Natural Pest Control for the Garden

Natural Alternatives to Pesticide in the Garden

Where there is gardening, pests are not far behind, waiting in the wings to decimate your crops. Yet, you may not wish to apply a chemical to rid your garden of the pests: you may be worried about ties to cancer as well as to the diminishing honeybee population due to colony collapse disorder. If so, give these alternatives a try.

1. Companion planting, to discourage pests directly or to act as "trap crops." 

2. Picking off the insects by hand or spraying them with a strong burst from the water hose. 

3. Bringing in or attracting natural predators, such as ladybugs, lace wings, praying mantises, hover flies, nematodes, and birds. 

4. Making your own plant-based deterrent, such as a spray made of onion, garlic, and hot peppers blended together.

5. Culling weak or diseased plants that may harbor pests. 

6. Rotating crops each gardening season. 

7. Watering the garden early in the morning so that leaves are dry most of the day. Wet leaves encourages pests. 

8. Sprinkling diatomaceous earth, egg shells, or coffee grounds to get rid of slugs: the rough texture of these remedies cut the underbellies of the pests. For imported cabbageworms, sprinkle Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) around members of the cabbage family; Bt also works for tomato hornworms. 

Do you have any natural pest deterrents that work for you? Please feel free to share your insights in the comments section.

By User:MatthiasKabel (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons, Ladybug: example of natural pest control

Companion Planting: Making a Love Match

Companion Planting: An Ideal Match

Do you wish that your garden plants would thrive? Do you want to reduce garden pests naturally? Companion planting may be your answer. Companion planting is the practice of pairing or grouping plants that help each other grow, producing higher yields,  or that help one or the other with pest control, naturally.Also, as the excerpt "Companion Plants Made Easy" (excerpted from Companion Planting, Rodale) points out, companion planting also leads to botanical diversity in the garden, similar to that of a forest or prairie ecosystem. In any case, these plants are mutually beneficial, a match made in garden heaven.

Some Natural Companions: Not an Exhaustive List

Tomatoes and basil
Corn, pole beans, and squash--the Three Sisters: a classic match
Rosemary and broccoli
Beans and broccoli
Calendula and nearly any herb or vegetable (as a trap crop to lure insects)
Peas and carrots
Cucumbers and beans or radishes
Lettuce and strawberries or radishes
Onions and carrots
Parsley and asparagus
Garlic and roses
Thyme and eggplant
Carrots and tomatoes--as suggested by Louise Riotte's Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening, Storey
Peppers and tomatoes or onions
Nasturtium and squash
Rue and roses or raspberries

Do you have any tried and true companion plant combinations? Please feel free to share in the comments section.

By Fungus Guy (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Corn, beans, and squash--the Three Sisters and the ultimate in companion planting

Green Salsa, Fresh from the Garden

Green Salsa: Easy Recipe

Last summer, I had an abundance of green tomatoes that had to be picked so that the plants would not be overburdened: I confess that at one point, due to a busy schedule, the garden had gotten away from me briefly. I ended up making salsa verde with this bounty, substituting these green tomatoes for the traditional tomatillos. This green sauce drew raves from the household: my unintended, temporary negligence turned out to be a happy accident, as Bob Ross would have said. These days, I have to promise to pick a significant number of tomatoes before they ripen in order to make and keep this salsa well stocked.

Garden-fresh green tomato, still on the vine

Here is the recipe: enjoy!

3 lbs. fresh green tomatoes, preferably straight from the garden, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2-3 cloves, minced

A handful or so of fresh cilantro, chopped

4-6 banana peppers, chopped

3-8 jalapeno peppers, chopped

1 c. vinegar

A pinch or two of salt

¼ tsp. cayenne

¼ tsp. cumin

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are soft. Let the mixture cool and then puree in a blender.

Set aside what you want to consume fresh, with tortilla chips (also great on quesadillas). 

If you wish to can the salsa, ladle the mixture in clean, sterilized pint jars. Process in a hot water bath for at least 15 minutes. 

Fresh Green Salsa

Top 10 Books about Gardening

My Top Ten Recommended Books about Gardening: A Must for the Bookshelf

Note: Many of these books are also available in Kindle and/or Nook format. Happy reading!

Bartholomew, Mel. All New Square Foot Gardening. Franklin, TN: Cool Springs Press, 2006. Print. This is a great source for raised bed gardening in small places.

Fell, Derek. Vertical Gardening: Grow Up, Not Out, for More Vegetables and Flowers in Much Less Space. New York: Rodale, 2011. Print. Everything you wanted to know about vertical gardening and saving gardening space.

Lovejoy, Sharon. Trowel and Error: Over 700 Tips, Remedies and Shortcuts for the Gardener. New York: Workman, 2003. Print. A handy reference for the gardener that offers effective, environmentally friendly solutions to many problems encountered in the garden.

Madigan, Carleen, ed. The Backyard Homestead. North Adams, MA: Storey, 2009. Print. This is a comprehensive guide to growing your own food through vegetable and fruit gardening as well as orchard care and keeping livestock.

Ortho. The Complete Guide to Vegetables, Fruits & Herbs: Planning, Planting, Growing, Harvesting. Des Moines: Meredith Books, 2004. Print. This is a good all-purpose gardening guide that offers excellent information, despite my initial trepidation about the company authoring the book.

Reader’s Digest. Magic and Medicine of Plants. Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1986. Print. This book explores mainly herbs, both grown in the garden and wild crafted.

Riotte, Louise. Carrots Love Tomatoes: Secrets of Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. North Adams, MA: Storey, 1998. Print. This is the bible of companion planting: the tome that started this gardening trend.

Smith, Edward C. The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible. 2^nd ed. North Adams, MA: Storey, 2009. Print. This is an excellent resource covering anything a gardener would want to know about growing vegetables.

Turner, Julie. Organic Gardening Beginner’s Manual. n.p.: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2012. Print. Provides invaluable information about organic gardening in a non-intimidating way.

Wilhelmi, Christy. Gardening for Geeks: DIY Tests, Gadgets, and Techniques That Utilize Microbiology, Mathematics, and Ecology to Exponentially Maximize the Yield of Your Garden. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2013. Print. Who can resist the alluring combination of gardening and geek? Get in touch with your inner geek while being in the great outdoors.

Camille Pissarro [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons In the Vegetable Garden 

Strawberry Soup: A Summertime Treat

Chilled Strawberry Soup: Ideal Antidote for a Hot Day

Chilled fruit soups, Scandinavian in origin, provide a perfectly light dessert for those hot summer nights. This strawberry soup, luscious and creamy, is sure to hit the spot.

Strawberry Soup

2 cups fresh strawberries, washed and sliced
1/4 cup sugar or sugar substitute
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

Combine the strawberries and sugar or sugar substitute in a medium pan; cook over low heat for about ten minutes.

In a blender, blend the heavy cream, milk, and yogurt until frothy. Pour half of the mixture in a large bowl. Add the strawberry mixture to the other half of the mixture and blend. Fold this blended strawberry mixture into the large bowl. Chill for at least 8 hours.

Garnish with sliced strawberries, if desired

Serves 4-6 (in my household, it's closer to 4)

Chilled Strawberry Soup

Mulching: A Practical Miracle

What Is Mulch?

Mulch is, usually, an organic covering to be heaped around growing plants. Mulch can consist of straw, fallen leaves, tree bark, chipped trees, and even cocoa hulls (NOTE: Do not use cocoa hulls if you have pets: chocolate in any form is toxic to dogs and cats); there is also a plastic mulch on the market. Mulch is  applied in order to discourage weeds (the botanical pest, not the television series) from appearing--I would be lying if I claimed that mulch entirely eliminated the need to weed--as well as to conserve water and to deliver nutrients, gradually, to the soil. As an added bonus, mulching can help mark the boundary between garden and yard--extremely helpful if you have a housemate who has no clue about gardening and what distinguishes garden from yard (yes, a fence would help too: that has not happened yet and probably will not during this season).

How to Mulch: One Method

The following mulching method works for me: water your garden well, and then spread a layer of compost on the ground, near and surrounding the plants. On top of this compost, spread a heaping layer of mulch--I prefer fallen leaves (hey, they're free) and then water the garden again to wet the leaves (or whatever you use as mulch). You may need to top off the mulch every three to four weeks. Otherwise, be secure in the knowledge that you have saved countless hours weeding and that you are conserving water, nutrients, and much-valued time--leaving you free to sit back and actually enjoy your gardening space.

What are your thoughts about mulching? Please feel free to share your insights in the comments section. 

Christine Matthews [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Mulched snowdrops

Weeding Woes

Weeding: The Necessary Chore

"That's Roman wormwood - that's pigweed - that's sorrel - that's piper-grass - have at him, chop him up, turn his roots upward to the sun, don't let him have a fibre in the shade, if you do he'll turn himself  t'other side up and be as green as a leek in two days.  A long war, not with cranes, but with weeds, those Trojans who had sun and rain and dews on their side.  Daily the beans saw me come to their rescue armed with a hoe, and thin the ranks of their enemies, filling up the trenches with weed dead.   May a lusty crest-waving Hector, that towered a whole foot above his crowding comrades, fell before my weapon and rolled in the dust." --  Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854

Let's face it: there's nothing sexy or appealing about weeding a garden. Of all the gardening chores, weeding is my least favorite. However, keeping weeds from stealing valuable water and nutrients from your plants is crucial. Below I have some suggestions in making weeding less onerous. 

1. Start weeding early in the growing season, and keep weeding throughout the life of this season's garden.Set aside 30 minutes to an hour each week, preferably in the cool of the morning, to tackle this chore. Don't let weeds get the upper hand.

2. Make weed pulling a meditative exercise: as you pull each weed, visualize removing a specific problem (money issues, for example) or character flaw (such as jealousy)  from your life.

3. You can also make weed pulling an exercise in emotional release. If something is bothering you, take it out on the weeds. Pull them, scream at them, stomp on them. Then, burn them in a fire-safe container. You will experience a much-need cathartic release and will feel much better. Of course, if your neighbors seem worried, you may need to explain to them and/or to the police what you're doing.

4. You can get even with some weeds by eating them: some weeds, such as dandelions, lamb's quarters, or purslane, are edible but should be picked young. Be sure you can identify a weed as edible; if in doubt, don't eat it. Also make sure that the weeds you pick are free from pesticides.

5. In order to reduce the need to weed, consider mulching your garden -- a topic for next time.

By Rosendahl [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Quick Red, White, and Blue Parfait

Fourth of July Parfait

If you need a quick dessert for a Fourth of July celebration that involves no cooking time, look no further than the parfait. Involving just three ingredients and highlighting fresh fruit of the season, parfaits can be prepared and assembled in plenty of time for a cookout, barbecue, or other event, leaving more time to enjoy Independence Day festivities.

Recipe for Parfait

2 boxes pudding mix: white chocolate, cheesecake, or vanilla
20-24 strawberries, or to taste
1 dry pint blueberries
whipped cream (optional)

Prepare the pudding according to the package directions; chill for about fifteen minutes. Wash, hull, and slices the strawberries. Rinse the blueberries.

Add two to three heaping tablespoons of pudding to the bottom of each glass. Add a small handful (I have small hands) to each glass. Add two to three more heaping tablespoons of pudding on top of the blueberries. Add two to four sliced strawberries to each glass. Add two to three more heaping of pudding on top of the strawberries. Add the remaining strawberry slices and blueberries, in a decorative pattern that pleases you, on top of the pudding. If desired, add a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Serves 4.

Fourth of July Parfait

Have a fun and safe Independence Day!

Notable Events and Goals in July

Welcome, July

Aah: July, the seventh month of the year, is officially here. Traditionally the second hottest month, we see more outdoor cooking as well as recipes based on fresh fruit and ice cream. In the garden, we tend to reserve most of the chores--weeding, feeding, watering, and harvesting to the cool hours of the morning (preferable) and/or the evening. For teachers as well as schoolchildren, July is the last full month of vacation, so an almost imperceptible energy that demands increasing fun activities, such as barbecues and beach trips, while not neglecting the midday siesta, fills the air during this time.

Notable July Dates, Some Sillier Than Others

National Blueberry Month

National Hot Dog Month

National Ice Cream Month

Mango and Melon Month

1 Build A Scarecrow Day 

1 Canada Day

4 Independence Day (U.S.)

6 International Cherry Pit Spitting Day

7 Chocolate Day

7 National Strawberry Sundae Day

9 National Sugar Cookie Day

10 Piña Colada Day

12 Pecan Pie Day

13 National French Fries Day or National French Fry Day 

15 Tapioca Pudding Day

17 Peach Ice Cream Day

19 National Raspberry Cake Day

21 National Ice Cream Day 

22 National Penuche Fudge Day

23 National Hot Dog Day

23 Vanilla Ice Cream Day

28 National Milk Chocolate Day

29 National Lasagna Day

30 National Cheesecake Day

My Goals for July, in the Garden and in the Kitchen

1. Harvest from the garden. I currently have the following planted: tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, Swiss chard, basil, various green beans, wax beans cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, white scallop squash, asparagus (can be harvested next year), mini pumpkins, and acorn squash (the last two can be harvested in the fall). Plus, I have several perennial herbs, such as mint, rosemary, and Greek oregano, that can be harvested.

2. Preserve this harvest by drying, freezing, and canning. In the past, my canning has consisted of using the hot water bath method; I plan to learn how to can using a pressure cooker.

3. Learn how to make herbal wreaths.

4. Keep up with weeding the garden.

5. Mulch the entire garden.

6. Visit pick-your-own farms and farmers' markets for other produce, such as strawberries and blueberries.

7. Make sourdough starter.

8. Do more grilling outdoors.

9. Learn how to make homemade ice cream.

10. Spend more time relaxing outdoors, near the garden. Enjoy the season.

How do you plan to enjoy the month of July? Please feel free to share your comments.

By Lotus Head from Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa (sxc.hu) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons