Managing pests, pathogens, and beneficial organisms.

Abstract The first section of this chapter describes the ecological approach to managing non-crop organisms in the garden. The second section briefly describes the common types of pests, pathogens and other organisms (including beneficial organisms) found in gardens. Five sections covers five basic management strategies, emphasizing pests and pathogens: managing the garden environment, choosing crop plants, biological control, physical control, and chemical control. For each of these, both concepts to use for optimizing net benefits and avoiding major problems are included, and for the last three, concepts to use when a major problem does develop. Section 9.8 is a guide to diagnosing and managing specific problems, and includes tables and accompanying figures summarizing some key concepts with examples.