all wrapped up in an aesthetic sensibilitythat inspires her to find beauty in the simplest expressions of nature. “Asgardeners, we must take our cues from nature and follow the principles thatgovern healthy ecosystems. It’s the only way we can create an environmentthat can sustain us now and for generations to come.”Suzanne has worn a variety of hats in her twelve years with the NationalGardening Association, including work in the education, editorial, and ITdepartments. She coordinated NGA’s online question and answer servicefor six years and has answered literally thousands of gardening questions.Convinced that gardeners are curious and love to learn, she was inspired tocreate the Exploring the Garden series of in-depth, online courses that teachthe principles of botany in the context of the garden. Suzanne also does Weband print-based graphic design work for NGA, takes photos for the Web sites,and creates illustrations to accompany articles.Suzanne’s varied background includes a BS in geology from Tufts; universitycourses in botany, soils, and plant pathology; a stint as a research assistantin plant pathology; and several years as a self-employed artist and graphicdesigner. She’s worked on a landscape crew, as well as on a dairy farm andan organic vegetable farm, and spent several years as a cook at a naturalfoods store. The common themes running through these seemingly disparatevocations are plants, beauty, nature, and healthy food. Suzanne strives forbalance in her life by combining time spent outdoors in her gardens withtime spent at the computer, communicating what she has learned aboutplants and gardening.Ann Whitman earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Plant and Soil Scienceat the University of Vermont. She also completed a Master of Arts degreein Landscape Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design inMassachusetts. Ann is the author of Trees and Shrubs For Dummies (WileyPublishing, Inc.) as well as How-To Landscaping Basics and Water Gardens:Simple Steps to Adding the Beauty of Water to Your Garden, both publishedby Time Life. She also contributes to several gardening magazines and Websites. When she’s not writing, Ann gardens on fertile river-bottom soil inVermont where the winters are long and the summers are short, but worth it.

The National Gardening Association (NGA) is committed to sustainingand renewing the fundamental links between people, plants, and the earth.Founded in 1972 as “Gardens for All” to spearhead the community gardenmovement, today’s NGA promotes environmental responsibility, advancesmultidisciplinary learning and scientific literacy, and creates partnershipsthat restore and enhance communities.NGA is best known for its garden-based curricula, educational journals, international initiatives, and several youth garden grant programs. Together thesereach more than 300,000 children nationwide each year. NGA’s Web sites,one for home gardeners and another for those who garden with kids, buildcommunity and offer a wealth of custom content.To find out more about the National Gardening Association, write to 1100Dorset St., South Burlington, VT 05403, or visit its Web site at www.garden.org or www.kidsgardening.com.

DedicationSuzanne dedicates this book to her husband, Dale Lane. “Your wisdom,integrity, generosity, and love inspire me every day.”

AcknowledgmentsSuzanne would like to thanks Ann Whitman for her incredible work on thefirst edition of this book. It was an honor, a pleasure, and a challenge torevise — and attempt to improve upon -— a book that was so filled withuseful information. A big round of applause goes to Tracy Barr, the projecteditor whose insights greatly improved the organization, clarity, and usability of the book. I’m in awe of the way she kept everyone and everythingorganized. Thanks, too, to Kathy Simpson, another editor who helped focusmy wandering prose, and technical editor David King for scrutinizing the content. Finally, thank you to the National Gardening Association for the opportunity to write about organic gardening, a subject near and dear to my heart.

Publisher’s AcknowledgmentsWe’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration form located at http://dummies.custhelp.com. For other comments, please contact ourCustomer Care Department within the U.S. at 877-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax317-572-4002.Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:Acquisitions, Editorial, and MediaDevelopmentProject Editor: Tracy BarrComposition ServicesProject Coordinator: Patrick Redmond(Previous Edition: Tere Drenth)Layout and Graphics: Reuben W. Davis,Christin Swinford, Christine WilliamsAcquisitions Editor: Stacy KennedySpecial Art: Kathryn BornCopy Editor: Kathy SimpsonAssistant Editor: Erin Calligan MooneyProofreaders: Laura L. Bowman,Jessica KramerEditorial Program Coordinator: Joe NiesenIndexer: Potomac Indexing, LLCTechnical Editor: David KingSenior Editorial Manager: Jennifer EhrlichEditorial Supervisor and Reprint Editor:Carmen KrikorianEditorial Assistant: Jennette ElNaggarCover Photos: The National GardeningAssociationCartoons: Rich Tennant(www.the5thwave.com)Publishing and Editorial for Consumer DummiesDiane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer DummiesKristin Ferguson-Wagstaffe, Product Development Director, Consumer DummiesEnsley Eikenburg, Associate Publisher, TravelKelly Regan, Editorial Director, TravelPublishing for Technology DummiesAndy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General UserComposition ServicesGerry Fahey, Vice President of Production ServicesDebbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services