This book is a wonderful manual for a person who wants to start gardening the Natural Way. I have read the book cover to cover and continue to refer to it each time I encounter something new in my yard. There is a great calendar which gives you items which you should do each month of the year. I listen the his radio talk show every Sunday.

This book is excellent for beginners and experts alike. It explains techniques, procedures and products in a manner the novice can understand. An added bonus is the conversion measurement tables and monthly "To Do List" listed in the back section of the book.

Discusses chemicals vs. organics, how to reverse the damage chemicals have done to your soil, how to generate healthy soil, plant varieties and their role in a healthy garden, planting techniques, mulching, organic fertilizers, pest control, and an excellent glossary of terms. Recipes for homemade pest control and fertilizer. Good "product rate chart" to help in applications. How did I garden without it?

My significant other lives in Houston, and I, a Californian by birth, have lived in Philadelphia most of my life. An avid gardener at home here in PA, I felt uncharacteristically unsure about tackling the long-neglected flower beds in Houston.

Then I read the reviews for Howard Garrett's charming and fabulous "Plants for Texas," and ordered it immediately. It arrived yesterday and I could not put it down until I had read it cover to cover.

Every single question I have had is answered in this book in a format so clear, so concise, and so heartwarming to any gardener, that I found I was smiling ear to ear. From the beginning pages, where Garrett presents his no-nonsense advice on design, maintenance, and care of everything from trees to turf grasses to annuals, to his staunch anti-chemical point of view (YES!), I gained a wealth of information.

By the time I got to the alphabetical pages with the full-color pictures of everything a Texas gardener could ever want to plant, I was thoroughly and totally delighted. Already I have made a rudimentary list (way too ambitious, of course). Already, I have page after page bookmarked and highlighted. Already, I have planted perfect gardens in my mind's eye.

Perhaps my favorite part of the entire book is the page on hackberry (celtis), which nastily eats up a major portion of my friend's flower beds, and which I secretly, and guiltily, hate. Garrett's take: "Do not plant and cut down the ones that sprout up!" Gotta love a man who shares my views on hackberry. I love this book. Plain and simple. I recommend it to anybody who gardens, or who plans to garden, in the Great State of Texas!

He lists almost all the plants that can grow in Texas and ones that don't-- The best part are the color photos of each plant along with details on mature height, distinguishing attributes and cultural requirements for each. An excellent reference for the Texas do it yourself home landscaper. His info on trees was invaluable to me

I've checked this book out from the library twice. Both times I returned it late because I didn't want to give it up. I finally realized that I needed to buy one for myself. It is an excellent resource for beginners and experts. Howard Garrett teaches us that working with nature is easier, more effective, and safer for our planet than trying to master it. Nature cannot be controlled. This book helps you learn how to work in harmony with your natural surroundings. Also included is a handy month-by-month guide to organic gardening.

Howard Garret has provided an easy reading, informative view aimed toward those of us in Texas that prefer the natural, organic methods of gardening. The subjects flow smoothly from basics of soil preparation and maintenance, through dealing with pests in environmentally freindly ways.

Much of the information strikes familiar chords for Texas gardeners, like dealing with our perverse soils, doing battle with our average (?) weather conditions, and deciphering seed catalogs mostly from nothern climates that don't provide satisfactory choices for out USDA zones.

I enjoyed this book so much that I ordered his Texas Organic Vegetable Gardening : The Total Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruits,Herbs, and Other Edible Plants the Natural Way - I,m sure it will be just as good.

This book is extremely informative, both for the beginning gardener as well as the more experienced. Contains basic planting techniques, how to begin gardening the organic way, (not as daunting or expensive as you might think!) and maintaining your new masterpiece. Disease and pest control, (MANY bugs are beneficial!!) building healthy soil, (which in turns builds healthy plants,) soil and water management, etc. Written in clear, easy-to-understand language, this is the first book I would recommend to anyone with an interest in gardening, or someone looking for a better, safer way to care for their corner of the planet. If you have children or pets, and a yard, this book is for you! If you enjoy spending time outside relishing your greenspace, this book is for you!

I've been an herb enthusiast for 15 years. With my personal home library of herb books reaching over 90 volumes, I've read many approaches to this topic. This particular book is large, full of quality color photos, and contains useful information for Texas herb growers (what I used to be). Latin names of herbs are given (along with proper pronunciation). Mr. Garrett includes pertinent information on planting, height and spread of plants, problems, harvest and storage, and culinary, medicinal, and landscape uses. One of my favorite portions of this book is the "insight" paragraph of each herb's profile. Did you know that there is evidence that alfalfa may trigger lupus in sensitive individuals? Also, did you know that although you can use angelica in salads, the juice of the plant should never come in contact with the eyes? I'd recommend this book for those new to herb growing or as an addition to an already diverse herb library. Mr. Garrett includes information that makes this book worth owning. My paperback copy has been a valuable resource.

I have read many books on organic gardening by many authors, and this book is by far the best. Howard Garrett, also known as the Dirt Doctor, hosts over five hours per week of an organic gardening show on talk radio in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex area. He has done more to stimulate the popularity of organic gardening in this area than all other sources combined. While many of Howard's books are targeted to his home state of Texas, this book is not. This book should be applicable to gardeners nationwide because none of the advice is tailored to any specific geographical area.

The Organic Manual is an outstanding comprehensive resource for organic gardeners, both inexperienced and experienced. In the book Howard explains that organic gardeners should strive to improve the health of their soil and increase biodiversity through proper soil management practices, which do not involve the use of chemical fertilizers or chemical pesticides. The book covers it all, including sections on soil nutrients, mulches, pest control, plant diseases, fertilizers and soil amendments, as well as a lot of how-to information on subjects such as converting to organics, getting soil tests done, planting techniques, fertilizing, and pest control.

The section on soil nutrients goes far beyond the familiar N-P-K and discusses the importance of carbon, calcium, magnesium, sulfur and other mineral nutrients. There is also a chart that compares the use of various organic mulches, from shredded tree chips to straw to pine bark and many others. There is a discussion of the various beneficial insects, from the familiar ladybug, to green lacewings, wasps, and even fireflies, among others. There is also a discussion of harmful insects, as well as a chart that recommends organic remedies for various pests.

As an example, for control of bagworms, caterpillars, cabbageworms and the various moth larvae that often defoliate our favorite plants, the book recommends the application of Bt (bacillus thuringienses, a biological control) and the release of green lacewings and trichogramma wasps. I had never heard of Bt before I began listening to Howard's radio show, but I bought some and used it on my tomato, pepper and potato plants that were being defoliated by caterpillars. Within a day I began to find caterpillar carcasses, and my defoliation problem went away.

The book also includes a section on organic disease control, which stresses building soil health as a major control, but also recommends as remedies many products that can be bought at the grocery store or cheaply made at home, such as cornmeal, baking soda, and a spray made from pureed garlic and hot peppers. Finally there is a section that discusses the various organic fertilizers and soil amendments. In addition to the various commercially available organic fertilizers, there are discussions of the use of compost, lava sand, earthworm castings, molasses, and various manures, as well as other items.

Until a few years ago, I used chemical products in my yard and garden. I was a big fan of Miracle Gro and Sevin Dust, as well as a few other even more toxic products. After listening to Howard's talk show for a few months and reading a few of his books, including this one, I have converted to 100% organic gardening. My gardens have never been more lush and productive, and now I have the added peace of mind of knowing all the vegetables from my garden are generally free from toxic substances (not counting acid rain and airborne particles from outside my property). Looking back on my conversion to complete organics, if I had to pick a single resource that was most influential and most helpful, this book would be it. I still refer to the book fairly often when I encounter new problems or consider using a new type of soil amendment or mulch.

Howard covers the essentials of Basic Organic Gardening as well as the how to's. I bought the book at Rohde's for about the same price before shipping. If you can't get to Garland; but it here. We just completed our 20'x20' raised bed garden. Our front yard is the lushest greenest yard in the neighborhood with NO CHEMICALS. We have been a fan of Howard for a few years now.

Grant Wiscour Irving, TX

I bought this along with Neil Sperry's Texas Gardenining. This is a simple book with excellent pictures for planting in the DFW area. I wouldn't recommend this book as guide/reference, but it is a very nice accessory for deciding what to plant.

A must book for residents of the Dallas area. Has a good outline style with the high points on plants for Dallas. For a very detailed look this reference may come up short.

This will be the third time that I have purchased this book! I have loaned it out, and it never comes back. Probably the best resource book on gardening that I own. I love how Mr. Garrett recommends which plants to use.

This behemothian piece of excrement is a slap in the face of any ligitimate work on insects in general, or growing organic gardens specifically. The book is fraught with inaccuracies and outright misinformation. Case in point, the kissing bug did not get its name from biting people when it accidently flies into your face, it got it from its habit of biting sleeping people on the lips. This information is not critical to the book, but it exemplifies the slothful approach to gathering information the authors obviously used to write this book. The "Stories" are nothing more than opinionted drivel, although some of them are slightly humorous. The authors have no credentials in Entomology (they state that in the Introduction) and although they claim to have consulted "...many other books and research papers..." on the subject, nowhere did I find a reference to such information when something other than common fact was stated (as is necessary in REAL science books), such as aphids "...help to eliminate unfit plants." That is the single most ludicrous thing I have heard in a decade or more! Fortunately for me I didn't buy this waste of sawdust or recycled paper (whatever the case may be), but obviously some did because this "thing" is now in its fourth printing. The one good thing about this book is that the authors advocate the use non-chemical control. Believe me, save your money, you can get much better, less opinionated, advice from a simple Internet search.

I never knew bugs could abe so interesting. The authors combine factual information on insects with entertaining stories of buggy encounters. This book reaches my kids on a level they can understand (they are 8 - 12 years old), yet provides me with plenty of good factual information that helps with gardening. The kids were thrilled to discover that the funny things they had seen "growing" on the fence were actually lacewing eggs. We are eagerly anticipaing their hatching. I also appreciated the recipes for home-made, natural insecticides.

When my two and four year olds starting bringing me bugs from outside, I decided it was time to determine if they were harmful. This book had excellent photographs that helped me identify the bugs. I used it as an educational tool for my two little bug hunters. I am happy to report we have had no dangerous bugs gathered.