An Organic Experience
BOOKS
Mix it up: There are plenty of home health remedies for your body; there are also more than a few for your garden. Joan Benjamin and Deborah L. Martin’s “Great Garden Formulas” ($28, Rodale Press, 1999) lists hundreds of easy concoctions for fighting pests, weeds and disease, as well as how to make compost and fertilizer.
The Rodale Press is known for its books and magazines on organic gardening, and this 342-page book follows that path. You won’t be shopping for any chemicals when putting these mixes together, but instead use ingredients such as baking soda, garlic, pepper, soaps, cooking oils and stuff right out of your garden (or market) to get results.
Beer-drinkers will smile when they turn to the page on battling slugs. The recipe for “New York-Style Slug Bait” involves putting a shallow plate or jar lid full of beer in the backyard, covered by a simple shingle. Slugs apparently love ale, so much that they get drunk and drown in it. Having problems with aphids and fungal diseases? Just boil rhubarb and spray your garden with the condensed liquid. Another way to fight fungus is by mixing garlic, onion, jalapeno peppers and a bit of dishwashing liquid, add water, and spray it all around.
For weed-busters, the authors suggest vinegar and dishwashing liquid, shot right on the weeds. You can also use water and rubbing alcohol or a mix of apple cider vinegar, baby shampoo and, no kidding, some gin. But for the simplest solution, just take a kettle of boiling water into the garden and douse the weeds, of course being careful not to hit any surrounding plants.
THE WEB: Site Helps Consumers
Protected: The Western Insurance Information Service, which bills itself as a nonprofit group supported by the insurance industry, has a site (https://www.wiis.org) that can help answer questions when making the home safer or buying insurance in case you’re worried it’s not safe enough. Turn to the “Consumer Alerts” section for the most useful info. There are dozens of fact sheets, including “Twelve Ways to Lower Your Homeowners Insurance Costs,” “Covering Kids at College,” “Don’t Get Burned Firing Up Your Grill” and “Protect Your Home From Holiday Burglars.” The focus is on homeowners, but there’s also an area for renters. Under “Who Needs Renters Insurance?,” common questions, and not so common ones, are addressed. For instance, students, or anyone else living in a group situation, can buy insurance together if they find an accommodating agent.
The online edition of Better Homes and Gardens (https://www.bhg.com) has long been one of the Web’s more popular destinations, routinely ranking among the top 50 sites by most of the search engines. A draw has been the “Home Improvement Encyclopedia,” which provides basic information on many subjects.
The latest news is that the encyclopedia has been expanded, with 2,000 extra pages of content and 53 new animated demonstrations (featuring voice narration) covering projects from installing a ceiling fan to building stairs, preparing foundations and completing an outdoor deck. Keep in mind that the animations are best seen and heard with later-model computers with fast processors and browser plug-ins.
* To have a book or Web site considered for this column, send information to Home Design, The Times Orange County, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Mark Chalon Smith can also be reached by e-mail at mark.smith@ latimes.com.
