Books Review 50 and up Underground House Book Earth Sheltered Solar Greenhouse Book by Mike Oehler

1:00 AM in 50, and, Aqua, book, books, by, earth, greenhouse, house, mike, oehler, review, sheltered, solar, underground, up

First, a confession: were huge fans of underground/earth-sheltered structures.  Cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, virtually immune to tornadoes, nearly invisible to alien invaders...the list of perks goes on and on.  Were also cheap. (Pronounced frew-gull.)  As it turns out, Mike Oehler probably has similar tastes. 

Covers of the relevant books.  The drawing on the cover of the $50 and up book is one of the less spectacular designs in the book, but shows how underground structures can be built even on relatively flat ground.  The drawing on the cover of the greenhouse book shows many of the features of Oehlers design, namely a lower section for standing room, trapping cold air, and potentially sheltering rabbits; a back wall with thermal storage devices, and a roof with venting capability.  We found a copy of the $50 and up book here, and the greenhouse book here.

In the foreword to the greenhouse book, Rob Roy (another underground house expert with his own series of books) says,

"Ive always prided myself on sharing information on low-cost green building techniques in my books, but Mike out-flanks me every which way from a Mexican Sunday: the guy builds cheap, dirt cheap, and I say this with begrudging admiration." [Mexican Sunday is another of Oehlers books.]

The books are an entertaining and immensely useful guide to earth-sheltered buildings. Oehler brilliantly mixes personal experiences of building underground structures on the cheap with curmudgeonly (to use Oehlers own words) but endearing political commentary. (How many other books have an entire chapter devoted to circumventing building codes and fooling building inspectors?)

While most other sources on underground buildings advocate the copious use of concrete and insulation materials, Oehler explains how to design and build stable, structurally sound earth-sheltered buildings (provided building codes are not viewed as gospel truth) with materials scrounged, sourced from the homestead, or readily available at the local hardware store: mainly wood and plastic sheeting.

The steps and principles of construction are simple:

1. Dig a hole, optimally on a ridge if a view of the surrounding area is desired, but optionally on a hillside or even on flat ground.
2. Construct a post-and-beam frame in the hole, making sure to place a layer of polyethylene between wood and dirt, e.g., in the holes for the posts.  Also make sure the frame is braced against itself to keep the force of the dirt that will be added outside the walls and on the roof from buckling the frame.  In the greenhouse book, Oehler also mentions that he now chars the bottom end of the posts in a campfire to further preserve the wood.
3. Add shoring on the outside of the frame in the form of lumber mill ends, scrounged boards, etc., again making sure that there is always plastic sheeting between the wood and the dirt.
4. Backfill around and on the structure with dirt, making sure to allow for proper drainage.

Naturally, there are numerous details to each of those steps that Oehler outlines in the books, gleaned through his considerable experimentation with underground structures and experience in the construction industry.

Oehler walks readers through his methodology, which is arguably based on a series of questions:

1. What do I want out of the underground building?  
2. What is the simplest (and cheapest) way I can build a structure that gives me what I want out of the building?
3. What are the problems with the simplest structure, and what can I do solve them?
4. What are the problems with the improved form, and what can I do to further improve the building?
5. ...and so on

Not only is this approach an incredible time-saver for folks like us, who tend to follow the same protocol, but the fact that Oehler has resolved these problems to a sufficient degree to live in his self-built underground houses for decades and to harvest vegetables year-round from his underground greenhouse near the Idaho-Canada border speaks to the soundness of his approach.

Criticism of these books is hard for us to muster.  Oehler calls it like he sees it, which is mostly endearing.  For example, as implied above, we learn straight away that he has a strong disdain for authority in general and especially government involvement in the everyday matters of rural life.  However, one doesnt have to read very far between the lines to guess that Oehler might be a little bit vindictive, even if the vindication comes in the form of somewhat petty remarks in the figure captions of his books.  But the cumulative effect of these comments does very little to detract from overall excellent works.

In sum, we are very happy to have Oehlers experience to draw from when we have a need for some outbuildings on our own homestead and will very likely use some of his techniques.  We highly recommend these books!

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Book Review Thrifty Chicken Breeds by Anna Hess

11:19 AM in anna, Aqua, book, breeds, by, chicken, hess, review, thrifty

In the third book of her Permaculture Chicken series, Hess does a nice job of synthesizing chicken breed recommendations and statistics from other chicken authors (Gail Damerow, Harvey Ussery, Jenna Woginrich, Robert Plamondon), chicken surveys (Mother Earth News, Backyard Chickens forum), and hatchery catalogs, as well as her own experience.  This book has fewer external citations than some of her other books, but that may be because the content she would need to cite isnt out there--the main point of the book is that a homesteader needs to experiment for himself and find or make chickens that work well in his particular flock.

Hess is quick to note that different folks choose chicken breeds for different reasons, and folks who pick breeds for the same reasons in different climates might get different results. In short, take everyones advice on chicken breeds (including hers) with a grain of salt: your mileage may vary. Nevertheless, with that context set, Hess own experience is especially valuable because shes worked with many different breeds, and has refined (is refining) her flock as one big optimization exercise with the following variables:

•Egg production
•Meat production
•Foraging ability
•Predator resistance
•Flightiness-friendliness spectrum
•Broodiness/chick-rearing ability

Because there is a lot of overlap (and some mutual exclusivity) among these variables, prioritization is necessary. For example, light (weight) breeds might produce more eggs and forage well, but can be flighty enough to escape fences and wreck gardens, while only providing minimal meat after egg production drops. Are the extra eggs worth these drawbacks? If you dont like meat or vegetables with your eggs, they might be!  Fortunately, we put together a handy dandy chicken breed selection chart to help out.  It tries to combine some of the content of the book, and some from our own experiences.  Of course, some simplification is required in the conversion to flow chart format, so youll have to read the book for more details.

The key to finding the optimum for your own flock is genetics, which Hess feels is best worked out at home. That is, dont rely solely on commercial hatchery strains to get what you want--do some experimenting on your own! A diverse flock is one way to balance these variables, and gives the homesteader more genetics to choose from when refining preferred traits across generations of chickens. Of course, many hatcheries carry their own genetic lines, and, if youre going to start with hatchery birds, it helps to start from hatchery strains that have been geared toward production rather than appearance.  Or, another way to look at choosing your chickens:

However, for all the emphasis on selecting and refining good genetics, the how-to of implementing these points is the weak part of the book. Hess mentions hatcheries (especially non mainstream hatcheries), swap meets, and trades with neighbors as suitable ways to introduce new genetics, but she doesnt say which overall method or which hatcheries she prefers.

Similarly, although to a lesser extent, the section on refining flock genetics could be expanded. The book doesnt say explicitly how often new genetics should be brought in, although Hess Incubation Handbook recommends bringing in a new rooster every year. Also, Hess clearly records a lot of observations about her chickens. Maybe its just us and our nerdy love of data, but we thought it would have been helpful to see a photo of her chicken lab notebook or a screen shot of her chicken spreadsheet to see what kind of system shes worked out to discern chicken performances in terms of feed consumption (and egg yolk/chicken fat color), egg production, and behavior traits.

However, these shortcomings are overall quite minor. The information on different breeds and the approach Hess lays out for getting the most bang for your chicken buck make this book another great addition to the Permaculture Chicken series and an outstanding value, especially considering the price. We highly recommend it!

What kind of chickens do you raise on your homestead?  Which breeds, varieties, and strains have you found to be most productive for meat and eggs?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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Book Review Growing Into a Farm by Anna Hess

1:54 PM in a, anna, Aqua, book, by, farm, growing, hess, into, review

Maybe its because Anna Hess and our childhoods and childhood ambitions were so similar, or maybe its because both of our primary life goals havent changed all that much since age nine, but Hess new e-book resonated strongly with us.  Her easygoing and open writing style make the book a quick read (weve read several of her books, and finished each in a single session), and for folks like us, for whom homesteading is still a work in progress, its inspiring to read about the journey of someone who has made it for real.  And although Hess mentioned that this book is one of her more fluffy productions, there is plenty of practical advice for attentive readers.

The cover, featuring Anna and her homesteads first veggies.

The book takes an autobiographical tour of Hess life nearly up to the beginning of her full-time homesteading career.  (More details of the interim between then and now are given in her other books.)  For aspiring homesteaders (especially those seeking a secluded and rural property on a budget), Hess life lessons are an invaluable treasure.  Some of the most pertinent tidbits we gleaned from the book are:

Factors to look for when selecting a tract of land.  If the land is $300/acre, theres probably a good reason.  It might be polluted (e.g., from mining operations), land-locked, full of invasive plant species, 90% marsh etc.  Its also worthwhile to inquire about the level of the water table, especially if you are considering an underground house.  In the end, selecting land is an optimization problem with convenience, budget, seclusion, and start-up labor as variables.

How to screen partners/mates to make sure they wont get in the way of are on board with your homesteading goals.  Some folks start out with a fiercely independent outlook that theyre going to live off the land and do everything themselves, and dont need no help from no one!  (Jake may have been guilty of such aspirations.)  But not everyone is Dick Proenneke.  A second person can change the whole program in a good way.  They contribute a second brain to brainstorms, make the mundane tasks go twice as fast, and will come to look at the cool stuff you find in the woods, for example.

There will be setbacks, so stay flexible and positive!  The old farmhouse you planned to salvage might only be fit for condemnation.  Deer will devour your first crops.  A high water table will thwart your housing plans.  Your carefully planned schedule for moving to the property full-time will be demolished by unforeseen events.  But keep the ultimate goal in mind, and you will eventually succeed!  To return to the previous nugget, a second person can also make it harder to give up when things seem hopeless.

Dont wait until you move to learn the skills youll need.  If you want to grow your own food, do what you can with your current circumstances.  Start building stuff or prototypes of stuff you plan to use on the homestead, such as cold frames and food dehydrators.  It will make the eventual transition way easier.  Joel Salatin says the same thing about farming--experience is the key to success.

How to pester utility companies so they will connect your service.  One drawback of living in the boonies, depending on your point of view (and since youre reading this on the internet, well assume you would see it as a drawback), is that it can be hard to convince utility companies to connect electric and internet service.  With a tight budget (precluding an off-grid setup), personal pride (not relying too heavily on friends and relatives), and the power of the internet as an income-generating tool, utility connections are, for better or worse, a high-priority item in modern-day homesteading.

There are only two minor criticisms of the book we can conjure.  The first is that some of the details on Hess emotions, journal entries, and conversations with her future husband could have been spared.  For us, this was the fluffy part of the book.  For other readers, these details might resonate with their own experiences, so we cant wholeheartedly dismiss their inclusion as unnecessary.

The second is that some of the photos are blurry and/or unnecessary.  Pictures of everyday tasks, like baking cookies at an Aunts house, and pictures of other family members who werent part of the main story line kind of interrupted the flow of the story for us.  It was nice to see the faces of the folks who helped out along the way, but wed wager theres a fairly small subset of this books readership for which the photos will have real meaning.

In all, a book worth considerably more than the price of admission, and another great addition to Hess already great series of homesteading e-books.  Definitely recommend it.


Have you read this book?  Did you have a different impression than we did?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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Garden Review

11:40 PM in Aqua, garden, review

Its the time of the year that were wrapping up the bulk of our gardening activities for the season.  When the frost threatened in mid-October, we picked all the remaining tender veggies, protected the hardy greens, and started putting the garden to sleep.  The fall greens will continue to trickle in, but the majority of the harvesting is done until spring.  And now that weve had a few weeks to let the fervor of vegetable processing subside, we wanted to take a look back and see how we did!

First, what did the garden look like?  This was our general setup: 15 beds at 3 x 9, or about 400 square feet of growing space.  However, we harvested basically nothing out of six of those beds due to poor germination, inconsistent irrigation, or marauding varmints.  So, we were actually working with more like 250 square feet.

Second, what did we grow?  Mainly tomatoes, squashes, potatoes, and onions, it turns out.  We totaled a little over 150 lbs total.  Back in January, we had set an arbitrary goal of harvesting 100 lbs of food from the yard, so blowing past that mark by more than 50% was satisfying.  It might not sound like much when some of our electronic friends are growing more than 225 lbs of butternut squash alone, but hey, we gotta start somewhere!

Third, how did it compare to our meal plan?  Most things were quite a bit less, but the summer squash and zucchini exceeded our plan by a lot.  We didnt have any delusions of being able to grow all our vegetables in 250 (or even 400) square feet of growing space, but we hit about 20% of our total annual vegetable demand (or about 50% during the harvest season).  That is, over the summer, we were bringing in about 7 lbs/wk of produce from the local farmers market, and harvesting about 7 lbs/wk from the garden, which was about as much as we could keep up with.  Those 14 lbs/wk through the whole year work out to 728 lbs of veggies.  For what its worth, our meal plan called for about 675 lbs of vegetables over the course of the year (not counting garlic powder, onion powder, or herbs, if we wanted to make those, too), so not too far off.  Is it just us, or does the fact that our theory and our experiment line up so well make you really excited too?  ...Just us?  Ok, nevermind.

Well just finish up then with a few pictures to show you how the end-of-growing season frenzy played out here.  This is the 25 lbs of veggies we brought in right before the frost.  Its about 80% green tomatoes.

These are the volunteer potatoes we dug a few days later.  The volunteers made up about 60% of our potato harvest, probably because they got to start growing right away in the spring while the rest of the garden was still too wet to dig and plant until early June.

Part of putting the garden to bed is pulling out the delicious weeds, like these dandelions.  But wait!, you say?  Youre harvesting and eating the quintessential spring green that supposedly turns irreparably bitter after blooming, in October?  Why yes, dear readers!  Soaking the greens (and roots!) in cold water removes most of the bitterness any time of year.  Its great!

All the damaged volunteer potatoes ended up in this casserole, along with some freshly smoked bacon, some of the damaged tomatoes, green beans, some onions and garlic, and a creamy plain yogurt sauce.  It doesnt look terribly colorful from this angle, but the flavor was great!

The sweet potatoes, nearly all of which were damaged on harvest, ended up in this quiche, along with more tomatoes, onions, garlic, and plenty of herbs.  Yum!

We had made buffalo-seasoned cauliflower before, but then we got the idea to try it with other veggies, too.  The eggplant, with its spongy, sauce-saturated texture, was the best, but the summer squash and zucchini werent bad, either.

We made multiple types of pizza; these two had a buffalo-type sauce, except with spicy salsa instead of Franks hot sauce.  Our recipe needs some tweaking yet, but the concept is good, and the pizza was delicious!

How is your gardening season wrapping up?

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Book Review The Weekend Homesteader

10:42 AM in Aqua, book, homesteader, review, the, weekend

We ordered a copy of Anna Hess The Weekend Homesteader back in January, and the day it arrived in the mail, we knew it was destined to be a night short on sleep.  Even though we did read into the wee hours of the morning, in the end there proved to be too much content to digest in one sitting.  That was a little bit surprising to us, because we could essentially go through the table of contents and check off most of the weekend projects as things we were already doing or had done in the past.  But although the projects are directed toward absolute beginning homesteaders, either rural or urban, there are gems in almost every chapter for even seasoned homesteaders.  Such is the case when a writer as skilled as Anna is writing from personal experience and the experiences of her acquaintances.  For example, tidbits we found especially intriguing:

Survey your site (April): Plan your homestead around foot traffic nodes and straight lines between them.
Kill mulch (April): good candidates for first-year kill mulch plantings include broccoli, squash, tomatoes, lettuce, and greens.
Freezing food (July): Keep a chart or spreadsheet of how many servings of each food you put in the freezer during the summer and how many you take out during the winter. Use that info to tweak your garden plan the following year. (Could also be used for food preserved by canning or drying.)
Seed saving (August): Cucumber and tomato seeds have a gelatinous coating that has to be fermented off before storing.
Food drying (August): You can make fruit leather and tomato paste on cookie sheets in a sunny car.
Building a chicken tractor (August): An idea for fold-down wheels on levers to make moving the chicken tractor easier, but still flush with the ground when its in place.
Quick hoops (October): Where to find a metal tubing bender and how to keep the cover fabric/plastic from catching too much wind (or collapsing in the snow).
Plant a fruit tree (December): No-dig planting and hugelkultur prep for the tree to grow into.
Soil test (January): Where to get inexpensive but good soil tests.

Also, the tables for storage and curing conditions of common storage vegetables, seed germination soil temperatures, seed starting times and techniques, and flower blooming times are especially useful references.  We would add that for the storage vegetables that like it warm and dry, such as pumpkins and winter squash, undamaged specimens can make homey decorations until they get used up.

Storage vegetables as decorations.  Doesnt that look nice?  This particular arrangement doesnt make space for a whole seasons worth, but the concept is scalable to some extent.

The projects can be sorted into roughly three categories: food growing (including garden and infrastructure preps), food processing, and getting in the mindset of a homesteader.  These categories are spread somewhat evenly throughout the months of the year, but the winter months are heavier on the mindset projects, while the spring and summer months are heavier on the food growing projects.  While most of the information is available elsewhere, much of it for free online, it is extremely valuable to have it synthesized into a single, compact reference like this book.  Its also great that where discussion outside the scope of this book is warranted, Anna gives the relevant references that readers can use to follow up if they want to get more in-depth.

We have two minor concerns:
First, some of the information in terms of food growing is somewhat specific to Annas microclimate (zone 6 floodplain, i.e., very high groundwater level), so readers might want to check out what authors closer to their climatic conditions recommend before getting started. For example, in drier climates, planting fruit trees in raised mounds might make the roots dry out instead of keeping them from drowning.  Also, wed wager that most readers wont have the right conditions for storing potatoes under their beds. (Brrr!)

Second, although most of Annas criticisms of canning are justified, canning doesnt have to be done in large batches as she suggests.  See The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving for sub-quart recipes (or search for similar terms online for a number of blogs that also cover the topic).

So what about year two, once youve completed the weekend homesteader curriculum from this book?  Anna gives a list of projects and tasks on her blog that has evolved into sort of an annual homesteading to-do list.

In sum, this is a great book that pulls a ton of information into an easy-to-follow volume that will be in our collection for years to come.

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Trellis Review

8:46 PM in Aqua, review, trellis

Earlier in the summer, we wrote about a multitude of trellises we were trying; some were based on well-thought-out designs, others were the fastest thing we could put together with what we had on hand.  Now that its the end of the season, which designs performed well, and which crashed and burned?  Lets take a look.

The only ones that really worked well this year were the woven wire fence ones, which provided good support of the cucumbers and some of the beans, and were really quick and easy to set up.  The only drawback is that theyre a pain to clean off at the end of the year, since things wrap around the wires so well.  Cleaning these off should be the perfect justification for building a flame thrower, but Katie doesnt seem to be completely on board.

Our wooden bean trellis fell over in the wind, and although we could have maybe kept it upright by adding screws (rather than rely on friction) and pounding the legs down into the ground, the beans didnt climb the legs very well anyway (maybe because they had to keep being reset when it tipped over).  In any case, we probably wont do that one again.

Our other bean trellis, the UFO on a stick, did ok.  The beans didnt have trouble climbing the wires, but we just werent overly thrilled with it.  Katie didnt like it right from the start, so she wont miss this clever and functional (Jakes adjectives), but tacky and less-functional-than-Jake-implies (Katies words), work of art.

The two-tiered tomato lines didnt do well, mainly because our tomatoes were so stout and bushy this year that they never got tall enough to add cross-pieces like we planned.  But even if they had, well probably try to fashion some other design next year.

Similarly, the big tomato trellis was too tall for the stubby little romas.  But it would have done better with our Mr. Stripey tomato, which tendrilled out of control and encroached on the peppers and eggplants.  Well probably use this trellis again, but be more careful to only plant indeterminate varieties on it.  Well also position the plants on the outside next time.

Whats your favorite trellis design?

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2015 Review and 2016 Goals

10:12 AM in 2015, 2016, and, Aqua, goals, review

One of the best parts about having a blog is that theres a definite record of what we get done around the homestead.  And the turn of the calendar is a great opportunity to look back and compare what we wanted to get done with what we actually got done, and revise the plan for the coming year.

Last January, we wrote down four main goals we wanted to accomplish:

1. Finish our butcher block kitchen counter top and cabinet
2. Expand the garden
3. Raise more bugs for chicken food
4. Do more foraging

How did we do?  Were pleased to report that #2 gets a big check mark.  We hit our target for growing space and pulled in more than 150 lbs of vegetables, which was enough to make a significant difference in the amount of veggies we would have had to buy.  The expanded garden also gave us a chance to do more experimenting with green tomato dishes, which are becoming more and more popular among household correspondents.

We could have probably broken 200 lbs if it werent for misbehaving chickens and squirrels!  On the plus side, the chicken feed bill must have been a little lower.

We definitely prioritized the garden, and (possibly as a result) ended up a little short of our initial expectations on the other three.  But lets paint that in a more positive light. :-)

Instead of permanently finishing the the butcher block counter top and shelves, we spent the year testing them in beta mode.  And, it turns out that theyre exactly what we need in our kitchen.  So now, we can feel much more confident about finishing them off without risking that well want to change the design later on.  Really, we should have made it a 2016 goal to begin with!  We were so young and foolish last January.  Keep an eye out for another post on that soon.

The butcher block counter as it appeared last winter.  It looks different now.  Hang tight--well fill you in in a few days!

As far as raising specific bugs for chicken food, we became less enamored with that when we started reading about Karl Hammers compost operation up in Vermont.  Hes got an amazing setup in which he mixes manure and straw and lets it sit until the mixture cools off a little, then adds it to a another mixture of food scraps.  The whole mess is scratched through (i.e., aerated) by chickens, who eat the bugs in the compost, as well as anything else in the mix that catches their eye.  The compost stays warm enough through the Vermont winter to support the chickens year-round.  So ultimately, Karl gets his chicken feed for the price of hauling it, free aeration of his compost, and dozens of eggs every week to boot.  On top of that, he keeps all that food waste out of the landfill and all that manure from creating polluted runoff.  Its brilliant.  So for us, instead of growing a few worms and black soldier fly larvae, we want to do what Karl does, but on a back yard scale.  Thats going to be our #1 priority for this year.

On the foraging, we were moderately successful.  We didnt get out of the yard too much, but we did manage to catch a fish (even if it was catch and release, and too small to keep anyway).  And in the yard, we did some experimenting with the weeds, and learned how their nutrition stacks up to some cultivated veggies.  Well still look to expand on this one in 2016 (in particular, procuring more wild meat), but we can give it at least a little check mark for now.

Look at that lunker!

Ok, then, time to write down the 2016 goals. (Yes, they look a lot like the 2015 goals that we didnt complete to our expectations.  Focus and finish, right?) 

1. Build a compost-making, chicken-feeding device thats large enough to a) stay warm through the winter and b) cover most of the feed demand of the chickens.
2. Finish that counter top.
3. Bring home wild meat to eat! (grunt grunt.)

Lastly, a goal that isnt specifically homesteading related, but we want to tweak the layout and operation of this blog a bit.  So dont be surprised if there are a few changes in the coming weeks.  Some changes you might have already noticed, like fewer distracting AdSense ads in the side bars. Were always aiming to give you the best reading experience possible, so were definitely keen on getting feedback from readers.  Feel free to chime in if you have been wishing for a widget we dont currently have!

What do you want to get done on your homestead in 2016?  Any ideas to improve the blog readability?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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Book Review Naturally Bug Free by Anna Hess

5:17 PM in anna, Aqua, book, bug, by, free, hess, naturally, review

Anna Hess new ebook, Naturally Bug Free, is an excellent resource for gardeners who want to combat garden pests, but not with man-made chemicals.  It has a lot of the same advice as other books like Good Bug Bad Bug, and Organic Gardeners Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control, but at a fraction of the price.  The main difference is that Naturally Bug Free covers only the most common garden insects in detail (and not bacterial, viral, or fungal diseases at all) , but gives a systematic approach that can be used for the rest. Also, Hess photography is much better. 

The cover, featuring (clockwise from upper left) a tomato hornworm parasitized by a good wasp, a movie-star praying mantis, an industrious honey bee, and an aphid farm managed by ants (which sometimes make poor life choices).

Hess lays out a number of steps gardeners can take to develop a well-functioning garden ecosystem, starting with an exhortation to know thy bugs.  If an unknown bug arrives in your garden, you must find out its function.  Is it a pest?  Is it benign?  Is it a beneficial insect that moved in to feast on a pest? What and where is the pest its hunting?  Hess gives a number of resources she uses to identify new bugs in her garden.

After covering a number of garden pests common almost everywhere (based mainly on a Mother Earth News survey), Hess moves on to methods for encouraging friendlies in the garden, from good insects and worms, to birds, amphibians and mammals.  (Spoiler alert not needed by permaculture enthusiasts: maximize landscape diversity and provide habitat for the good guys.)  Some of the beneficials Hess sees in her garden are more prominent in her local environment--with nearby wetlands and high groundwater--than many readers will find in theirs (such as turtles and underground crayfish), but she gives a few pointers that readers anywhere can try.  Hess also points out that a lot of the beneficials have some annoying quirks, such as box turtles that eat tomatoes or birds that take one bite of a strawberry, but notes that their presence is net positive after considering the number of slugs theyll eat.  Even deer, which are definitely net-negative for a garden, can be a valuable source of meat for the gardener.

Hess also gives advice for the time period between establishing a garden and having a balanced ecosystem to keep pests in check.  In this regard, judicious timing of plantings and planting trap crops can be helpful.  Other helpful approaches can be choosing bug-resistant varieties from the get-go (the same approach is  helpful for non-bug pests, too, such as fungi and bacteria) and employing more labor-intensive direct methods of pest control like row covers and hand-picking.

A couple examples of strategic succession planting that Hess uses to time harvests away from peak periods of pests such as squash vine borers and cabbage moths.

The book wraps up by pointing out that even fruits and veggies that arent grocery store-quality (i.e., that have some cosmetic damage), can still be delicious and nutritious with a little extra trimming.  We whole-heartedly agree, and we wish more authors would tout such an approach.

An excellent epilogue is an excerpt from another of Hess books, Homegrown Humus, which is especially appropriate given the key role soil health plays in plant health, and consequently plants ability to fend off pests.

Our only criticism is that, because Hess advocates ecosystem-level management of garden pests by encouraging beneficial predators that depend on a certain minimum population of pests to eat (i.e., a biological equilibrium), the book would more appropriately be titled Naturally Bug-Optimal.  But bug-free definitely rolls off the tongue better.


Have you read Naturally Bug Free?  What did you think?  What methods do you use to naturally control pests in your garden?  Let us know in the comments section below!

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