Mid-Atlantic
August, 2011
Regional Report
Tool or Gardening Product
Cepia 1-Touch Motorized Sprayer
Wow! This powerful, light, pistol-grip sprayer is becoming my veggie gardening friend. No pumping is needed. Washing plant pests off leaf tops is the norm for sprayers. Aimed upward from below, Cepia's strong spray or stream momentarily defies gravity to wash off pests hiding and munching on leafy undersides. It's so satisfying to watch them slide into oblivion. 48-ounce bottle with sprayer available online for $14 to $25.
Books
Veggie Gardening Basics
The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Edward C. Smith (Storey Publishing, 2009, $24.95) is a smart, folksy, easy-to-read, science-based garden primer with helpful photos, charts, and all sorts of useful information. It describes Smith's High-Yield W-O-R-D System for North American Gardening -- Wide Rows, Organic Methods, Raised Beds, Deep Soil. Even if the reader (like me) doesn't adopt the entire "system," there's excellent information relevant to veggie gardening in general. I especially appreciated the charts detailing Plant Families and Some Garden Friends and Adversaries (which plants grow well near each other).
