The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook is an organic based troubleshooting guide for garden support and pest protection by Susan Mulivhill. Released 27th April 2021 by Quarto on their Cool Springs Press imprint, it's 208 pages and is available in paperback, spiral-bound, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a practical and accessible guide, well arranged and sensibly realistic in its reach and scope. The author is clearly knowledgeable and experienced and that comes through in the text. The introduction does a good job of introducing and explaining some basic terms (what -is- organic gardening, what is integrated pest management, "bug" ID, a solid overview of good cultural practice and how to adapt and integrate it into the reader's particular situation, wildlife and diversity, and how to attract wildlife/birds for a robust and diverse biome. Although it's easy to understand for beginners, there's a lot of information here and even more advanced gardeners will find tips and good advice.

The following chapters include a gallery/bestiary of bugs which include the most common (and a few uncommon) bugs which gardeners in North America are likely to encounter. Profiles include photos of both the bugs (some with multiple photos of different life stages) and what the damage to plants typically looks like. The profiles also include taxonomy info (Latin name) as well as life cycle, range, and controls.

The book's third section is a well organized tutorial guide for different organic pest control treatments and a neat collection of DIY project tutorials. It's photographed clearly and in color throughout. The author has also included a resource/suppliers list, a rogue's gallery of bug-shots, and a cross-referenced index.

Five stars. Well written and useful. This would make an excellent choice for public or school library acquisition, allotment/community garden library, and home use. Although this book is slanted toward readers in North America, there are enough common garden pests here which will be quite familiar to gardeners on other continents.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Nothing will cause me to say bad words faster than destructive bugs in my garden. But I don't want to use strong pesticides that harm the environment and ultimately end up in my family's diet. Susan Mulvihill has given me so many options on how to treat these pests and feel good about what I'm using. From tomato worms to my biggest challenge.....squash bugs....I'm committed to winning this war and now have many more tools in my battle.

FANTASTIC resource for backyard organic vegetable gardeners, that outlines not only the "pest" insects and the beneficial insects, but gives specific, non-pesticide options for dealing with the problem bugs (including beneficial predator bugs, birds and wildlife, natural oils and soaps, and more). Will definitely refer to this often.

"The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook" explains various organic gardening approaches to pest management. The author started by describing how to create an environment that encourages beneficial insects and plant health. She then provided charts showing which insects might bother which garden plants and the damage that you'll see for each type of insect. Next were the insect profiles, describing each insect: their life cycle, what plants they attack, what type of damage they cause, their natural predators, and tips on how to control them. Each profile also had a close-up illustration of the insect as well as color photographs of the insect and the damage they do to a plant (to help with identification). She also provided shorter profiles on the beneficial insects: a picture, what it looks like, what it eats, and how to encourage it to stay near your garden.

Then she described various organic pest control methods: what they're good for and how to use them. She also included instructions on how to make relatively simple DIY traps or protective barriers (though some require more construction skill than others). Overall, I'd highly recommend this resource for those gardeners who want to stop pests without using synthetic chemical pesticides.

I am what some might call the quintessential avid novice gardener with attention issues. I love to garden but sometimes it gets hot and then those darn bugs start milling into my zucchini plants and then the stink bugs come, because, well, I live in the south and that happens... and then I get frustrated and... yeah... lackluster gardening results.

The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook is a very detailed read with lots of pictures and larval stages to help those like me find the problems before they start. And then, if they do start, very practical steps to take. The book breaks down common bugs and pests by plant and gives a bunch of solutions. Which I am so here for.

There are a lot of bugs, so if you don't like that sort of thing, well, just be forewarned. I, however, found it extremely helpful.

As I already stated, there are tons of beautiful pictures and a lot of educational information to aid you through your planting lifecycles. The author provides many natural solutions before heading for the big guns.

I would absolutely recommend this book for gardeners of all expertise and attention levels. May you get many fruitful returns from its use.

*ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What a great book to have! So much information in one spot! It would have been great to have this book in hard cover. I'll have to add it to my "to get" list!
Every pesky bug you can think of is listed alphabetically in the pages, including easy to see pictures, with endless information such as what kind of plants each likes, the damage they will leave and how to control them. As well as projects that you can make to protect your plants from them. In another section the information is broken down by plant (vegetable), the signs of pests and who the possible culprits could be. Of course, not all insects are enemies and this book also provides clear pictures of the beneficials, the pests that it eats and how to encourage them to come to your garden. All of this is in an easy to navigate layout, with an index at the back, to be able to quickly find what you are looking for.
This is a book that all levels of gardeners should have! Beginners to experienced will find this very useful! I highly recommend that all gardeners get this book!

Thanks so much to Cool Springs Express and NetGalley for giving the opportunity to read and review this awesome book!!

This is a handy book for any vegetable gardener. It's nicely organized, easy to read, and has lots of illustrations. Be aware that it only discusses some pests (invertebrates). If it included other pests (especially deer and rabbits), I'd give it 5 stars. But it is an excellent resource for identifying, preventing, and remediating bug damage.

I like the tables that include common problems for each vegetable type, along with possible culprits and cross references to the pages in the book that cover those pests. They would be very useful for quick identification of a problem. These are followed by profile pages for each of the common pests. Those pages include lots of well-organized information, along with photos of the conditions. The book also includes brief profiles of beneficial insects and organic control solutions. I particularly enjoyed reading the DIY Pest Control Projects chapter. Within it are many very useful control mechanisms that can be constructed by repurposing everyday materials like cat food cans, plastic soda bottles, and empty toilet paper rolls. [It reminded me to put out some beer bait for the slugs!] The section on "pest mug shots" was a cute way to end the book.

Overall this is a great resource, but for it to be recommended as an "essential" for the everyday gardener, I'd like to see other pests included.

What a great and easy to read book this is, fabulous photos and a lot of information given on bugs.
I have always been a bio-dynamic gardener and rely on natural growing methods. Although written in America, it can be adapted and used in all countries.
I recall a year when the aphids were really making a feast of my roses. Whilst distressing I gave it a few day and soon the ladybugs, hover fly and birds where having a feast, and whilst a little damage was done, my roses thrived with very little work from me.
This is an excellent book with great information ad would also be fabulous to give to a child with interest in gardening and natural science.

A wonder reference book to keep handy. Good tips and advice on ways to think about soil, flowers, attracting other insects and such. Then the book shows different vegetables, and things that might show what types of bugs are attacking it. It later shows the different insects and how to combat them. Will be a handy resource next time I plant a garden. Highly recommend this book.

This is a beautifully presented book with good information for all vegetable gardeners. It’s primary aim is to identify and solve common pest problems on edible plants, but it also covers attracting beneficial insects as well as the importance of following good practices (monitoring, choosing right location, understanding growing conditions, choosing suitable varieties etc ) The final chapter covers useful projects such as beer traps, cutworm collars and row cover hoops.
Included is a detailed table of vegetables and potential pest problems, with page references to details about that particular insect including life cycle and organic control methods. The insect detail section is very good; clearly laid out, with excellent photographs, including of the insect as well as of the damage caused. Information covers life cycle, natural predators and organic controls. The organic controls include using products such as Bt, nematodes, oils and soaps, as well as methods such as weed control, cleaning up debris etc. A smaller section details beneficial insects – my only minor complaint about the book is that this section could have been more detailed as beneficial insects are critical in pest control in an organic garden.

4☆ A Well Established and Educational look into Natural Prevention of Pests in Your Vegetable Garden

The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook is a very detailed and educational read.

Not only does it give DIY preventative measures to stop pests safely,it also gives you a thorough look at a whole host of pests and bugs, what they look like, which plant, fruit or vegetable they are most likely to be found on and how to spot you have a problem.

I have to say it did give me the itches looking at all the bugs 🐛 lol but it did give me a better understanding at how I can protect my vegetable patch this year.

We always get trouble with our cabbages, broccoli, Brussels and occasionally runner beans so it certainly gave me food for thought 🙊

It's very well illustrated and gives clear information and the cycle stages the pests go through and what to look out for, ie... caterpillar and moth.

If you love gardening and want to learn more about how to protect your crop naturally then this Handbook is definitely the book for you!

This a go to book for gardeners of all levels, that are looking to identify and resolve pest issues throughout the garden. The vivid and detailed illustrations of ,The Vegetable Garden Pest Handbook, aid in the identification of these unwanted pests. Once identified you can use the handy guide to find the best way to remedy the situation.. The release of this book is well timed and will be available just as gardeners are beginning to experience these issues for the 2021 gardening season...

Featuring detailed photography and descriptions combined with a handy ID parade index, this fantastic book is packed with invaluable advice on holistic planting and organic pest control,

Oh how I wish I had this book when I started my first garden! This book is amazing! It highlights a huge variety of pests that may attack a garden and which specific pests typically affect different vegetables, so you can look up the particular plant and then read the descriptions of evidence of different pests. It also gives a pest profile with signs that they have attacked, natural predators and how to control them. There is a lengthy section of the book also devoted to organic pest control. I could have saved so many hours of googling and still being left confused had I had this book. I am excited to utilize it this year and get a physical copy so I can read and reread it to learn how to better protect my garden. I especially love the garden boxes with row cover top, traps, and other how tos with beautiful step by step pictures. The whole book is filled with beautiful pictures that make learning the ins of gardening easier for visual learners. I have tried out a lot of gardening books, but this one really stands apart with the simplification and heavy use of pictures.