Niki Jabbour

If you’re tired of battling blight on your tomatoes, losing your basil to downy mildew, and watching deer raid your vegetable garden, you’ll find all the answers you need right here. *2024 American Horticultural Society Book Award Winner* In The Vegetable Garden Problem Solver Handbook, author and veggie-growing guru Susan Mulvihill of YouTube’s Susan’s in the Garden is ready to set you up for long-term success in the vegetable garden. In these pages, Susan hands you all the info you need to stand firm against plant diseases, viruses, disorders, stressors, and even animal pests, and to do it without having to turn to harsh synthetic chemical products. All-natural solutions to your worst gardening woes are featured in an organized, problem-by-problem manner that makes this a quick and useful reference for both beginner and expert gardeners. This book is a wonderful companion to Susan’s previous book, The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, which covers organic solutions for managing insect pests common in home veggie gardens. In this book, not only will you discover how to get your plants off to a healthy start, you’ll also find out how to properly identify plant pathogens, how to troubleshoot problems like pollination issues and weather-related disorders, and how to prevent ailments such as fruit cracking, leaf roll, and blossom end rot. In addition, Susan hands you natural solutions to: Over 28 bacterial and fungal diseases, including nasties like powdery mildew, potato scab, and leaf spot Limit damage from plant-eating animals, including birds, chipmunks, rabbits, groundhogs, gophers, deer, and 8 other critters Manage a dozen physiological disorders common to the veggie garden, including bitterness, bolting, and sun scald Prevent problems before they occur using the many strategies detailed throughout these pages Keeping vegetable plants healthy and productive is no easy task. An extensive quick-reference chart is included to help with identification and to direct you to the best possible solutions based on both the symptoms you see and the vegetable those symptoms have appeared on. This truly is THE guide every vegetable gardener has been waiting for!

In The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, you’ll find the simple, straightforward resources and tools you need to identify common pests of edible gardens and manage them without the use of synthetic chemical pesticides. Climate change and newly introduced insect pests are changing the world of gardening. Pests that once produced a single generation per year are now producing two or even three, and accidentally imported pest insects have no natural predators to keep them in check. These leaf-munching critters can cause significant damage in short order, reducing your yields and costing you time and money, especially if your garden is out of balance or your plants are stressed and vulnerable. Whether you’re a new or seasoned gardener, author and garden pro Susan Mulvihill shows you how to handle pest issues by growing healthier plants, properly identifying the culprit, and nurturing the overall ecosystem of the garden. With easy-to-use charts, you’ll learn how to identify common vegetable garden pests based on both the damage they cause and their physical appearance. DIY pest-control projects, coupled with up-to-date info on the best natural products, physical pest-control tricks, and tips for managing pests with the use of traps and barriers, all lead to a garden where beneficial insects and pollinators are preserved while pest populations are kept in check. Learn how to: Get rid of squash bugs with minimal effortScreen out root maggots Keep cutworms at bayNurture the good bugs that help control tomato hornwormsTackle an infestation of mites, thrips, or whitefliesSend cucumber beetles packingLimit cabbage worms with a simple, inexpensive trickLearn about the best earth-friendly product controls for home vegetable gardenersIdentifying and controlling common vegetable garden pests has never been a favorite task of gardeners, but with Susan’s help, positive results are easier than you think!