Rodale Organic Gardening Solutions

More than 10 years of horticultural troubleshooting is harvested in this compendium of tips from Organic Gardening magazine's ""Solutions"" column, which pairs queries from readers on some of gardening's thornier issues with advice from experts across the nation. The questions presented cover a wide range of topics, from vegetables and flowers to seed propagation, composting and battling pests and weeds; the corresponding recommendations are all organic and environmentally friendly. A lament over mutant zucchini, for instance, is answered by a vegetable breeder who attributes the aberration to the weather and advises gardeners to use fertile soil, lots of water and an early hybrid variety that is less susceptible to fluctuations in temperature and light. Arranged in a reader-friendly format, the entries are grouped by subject and capped with snappy headlines (""Turning Blue over Green Garlic,"" ""Dud Spuds,"" ""Invasion of the Grasshoppers,"" ""Bye Bye Bermudagrass"") that help set a brisk pace. Whether debating the value of Epsom salts as a tomato fertilizer or ferreting out the best rosemary variety for overwintering, this volume contains many helpful hints and should quickly become well-thumbed by inquiring gardeners. (May)