Garden Alchemy: 80 Recipes and concoctions for organic fertilizers, plant elixirs, potting mixes, pest deterrents, and more

by Stephanie Rose

Garden Alchemy is a hands-on guide for do-it-yourself gardeners who want to turn their garden into gold using natural recipes and herbal concoctions (while saving both time and money!).

This gardening recipe and project book is packed with over 80 ideas to naturally beautify your garden, using organic methods that regenerate your soil and revitalize your plants. By following the processes that are closest to nature, it brings the gardener in sync with the garden, allowing plants to thrive with less effort and less cost.

Recipes for mixing your own potting soils and homemade organic fertilizers give you the freedom to choose what ingredients make their way into your garden. Step-by-step instructions for building a compost pile, concocting soil tests, and constructing inexpensive DIY seed-starting equipment are accompanied by gorgeous, full-color, step-by-step photography. You'll also find recipes for natural pest deterrents and traps, garden teas, and growth-boosting foliar sprays to help your garden grow strong all season long.

Garden Alchemy starts with home experiments to help you get to know your soil and customize recipes for your individual needs. The rest of the chapters share how to decipher and combine natural ingredients to make the best quality amendments and elixirs. Detailed descriptions of earth-based materials demystify common ingredients, such as mycorrhizae, biochar, and greensand, and help you learn how to fix common garden problems with minimal effort. The simple method of making use of what you have available supports plants better than brand-name products.

Dozens of recipes and projects include:

Homemade seed bombs, disks, and tapes
Granular and liquid natural fertilizer recipes
DIY rooting hormone
Herbal anti-fungal spray
Plant propagation instructions
Soil care recipes to adjust the pH and manage fertility
13 specialty potting mixes
7 clever traps for common garden pests

Written by Stephanie Rose, the creative gardener, permaculturist, and herbalist behind the popular website Garden Therapy, this fun and beautifully illustrated book is packed with great ideas and inspiration for DIY gardeners who want to embrace their creativity and have more control of the garden's care.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature, Adult, Plants, Reference

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2020

About the author

Stephanie Rose is an award-winning author, freelance writer, instructor, and international speaker who aims to encourage healing and wellness through gardening. For over ten years she has been both a student and teacher of organic gardening, permaculture design, herbalism, and natural skin care formulation. Stephanie is a member of Garden Communicators International, the Permaculture Institute of North America, the International Herb Association, and volunteers to develop children’s gardens as a Vancouver Master Gardener. She shares stories, recipes, and projects on her inspiring website, GardenTherapy.ca.

Stephanie has written several books including Home Apothecary (Leisure Arts, 2018), Home Candle Making (Leisure Arts 2019), The Natural Beauty Recipe Book (Rose Garden Press, 2016), and Garden Made: A Year of Seasonal Projects to Beautify Your Garden and Your Life (Roost Books, 2015), which was a Gold Medal Winner from the 2016 Independent Publishers Book Awards (the “IPPYs”).
Stephanie’s upcoming book, Garden Alchemy: 80 Recipes and Concoctions for Organic Fertilizers, Plant Elixirs, Potting Mixes, Pest Deterrents, and More (Cool Springs Press, 2020), will be released in March.

Stephanie spends her time as an organic gardener, writer, and artist in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She is passionate about organic gardening, natural healing, and art as part of life. Stephanie lives with her family and a motley crew of animals, which provide her with inspiration and delight both in and out of the garden.

Visit Stephanie at: https://gardentherapy.ca

Reviews

[PamG · Rating 5 out of 5]

GARDEN ALCHEMY by Stephanie Rose is a well-written guide for amateur gardeners who want to improve their results using natural recipes and herbal solutions. The book starts with information on understanding your garden soil as well as information on mulches. The chapter that I was most interested in was chapter two. This chapter deals with propagation. Other chapters cover composting, fertilizers, encouraging beneficial insects and deterring pests.

The book includes easy to follow recipes and instructions for a variety of do it yourself solutions. It also includes a resource section and a great index. While I was familiar with much of the information, this would make a great reference for new and inexperienced gardeners and maybe an idea or two for more experienced gardeners. I plan to try one of the recipes for treating damping off (a fungal disease) that can occur with seedlings.

Overall, the book makes a great reference to have on hand. It has some wonderful photographs and easy-to-follow recipes. This could also be used as a guide for a variety of science and gardening craft projects for children.

Thanks to Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press and Stephanie Rose for a digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley and the opportunity to provide an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.

[Ell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I was looking for! I loved all the tips on making your own potting soil and organic pest deterrents. I am going to do the simple soil PH test this week. The photos are gorgeous too! This is one gardening reference I will refer to again and again!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved everything about this book. As an avid gardener and staunch environmentalist, I'm often conflicted by garden books that recommend non-sustainable materials like peat and harmful products like chemical-based pesticides and herbicides. I love that Rose offers all kinds of homemade garden solutions while also giving renewable alternatives to peat and gives fantastic garden recipes that don't sacrifice nature in the bargain. She gives all kinds of great recipes for everything from natural pest sprays to potting mixes, along with great info about all kinds of garden topics like composting, mulch, you name it.

But the part I really love is that there's so much science fun and crafty stuff in here. Now I get to involve my science-loving homeschool mom side! There are simple experiments to test the acidity of your soil, instructions for making your own seed tape and seed bombs (and lots more), and all kinds of cool science-based crafty things to do -- AND there are great color pictures of the whole deal.

Love it.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some really great recipes in here, such as how to to create your own soil & ph tester,fertilizer, weed killer, bug deterrent, and more. All that you can create in your own backyard, providing you grow the plants needed. Full color photographs and lots of really great tips. A good resource for any Gardner.

[Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you don't have a gardening group, or friends or family with a green thumb and need some help in that area, then this book might help. It focuses on natural cures for garden problems without chemical intervention, how to correctly use fertilizer and compost, and how to make recipes for garden related things like bird seed. It does have a kind of secret alchemy charm in the way it presents information, and any complex scientific explanations are broken down in easy to understand terms. I like that it also included things like seed bombs, or reusing plastic bottles as vessels to put cuttings in. A lot of wisdom is included in the book that beginners might not learn without someone to tell them, like making natural rooting hormone with willow, or getting rid of fungus gnats with sand. I highly recommend this to the beginner gardener, or to someone looking for more natural approaches to gardening.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, quick read! Chock full of interesting formulas to help your plants grow. Even though it is only December, I am looking forward to putting many of these ideas into practice this spring. No more buying pre-made seed starting mix, pre-made fertilizers, or pre-made plant disease treatments. Thanks to this book, I will be saving loads of money, plus have the enjoyment of doing it myself!

[Marzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden Alchemy is a useful book of recipes and tricks to jump-start your organic and native flowering plant garden. Offering ways to assess your soil composition, pH, and hydration, along with offering methods for seed germination and dispersal, composting options and other vital methods for gardeners old and new, Rose has created an excellent resource for gardeners to bring out the best in their gardens.

I received a Digital Review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Maria Colletti]

If you have a garden, want a garden, need a garden, YOU NEED this book, Garden Alchemy.
The photos gorgeously outline each concept or project that is so fun to do.
This is a book set up to seriously help you garden and take care of yourself. Here are my favorite projects. Seed Bombs are great fun to make and use as you place small balls of seeds to grow.
DIY Self Watering is so needed even if we leave our plants for a day. Everyone who has plants has encountered a Fungus Gnat! Stephanie Rose will show you how to get rid of those pets in a way that is healthy for you. Buy this book and enjoy gardening to a healthy life.

[Bethany Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of compost and fertilizer recipes. It is a small book with a lot of helpful information.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent and useful reference book. I loved it and I strongly recommend it.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

[Jess Macallan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite gardening books to date! The pictures and format are beautifully done and have a whimsical quality. The recipes will please gardeners of all skill levels, and the information is presented in an easy-to-follow format. I appreciate how accessible the recipes are-- no expensive equipment or training needed. The charts are helpful and concise. Readers will learn more about their soil and plenty of ways to improve it. I bookmarked most of the garden teas, and can't wait to try the seed bombs and seed tape with my kids. I was especially thankful for the section on how to deal with fungus gnats and the environmentally-conscious approach throughout the entire book. Spring can't come soon enough; I can't wait to get started.

I received a copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[RigbyReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant book as a gift for any green fingered friends or family. A very informative book and some great tips including making your own mulch, how to test soil and how to make seed bombs. I really liked the high contrast photos which made all the greenery and flowers pop.

[Red · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMGoodness!!!! This book has so inspired me! From the moment I opened it, I was excited. Lots of colorful pictures. The promise of a beautiful bright garden! The joy of being in total control of my garden!! The subtitle of this book is "80 Recipes and Concoctions for Organic Fertilizers, Plant Elixirs, Potting Mixes, Pest Deterrents, and More." I cannot tell you how excited I was just after reading the the front and back covers of this book. And then, I opened it, and...WOW! I have been searching for this book for a long time...and thank goodness Stephanie Rose has finally written the ultimate Gardening book, with everything I ever wanted to know and with easy to understand ideas. I'm reading the ARC right now, but when this publishes, I will definitely be getting one for myself, and gifting it to several of my like-minded gardening friends. WOW.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gleaned so much gardening knowledge from this book!

I'd highly recommend it for any gardener's library from novice to expert and anyone just looking for a leisurely book about starting and maintaining a garden.

I would like to thank Quart Publishing Group- Cool Springs Press for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

The Story
I am more of a beginner to intermediate gardener myself and I'm always wanting to gain more insight into the how to of assessing and amending soil, growing a plant, and maintaining it for the long haul.

This was the perfect and most timely book for me. The information I've read online has been somewhat conflicting to me and this book does an excellent job at dispelling myths as well as reviewing personal and environmental safety concerns by employing homemade alternatives that are actually tried and true.

The Writing
I loved the enthusiasm brought forth in the book along with the colorful displays, schematics, and step-by-step recipes that are easy to follow and complete, even if you begin with nothing or are in an area where resources are limited.

I will look forward to adding this one to my own gardening library and see myself referring to it time and time again, especially for the fun project ideas!

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[Marie-Helene Fasquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden Alchemy is a most beautiful book with magnificent pictures and a marvellous cover. It is perfect in size (only 130 pages). This book is so useful to me as I have a second home with lots of land.
The contents are easy to understand. It is highly practical and comprehensive (soils, propagation, fertilizers, birds, bees and bugs, as well as additional resources). It is a must-have if you are interested in organic gardening and nature.
I particularly enjoyed the chapters about birds, bees and bugs and checked out the author’s website (garden therapy) where she actually offers a Free Natural Skincare Mini Course.
In short, I highly recommend this book!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Garden Alchemy by Stephanie Rose is a book that should be in every gardeners hands. This book is full of valuable information to help any type of gardener produce better soil and harvest. This book teaches you how to make soil tests, potting soil, rooting hormone, seed tape, how to make growth enhancing sprays, tips for encouraging beneficial wildlife and so much more! As a beginner gardener I have learned so much from this book. This book is filled with beautiful pictures, recipes, ingredient lists, charts and diagrams. The author walks you through each topic step by step making it easy for a beginner. This book teaches you not only how but why! I was even able to use this book with my children to sneak in some math and science lessons. They especially loved the DIY vermicompost worm bin and the bee bath.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who gardens, or may be interested in gardening.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book as I was intrigued by the title. Golly Im so glad I did. What a fantastic book. I read it in one sitting and will be going back to it time and again for information and hints and tips thoughout the gardening year.

Starting with the types of soil and how to identify yours ands the pH of your soil. I always wondeered how to work this out and now just using simple at home tools I can.

It follows on with lots of helpful and fantastic ideas for making your garden the best if can be using handmade elixirs and potions and so much more as well. Loved the natural pest deterents and will definately be using them in the summer!!

A book that will be looked at again and again.

Thanks to Netgalley and Quatro Publishing for the ARC. (My Review is my own opinion.)

[Suzanne Griffin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent reference book for new and experienced gardeners.
It's easy to follow with beautiful pictures and diagrams to assist with the delivery of the information. A must for anyone wanting to be a bit more self sufficient and gain the most from their garden.
Reading this in December makes me look forward to spring and being able to put into practice all the knowledge and advise which I shall be sharing with others. Fingers crossed for a bountiful harvest and a few family members may be getting a copy next year for birthdays.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher's for a free digital copy in return for an honest review.

[JCS · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant book! This is a very engaging and useful book of ideas for improving your gardening, your garden and being more environmentally friendly. The book is divided into five chapters: Soils and Mulches; Propagation; Compost; Fertilisers and Garden Teas; and Birds, Bees and Bugs. It is extremely informative, explaining ways to test your soil, make seed bombs, fertiliser recipes and ways to encourage beneficial wildlife into your garden, but most of all makes it all sound lots of fun. I can imagine this would be very helpful to keen and amateur gardeners alike. Thank you to Stephanie Rose, Net Galley, and the publisher, Cool Springs Press (Quarto Group) for and ARC.

[Susan Bewley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay, I will freely admit, this book is amazing. It has recipes for just about everything you need to gardening, including the best mixes for propagating plants and making sure you have the right potting mixture for your various plants. There is also very little ‘fluffy ‘ to this book, getting straight to the point of how to test your soil and the various recipes you want for doing your own plant ‘alchemy.’ Honestly, I see this being a book I am likely going to be referencing a lot in the future for my own garden!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephanie empowers the reader to experiment with ways to fix common garden problems with minimal effort — and showing how there are so many things the home gardener can do before deciding to buy a "problem-solving" product at the store. This is a great book to add to your gardening shelf thanks to the tips and knowledge tucked inside.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone interested in gardening. It's a very helpful reference book!

[D L · Rating 5 out of 5]

For budding gardeners like me who want to improve their knowledge on how to make the most of their back garden, this book is a must. Admittedly, I have only tried to make garden food from grass clippings but now that summer is arriving there are few things I have already decided to attempt. Using natural resources and everyday household objects, how to test for soil types, and making your worm bin, this book has it all.
Garden Alchemy is well written with multiple examples and exercises, all well photographed, and making them easy to follow. A brilliant book for anyone who wants to improve their garden or have just always wanted to own a worm bin.
This book was provided by Netgalley and the book publishers for an honest review.

[Roger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started an organic garden to benefit us with healthier and fresher food. It has also been an activity that I have been able to incorporate into my son's homeschooling, so that he is aware of his interconnection and feels grateful to the natural world.
This book has fabulous recipes, literally therapeutic for the garden. It's great to be more independent from branded products and to be able to DIY your own fertilizer, pest control, growth-enhancing, rooting hormone, etc. It was very helpful to develop our empirical observation to understand some reasons why our plants were thriving and correcting problems to help those that were not.

[Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly one of the better gardening books. The front part on what type of mix you would need for plants is helpful to think about what your plant might need.

What I didn’t like was the amount of recipes on making organic teas for your plants and stuff. I guess the overarching goal was to tell you that natural fertilizers are simply the best but I think it got old after a while. Also there were some errors in the writing. Like spelling mistakes I think? Idk. Just wasn’t too helpful after a while. But it’s good if you want to figure out like what type of soil you want to make

[clivey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the focus of this book -- that instead of covering a host of gardening topics, it zeroes in on these concoctions that help the soil and/or deter the pests that harm plants. The author keeps it simple, with plenty of pictures and charts to help get the info across in accessible ways. And it seems like the majority of her suggestions are easy to find items and ingredients. Definitely a good source for those who want to take their gardening to the next level.

[Dodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garden Alchemy by Stephanie Rose

I loved this book. There were things that the science was a bit hard for me to under with soil and how balance plays a big part but there were so much good information. The book talked about plant elixir, a homemade bird feeder and a bee garden. If you have space for planning and you what to get started this book is for you.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite good. I would have liked a little more information on whyyyy a couple of those magical-looking potions are effective, but mostly this was full of practical and sensible solutions and talk about composting and detailed effects charts and stuff. I am not the person to come up with low-tech practical solutions, so I love books that explain them to me.

[Kate M · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually, aesthetically this book is lovely, the pages are nice and it’s a great size. I didn’t mind reading it either, but for the recipes and such inside it’s way over my head as a novice container gardener.

[Julietta Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some very practical tips and recipes