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Good bugs, bad bugs and huge library fines

All the new garden books come arrive in the spring—which has always struck me as strange. If it’s April or May, most gardeners are so cranked up they don’t have time to read.

If they’re not starting seeds, they’re buying seeds. If they’re not buying seeds, they’re thinking about new raised beds or where they’ll put the watermelons this year.

And don’t forget the process of planning for the “best gardening year ever,” an exercise in imagination and implausibly.

This year the spring crop of garden books came in, and I promptly checked them out of the library and forgot about them in the frenzy of gardening.

Eventually, my library overdue fines will pay for a new wing of the Hedberg Public Library.

Also, while we’re on the topic of over due library books, I’d like to apologize to the library patron from Evansville who has been waiting for “Good Bug, Bad Bug.” Yes, I’m the person who had it checked out for practically the whole summer.

Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea culpa.

“Good Bug, Bad Bug: Who’s who, what they do, and how to manage them organically (all you need to know about the insects in your garden” is a little masterpiece.

First, it was written by Jessica Walliser, who is clearly a “real gardener.” That means she’s immersed in the real world of soil and powdery mildew and weeds with 85-foot taproots. These are not Martha Stewart Gardeners, folks whose gardens are so perfect they are either independently wealthy (and can work in their gardens all day) or have a staff of 12 and an elaborate system of soaker hoses.

“Good Bug, Bad Bug” color photos of the life cycles of most common pests: Squash bug, squash vine borer, Japanese beetles (grrrrr…..), asparagus beetles, those nasty guys that ate my beans last year, and a variety of other monsters.

For each creature, she lists a variety of preventative measures. A separate section is devoted to beneficial insects.

Even the book’s construction is designed for gardeners: It’s printed on laminated stock and has a concealed wire binding.

The book is available at the Hedberg Public Library (I finally bought my own copy) and can be ordered from local bookstores.

In other book news: I found a great resource for green tomato recipes: “The Tomato Festival Cookbook” by Lawrence Davis-Hollander is at 641.65642 DAVIS at the Hedberg Public Library. It has recipes for all kinds of tomatoes and features plenty of planting and care information, too.