Interesting NEW Book

[MsCowpea]

Though not specifically written about tomatoes this book is chalk full of all the controversial topics argued about on all the tomato forums.

THE TRUTH ABOUT GARDEN REMEDIES -WHAT WORKS, WHAT DOESN'T, and WHY. By Jeff Gillman.

Written by a Mn. Extension agent he looks into numerous practices and tries to explain whether or not they work and why.

Examples;

egg shells, epsom salts, mycorrhizae, garlic, mouthwash,
gypsum, beneficial insects, silicon, seaweed, etc, etc. etc.

You may be a little bummed out if your favorite remedy is panned but at least he says to experiment and see if your preceived positive results can be verified.

Most surprising thing to me is about mouthwash as a fungicide (CORRECTION--said it was more effective than all the other organic concoction but it may cause some damage too. For powdery mildew he prefers a commerical fungicide) and seaweed foliar sprays (he doesn't like these much--WHAT???? CAN'T BE!!!!!- oh well, set up an experiment.)

The only gripe I have about the book is the print layout--remedies should have been highlighted and then discussed--the way it is they all seem to blend together --you will see what I mean if you get the book.

I also found one of his experiments to be a bit lopsided when he supported time-release fertilizer over buttermilk--I don't use buttermilk but it wasn't a fair comparison. Would have been better to use Miracle gro liquid fertilizer once to compare to using buttermilk once. Know this doesn't make sense unless you know the context but all in all I liked the book very much.

[cecilsgarden1958]

Sounds like a great book. I might get it. Thanks!

CECIL

[kimpossible]

Thanks for the info. Out of curiosity, could you tell me what he says about egg shells?

[MsCowpea]

Kimpossible, no problem. Here you go:

He discusses them twice in 2 different sections.

Apparently some people use them crushed up around plants to deter slugs--he tried various experiments and determined that this doesn't work at all.

They are also discussed in the Fertiizer and Soil Amendment Section. He said they are a good amendment but he would not rely on them for all your fertilizing requirements.

He has a little rating system of 0-5 flower symbols. (5 being the most valuable) and he gives eggshells 5 'flowers'. However he only made one test but based on that one test he said he would mix in 4 or 5 crushed eggshells per plant when planting either in the ground or containers. He also said that you could boil 10 to 20 shells in a gallon of water for a few minutes and then leave it overnight to obtain a "nice amendment to apply once every week or two." Use 2 cups of this solution per plant.

In his original experiment he boiled one eggshell and sent the water to be tested (along with plain distilled water) . Found that two out of 5 nutrients were enough to warrant a positive rating--calcium and potassium but that you would have to increase the number of eggshells to make it worthwhile.

[kimpossible]

Thanks for taking the time to post the info. I don't know where I read it (perhaps an old Organic Gardening magazine?), but I crush eggshells very fine and then add a heaping tablespoon to the planting hole for the tomatoes - the calcium is supposed to be beneficial. This year I am adding it to only one of two of the same varieties of plants to see if there is actually any noticable difference.

[matermama]

Can you get the book any book store? or is a Amozon .com or an internet site you found it?
sounds great, i m new to gardening and get alot of conflicting advice,my neighbor is a MG . She has her opionin on everything i do is wrong. uuhhg.
I beliveve if it works for you , Do It!!, what works for some may not work for others. KInd of like parenthood.
i will sure get the book
sue

[landarc]

Sounds interesting, I know we used to use eggshells in the mulch pile, allegedly for the calcium. Potassium too, good to know.

[cecilsgarden1958]

Originally Posted by matermama

Can you get the book any book store? or is a Amozon .com or an internet site you found it?
sounds great, i m new to gardening and get alot of conflicting advice,my neighbor is a MG . She has her opionin on everything i do is wrong. uuhhg.
I beliveve if it works for you , Do It!!, what works for some may not work for others. KInd of like parenthood.
i will sure get the book
sue

Actually Amazon didn't have it...I checked. Walmart.com does, but my browser locked up on encryption so, I went to Waldenbooks store; who didn't have it, but did order it for me. Now, I am waiting on it to come.

CECIL

[giardiniere]

Kim

For your information, I found this info in an article regarding the book.

Eggshells as a soil amendment: Crushed eggshells are often recommended as an amendment because of their high calcium content. The exact amount tends to be inexact (anywhere from one to six eggshells per container), but the theory is that if plants can take up this eggshell calcium through their roots, it might add a significant percentage of this nutritional component and improve overall plant health.

The results: Gillman found that a surprising amount of calcium, from egg shells that are crushed and then incorporated into the root zone, does make it into a plant’s system. He also discovered that boiling 10-20 eggshells in a gallon of water for a few minutes, letting it sit overnight and then using the strained water as a liquid amendment twice a month adds enough calcium and potassium to be a genuinely useful remedy.

Here's a link to the article..

http://www.gazettetimes.com/articles...den/home02.txt

[kimpossible]

Thanks for the link Giardinaire!

[MsCowpea]

Thanks for the additional information on the book.

I was on vacation in Asheville, NC and picked it up at Bookstop.

I do like the book very much but still would like to try some of the remedies he is lukewarm on. His experiments are limited in some cases so I would rather test things out myself.

Some of things , even he was surprised at the positive results--like mouthwash as a fungicide. (correction: but he still preferred a commercial fungicide)

KIMPOSSIBLE, unfortunately I don't think the amount of eggshells you use (1 tablespoon) would be of much benefit. He says to use 4 or 5 egg shells PER PLANT.
Think you would have to work at a Denny's to get enough eggs to do any good.

[kimpossible]

It was probably 8 or 9 years ago that I read the info re: eggshells, & I think the amount was their recommendation (I would have to actually search through all those back issues & find it again). But they are crushed very fine - almost a powder & there may be 4 or 5 eggshells in a heaping tbsp (I'll have to pay attention, crush 5 eggshells & measure the amount). I crush those shells all year! & put them in a jar under the sink. Then I bring that jar out in the spring & use it all. But if it isn't making any noticable difference, I think I'll just throw those shells in the compost & save myself the extra work. I should know by the end of this season what the verdict is!

[MsCowpea]

Kim, I get it. Good idea saving them like that.
farkee (MCP)