North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Spidra Webster <spidra@gmail.com>]

Here's something I've had a hard time figuring out. I've read some books on
organic gardening, some material on permaculture. Ideally, I want to be
letting stuff that drops to the ground compost, as it would in nature. But
there are a number of diseases and pests whose control is effected by raking
away the windfalls, leaves and detritus. Camellias, for instance, are prone
to that fungus that makes the petals go brown and part of controlling it is
to pick up the fallen flowers and dispose of them. I've ready many times
that people should pick up dropped stone fruit, apples, pears, etc. as a
pest/disease control. How to reconcile these things? On the one hand you
want material to compost, ideally in situ for some things, and on the other
hand  you need to get rid of disease/pest vectors.

Is there any essay, blog post, book that addresses balancing these seemingly
incompatible aims?

On another subject (I'm too lazy to start another email with a different
subject(, does anyone know of a book about chemistry in the garden that is
targeted towards people who've never taken chemistry before? There are so
many times where I think that an understanding of chemistry would help me
garden better but chemistry books tend to talk about it in the abstract.
There's one book called "Chemistry in the Garden" and I've ordered it.
However, I suspect it will be for people who are already familiar with
chemistry concepts. Chemistry was not among the science classes I took in
school.

Megan Lynch

http://www.meganlynch.net

South Pasadena, CA Zone 9