Organic Vegetable Gardening/Companion Planting - Des Moines, Iowa

List of books I definitely suggest the Organic Gardener owner, now mind you this is not specific to the Organic Gardener. I believe these books are good, useful to any gardener.

Got a pest problem? Leaves turning a color and you don't know why? Want to learn about organic fertilizers and pesticides?



The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Insect and Disease Control
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This book is wonderful! Esp for the Northern US grower (the author is in the same Zone number). Covers just about everything you would want to know about veggie gardening. This book was shown to me by a fellow community gardener.



The Vegetable Gardener's Bible

Well, this book is just fantastic. At first I didn't like it. But that's because I hadn't read the book nor was I actively gardening. Go to any garden forum and I guarantee this book will be listed at least once with several others agreeing that, yes you should own this book. The author is a companion plant master.



Carrots Love Tomatoes

This book is highly pratical, for the most part. My husband really enjoyed this book. As soon as we bought it he read it cover to cover in about 2 days.



Square Foot Gardening
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If I had it to do over again I would have planted Green Manure Crops in my community garden plot, just to set everything straight in my bed and so I would have a better idea about what I was dealing with in the soil. I plan on planting these crops during the fall garden closing down period.

Green Manure Crop Examples: Alfalfa, Red/White Clover, Legumes.

Another link because I just found it and I love Mother Earth News, Mother Earth News Organic Gardening Page

Now, I need to enlist the help of my husband to correct my community garden project. I need trenches dug and mounds built. Because you see, there isn't good drainage at the garden location. Not only that but the dirt is high in clay content, hence the poor drainage. My particular plot has left over chives (from the previous garden spot owner) on one side and the other side has the pipe that runs to one of the many hoses offered in the community garden. I have planted about 9 pepper plants in my garden plot. My poor peppers first received winter burn ... and now they just sit. This has frustrated me to no end. But! I think I figured out why. The ground here in Iowa has not gotten warm enough! Iowa Soil Temp Maps.