Natural Solutions for Pests & Diseases

This book shows you how to identify, tackle and solve both pests and diseases naturally in your organic edible garden. The book is divided into 5 easily navigable chapters:

1. Prevention

Learn how to create and maintain a balanced garden to help plants naturally withstand pests and diseases, including detailed methods of preventing problems before they start.

2. Solutions

If problems do occur, this chapter provides effective natural solutions. It also traces the rise and impact of chemical pesticides in agriculture, and the shift back to safer organic alternatives. Included is a comprehensive A–Z of natural solutions.

3. Host plants

This chapter provides details of edible plants (vegetables, herbs, grains, fruit and nuts) and potential pests or diseases that can affect them, with a focus on ideal growing conditions to prevent problems.

4. Pests

This chapter is a guide to commonly found pests, organised within their biological orders, with separate sections on larger and opportunistic pests. Each entry features photographs and descriptions to help with identification, plus information about their size, host plants, targeted plant parts, damage symptoms and natural enemies.

5. Diseases

Diseases are divided into three sections – Bacterial, Fungal and Viral – with detailed methods for prevention and solutions, plus plenty of photographs for easy identification. Included is information on hosts, symptoms, how each disease spreads and optimum conditions.

There are also quick guides at the start of both the Pests and Diseases sections to help identify common problems, a glossary and detailed index for further reference