Garden Alchemy: 80 Recipes and Concoctions

When I opened Garden Alchemy: 80 Recipes and Concoctions for Organic Fertilizers, Plant Elixirs, Potting Mixes, Pest Deterrents, and More by Stephanie Rose, I immediately felt green magic swirling about me. Then I found myself teleporting back in time to the delight I felt when I started gardening at the age of 7.

Gardening a Magical Journey

Besides being a rich source of all sorts of recipes and concoctions to grow a great garden, the book reminds you of how every day in the garden is a magical journey. Rose, publisher of the garden blog Garden Therapy, knows firsthand the alchemy you can find in the garden. Gardening helped her heal from a debilitating illness.

In Garden Alchemy, Rose shares a wide variety of gardening secrets to help you grow a better garden and have fun while you do. She starts at the beginning, with soil and mulches. As she says, “Learning about your soil is the first step to a healthy and productive garden, and it’s a lifelong journey.” I must add that it’s a lifelong journey of exploration and pure joy.

Soils and Mulches

The Soils and Mulches chapter shares recipes for at-home soil testing. Turns out you can test the composition of your soil quite easily and accurately with a mason jar and some water. And you can use vinegar and baking soda to test your soil pH. Or you can try the cabbage water test or even make your own soil pH test kit.

You’ll find two pages of fabulous recipes for various soil mixes. These include a peat moss alternative containing compost, coconut coir and rice hulls or perlite. You’ll also find an all-purpose soil mix, one for acid-loving plants and one for raised beds.

Propagating Plants for Garden Alchemy

When it’s time to start propagating, the propagation chapter has plenty of tips. Rose tells you how to make your own homemade seed germination test kit. She also shows you how to make your own biodegradable, recycled seed germination pots out of newspaper, toilet tissue and cardboard egg cartons.

Learn how to create your own seed bombs from clay or paper. For extra small seeds like carrots, you can also make your own seed tape, mats and disks. There’s a section on rooting plants in water, including how to make a DIY self-watering planter for root cuttings, like rosemary and other herbs.

Fertilizers and Garden Teas

If you’ve been thinking about doing vermicomposting, Rose has a section on creating your own worm bins for nutritive worm “poop.” She also tells you how to make vermicompost tea. Her Fertilizers and Garden Teas chapter delves into types of nutrients for your soil and plants and the importance of using natural fertilizers.

Inviting in Birds, Bees, and Bugs

One of my favorite chapters in the book is the Birds, Bees, and Bugs chapter. I especially like the projects that serve the many creatures in our gardens. This includes the Butterfly Puddler. As Rose shares, butterflies and moths enjoy taking mud baths in mud puddles. The Butterfly Puddler is a fun and pretty way to make sure such winged creatures can enjoy a mud bath in your garden. Put a puddler in your garden, and you may just get to see butterflies and moths taking mud baths.

The Bee Bath in Garden Alchemy is another decorative element for the garden that allows you to create a bee-friendly garden. Give the bees some fresh water every day, and they’ll be sure to grace your garden and pollinate with abandon.

This chapter also contains a variety of backyard birdseed recipes, including an all-purpose mix and mixes without shells, winter suet and homemade hummingbird nectar.

Garden Alchemy is chock full of useful and magical recipes and elixirs sure to elevate your garden and garden experience. In addition to helping you grow a healthy, beautiful garden, the book is a delightful and enlightening read.