The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook: Identify and Solve Common Pest Problems on Edible Plants - All Natural Solutions!

by Susan Mulvihill

Overview

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 effort
• Screen out root maggots 
• Keep cutworms at bay
• Nurture the good bugs that help control tomato hornworms
• Tackle an infestation of mites, thrips, or whiteflies
• Send cucumber beetles packing
• Limit cabbage worms with a simple, inexpensive trick
• Learn about the best earth-friendly product controls for home vegetable gardeners

Identifying 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!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760370063
Publisher:	Cool Springs Press
Publication date:	04/27/2021
Pages:	208
Sales rank:	425,896
Product dimensions:	7.90(w) x 9.90(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Susan Mulvihill is a long-time garden columnist with The Spokesman-Review, a Master Gardener, and author of the blog, Susan’s in the Garden. Susan and her husband, Bill, live in Spokane, Washington, where they tend five acres. Susan is known for her down-to-earth approach to teaching and writing that appeals to beginning and experienced gardeners alike. Her humor and enthusiasm for gardening are evident in the hundreds of how-to-garden videos found on her YouTube Channel. In 2019, Susan was the recipient of the Media Award given by the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State.

Susan is passionate about vegetable gardening and following organic practices. She is co-author of Northwest Gardener’s Handbook and author of The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook. In addition to being a prolific writer, Susan is also a garden photographer.

Table of Contents

Introduction 8

1 Introduction to Organic Pest Management in the Vegetable Garden 11

What Is Organic Gardening and Why Is It So Important? 12

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 14

Bug Identification 101 15

What's Your "Bug" Tolerance? 16

Follow Good Cultural Practices 18

Attract Pollinators and Other Beneficials to Your Garden 27

Attract Birds to Your Garden 29

2 Meet the Bugs 33

Vegetable Crops and Potential Pest Problems 36

Aphid 60

Asparagus Beetle, Common and Spotted 62

Beet Armyworm 64

Blister Beetle 66

Cabbage Looper 68

Cabbage Worm (Imported) 70

Carrot Rust Fly 72

Colorado Potato Beetle 74

Corn Earworm 76

Cucumber Beetle, Striped and Spotted 78

Cutworm 80

Diamondback Caterpillar 82

Earwig 84

Flea Beetle 86

Grasshopper 88

Harlequin Bug 90

Hornworm 92

Japanese Beetle 94

Leafhopper, Beet and Potato 96

Leafminer 98

Lygus Bug 100

Mexican Bean Beetle 102

Pillbug and Sowbug 104

Root Maggot 106

Slug and Snail 108

Spider Mite 110

Squash Bug 112

Squash Vine Borer 114

Stink Bug 116

Thrips 118

Whitefly 120

Wireworm 122

Profiles of Beneficials 124

3 Organic Pest Management Products and DIY Pest Controls 133

Organic Controls 136

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) 136

Beneficial Nematodes 137

Diatomaceous Earth 138

Horticultural Oil 139

Insecticidal Soap 140

Kaolin Clay 141

Neem 142

Plant Extracts 143

Pyrethrins 144

Row Covers 145

Slug and Snail Bait 146

Spinosad 147

DIY Pest Control Projects 148

Beer Traps for Slug Control 148

Carrot Rust Fly Screen 152

Copper Tape for Slug Control 154

Cucumber Beetle Trap 156

Cutworm Collars 160

Earwig Traps 162

Insect Hotel 165

Raised Bed with a Row Cover Top 170

Reflective Plastic Mulch 178

Row Cover Hoops 182

Sticky Traps 188

Resources 190

Product Suppliers 192

Bug Mugshot Gallery 194

About the Author 202

Acknowledgments 203

Index 204

Editorial Reviews

"Finally, the book I’ve been waiting for! This may be the most practical guide ever written to help any environmentally conscious home gardener identify and manage pests! I especially love that it provides clues to the culprit by the damage they cause and covers a concise listing of all the most common natural and organic control options currently available. Consider this a must-have resource and keep it handy. You will be referring to this often!"—Joe Lamp’l, Creator and Host of the Emmy Award-winning national public television series, Growing a Greener World® and Founder of the Online Gardening Academy™ and joegardener.com"

"There’s no such thing as a pest-free vegetable garden, but The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook is the comprehensive guide you need to identify, prevent, and control garden pests." —Niki Jabbour, author of The Year-Round Vegetable Gardener and Growing Under Cover.

"Susan Mulvihill is a wonderful storyteller in writing about her long experience with growing vegetables. It’s a pleasure to go on her journey. Along the way she profiles many insects and provides methods to control the one percent that are pests. The end result is a useful resource for gardeners."—Thomas J. Mickey, Author, America’s Romance with the English Garden Cut

“Unlike other books on the topic, the pictures are just amazing along with important clues to help you in the process…a great refresher for experienced veggie gardeners and a must for those just starting out.”
 
 —27East.com/The Hampton Gardener

"...anyone with an edible garden would find this book by Susan Mulvihill and indispensible reference."—American Gardener

From the Publisher