Book in Review: Truth About Organic Gardening

I'll skip past the apologies for the summer break.  (And admitting that I started this post in August!  Oops!)


I really enjoyed reading this rather information-dense book.  The Truth About Organic Gardening: Benefits, Drawbacks, and the Bottom Line by Jeff Gillman examines the techniques available to home gardeners for management of soil and pests.  Gillman acknowledges some bias - he doesn't completely buy into the "organic movement" - but seems to evaluate each product on its own merits.  The set-up is simple.  After a discussion about what "organic" means (to which there's not really a conclusion), Gillman works his way through the aspects of plant care: fertilization, weed control, insect control, disease control, and animal (bird, deer, rodent, etc) control.  For each, Gillman examines potential solutions to each, looking first at those that are free of synthetic chemicals and then the chemicals.  Gillman summarizes what the technique is, its advantages, and its disadvantages, considering criteria like environmental impact, effectiveness, cost, and risk to humans and animals.  He offers his recommendation on how that balances but generally as a summary, leaving the final call to the reader.  (There are a few exceptions to this.)


Horticulture calls it "a reference text masquerading as a beach read" and I find myself in agreement.  I read through the book fairly easily.  Parts can get a bit technical, but Gillman keeps it understandable.  Overall, I enjoyed the spectrum the book offered.  Plenty of references are listed, although some reviewers have claimed that they are "cherry-picked."


Some of the take-aways:
-Just because something is natural doesn't mean that it is safe.
-When considering what you will do for your crops, consider what your goals are.  What does "organic" mean to you?  Does a mix of natural and synthetic practices actually meet your goals better?
-No one applies pesticides because they like to use pesticides.  Pesticides are used when necessary to control damage to crops.  (If nothing else, it costs more to use them.)  What does this mean?  The same crops that need a lot of synthetic pesticides typically need a lot of (perhaps more or more frequent) organic pesticides.  We test for synthetic ones; we don't have as many tests for natural ones.
-(Edit to add) What makes one thing a poison over another is amount.  Everything is toxic at some exposure level.  Some things toxic at a high exposure are safe to use at lower levels.
-There is a LOT to learn about horticulture.  It's not something I need to grasp all at once, but it's something worth reading about.


I'm comfortable recommending this book as an addition to any home edible gardener's shelf.