Great Garden Shortcuts: 100S of All-New Tips & Techniques That Guarantee You'll Save Time, Save Money, Save Work [Hardcover]

Joan Benjamin (Editor), Erin Hynes (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996

With the proven tips provided here, readers can outwit pests, have the earliest tomatoes, the most delicious fruits and vegetables, plus the most beautiful flower gardens and lawns--without spending all their time and energy battling garden problems or taking on unnecessary chores. Illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This handy volume offers a smorgasbord of garden wisdom gleaned from nursery professionals, garden writers, extension agents and other veteran green thumbs nationwide. Reader-friendly alphabetical organization-"geraniums" segues into "grapes" and on into "green manure"-allows for both speedy reference and the surprising delights of browsing. Experienced gardeners will enjoy comparing notes and trading secrets with fellow experts, while novices can draw on practical advice from their horticultural betters. Abundant time- and money-saving tips on a host of topics range from the amusing (patrol for slugs armed with an ammonia-loaded squirt gun) to the why-didn't-I-think-of-that? variety (hose off freshly picked produce in a laundry basket outside instead of dirtying the kitchen sink). The recurring "Just Say No" feature challenges time-honored gardening traditions (Double digging? Who has time? Add compost and mulch once or twice a year instead). A veritable education between covers, this one won't gather dust on the bookshelf.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Arranged alphabetically, from animal pests to wildflowers, here are hundreds of tips on how to cut down on garden chores. There is a list of 10 annuals that never need replanting, a list of fast-spreading ground cover, and a list of perennials that don't need deadheading. There is also advice on fertilizing, harvesting, landscaping, mulching, propagation, pruning, soil preparation, and container gardening, all of which will save time and money. Shortcuts also includes the three features "Quick Fix Mixes," "Just Say No," and "Proven Plants." There is advice on attracting birds, deterring deer, and repelling insects, handling prickly plants, and selecting the right tools. And maybe the best advice is: have someone help you. George Cohen

Product Details

• Hardcover: 437 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Pr; Second Edition edition (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875967027
• ISBN-13: 978-0875967028
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #502,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #99 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Gardening

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars concise, well organized info for the typical garden, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Great Garden Shortcuts: 100S of All-New Tips & Techniques That Guarantee You'll Save Time, Save Money, Save Work (Hardcover)

This well organized volume provides concise, easily accessible info on specific plants for the average garden as well as suggestions for mixing varieties into complementary gardens. Definately a must have for a serious gardener as a reference volume for a garden library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Animal pests to Wildflowers, March 27, 2002

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Great Garden Shortcuts: 100S of All-New Tips & Techniques That Guarantee You'll Save Time, Save Money, Save Work (Hardcover)

This book is a handy companion come spring time and it is prep time for your yard. There are many useful ideas, some not exactly practical , like a "handy" cart that looks like one of those golf carts(but made of wood)to haul your gardening tools and supplies around the yard, but there are enough to make this book worth your time. Myself I just use a 5 gallon bucket to haul around my most used tools. Good ideas often spawn new insights leading to one's own ideas which can be better or more suited for one's needs, thus is the case with this book. The book has illustrations to compliment the ideas which are often tips offered from real gardeners. My feeling is if one can pull a few time saving ideas from a season of chores it is time well spent resting in the shade between jobs browsing this book. Browsing is the right word because it is a book that can be read in sections according to needs. There are suggestions for low maintenance plants that are proven to minimize time spent caring for, including annuals that replant themselves, and perrenials that just keep on giving and suggestions for problem areas. This book is a reference source that will give you a quick fix for problems that come with maintaining a yard. One of the beauties of this book is the use of seemingly unrelated materials for the yard, like 2-liter bottles with holes burried in the vegetable garden for concise watering near each plants to keep weeds down. I have read many Rondale Press garden books and this one rates right up with the best of them. Recommended for practical gardeners who like "new" ideas that work.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Garden Shortcuts, April 23, 2010

By 

Irish "Jude" "Judie's chicks" (Pahrump, NV, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Great Garden Shortcuts: 100S of All-New Tips & Techniques That Guarantee You'll Save Time, Save Money, Save Work (Hardcover)

My husband loves this book. He took it out from our local library & decided that this would be a great addition to his garden library at home. It has alot of good information for the home gardener.