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Scale insects on indoor houseplants
I thought I had these beat on my bay laurel. I found tiny ones on it again last week. This little plant brought these fantastic creatures with it. Nothing like hitchhikers that want to party and spread the joy everywhere they go. I've been battling these insects on my lemon tree for 3 weeks...they've been bad on it. The…
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Unfortunately, I have discovered leafminers in plant leaves.
Well, after five years, I finally am doing some minor outdoor food gardening in this new location. Surprise, I am seeing leafminer damage in leaves. I had thought I knew what to look out for in desert gardening, but a couple hundred miles makes a difference. I found out that you should remove and destroy affected leaves,…
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Garden-bed electric fence design for iguanas
So I have some wood frame garden beds that my local iguanas have found quite popular. Does anyone have any suggestions for electric fence design and/or brand to use? Here is what I was thinking: would be great if it was solar/battery powered because my power goes out a lot fence is 6" high with electric/live shocking wire…
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Pill Bugs AKA Rolly Polly Bugs Invaded My Garden
OMG!! I've had so many issues with bugs this year! These things have invaded my garden beds and eaten most of my kale, chard, collards, & broccoli seedlings! Apparently seedlings are their favorite food when there isn't enough moisture. We haven't had rain like we did this summer but I've been watering. Sigh... That must…
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How to deter pill bugs?
I just planted some really healthy bean seedlings out and overnight most of them were destroyed, something eating their stems nearly clean through. Now after 48 hours they have all been destroyed, and this morning I caught the perpetrators in the act. Pill bugs. These were very tiny baby ones. As we don't have many earth…
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This Year's Garden Lessons
This is the first year that I really tried to grow enough to feed my family. I've had a garden for years but mostly just for fun. I've learned a lot this year. Even though I have seeds started for my winter garden I'm sad my summer veggies are almost ready to be pulled up. What I learned is this year- #1. Don't give up! I…
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How to keep fire ants out of rabbit enclosures.
I have lost the last 2 kindles to fire ants right after they were born. One kindle was in a colony setting and the other was in a hutch.
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Chemical-free vole control?
We have about 5 acres of grassy fields with fruit trees and berry bushes. We also have a pile of pine mulch and a compost pile. And this year, we have a huge infestation of voles everywhere. Most of the online chemical-free "solutions" we've found are appropriate for a small garden or yard, or have to be applied after…
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Pests on my cucumbers.
There’s a bunch of bugs along my cucumber vines. I’m very new to growing food and am trying to gain knowledge as I go. I took a couple of pictures, but so far my search results haven’t been very helpful. They always scurry to the other side of the stems when I get close. I was hoping someone could tell me what I’m dealing…
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Young mealy bugs
So, I inspected my bay laurel today on a whim. It appears that I brought mealy bugs in on my bay laurel. 😑 I can't see adults yet. I picked off what I could see & wiped all leaves & stems down with rubbing alcohol. I inspected the pot (which I transplanted it into) and the top of the soil, which was newer, topped up with…
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Whitefly Control
My squash plant was covered with whiteflies, and the leaves were starting to turn yellow. So, I searched online for a natural solution, and found a garlic spray recipe on Epic Gardening's website. I cut off all the yellowing leaves, then sprayed it with the garlic spray. The next day, there was a noticeable reduction in…
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Essential oils for controlling indoor plant pests
I stumbled across this today and thought it would be good to share.
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A serious danger to bees
Warning: I was just given a couple of lantana plants that were left over from a friend's yard. The plants were still in store pots. I noticed a plant marker in one of them that said you don't have to worry about aphids because the plant was pre-treated with neonicotinoids and the EPA says they are safe. The label stuck to…
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33 Awesome Adventures in High Performance Gardening Videos
Hi everyone! Lynn Gylepsie and I joined forces a while back in Paonia, CO (grow zone 6a). We created 33 awesome videos on how to maximize yield, minimize weeds, and prevent pest invasions. Now my garden just grows itself! Lol In this series, we literally collected a jar worth of weeds for the entire season. If you haven’t…
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In permaculture, you try to keep some wild animals around but which ones?
On our new property here I'm learning, or trying to, all the different types of animals/critters we have around. For example, what their scat looks like, footprints and evidence that they've been somewhere. It's a lot to learn. Some animals eat ticks, bad snakes and such so you'd probably like to keep them around. Others…
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Great DIY humane squirrel trap
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About Raccoons
This article just showed up in my email. It seems like a very good summary of basic raccoon facts, with some worthwhile tips on dealing with the critters. I wonder if the one about wrapping a ripening ear of corn to the stalk with filament tape really works.....
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Corn borers/corn earworms
Here is the treatment that I've used successfully in the past (the mineral oil only), and what we will apply starting today. There are other interesting exhibits on this site, so it is worth checking out.
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ID venomous critters in your state
Just came across this site, useful for those in the US. It gives state-by-state lists of poisonous snakes, spiders and scorpions, with clear descriptions and photos. It's a good check list to know what you might encounter in your region, and recognize it if you do--or when camping/hunting etc. in another state. And just…
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Adventures in High Performance Gardening 26 - Who are the worst PESTS!?
Lynn and Marjory here again in our adventures series ready to share some tips on what to do about the annoying things in garden life... Can you guess who's the biggest pest in my garden!? Last week I forgot a few things and of course, Lynn saved the garden once again. But then, I needed her healing touch to save even more…
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Fungus Gnats Like It Spicy!
Well, it is fungus gnat hatching time again and this indoor gardener is at war again for the second year. I will flag the time of year in my calendar so I get a head start next year. I had changed my purchased organic potting soil brand and my method for starting and nurturing seedlings. (At this point I have only 3…
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How do you protect your strawberries from birds?
Ever had a beautiful, ready-to-pick patch of strawberries that you waited to harvest (maybe a day or so) and then poof, they were gone? Or have you had to fight off birds all summer long from your baby strawberries? I want to know your favorite way to keep birds away from your berries... Please comment below:
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Birds that control insects
Top 10 list of birds that are great for controlling insects in your yard.
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Are these eggs from a friend or foe?
I've looked online and can't find an ID for these eggs on my collards. If they're beneficial, I'll leave them alone. But something tells me they're not. Does anyone know what they are? Thanks.
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Interesting article on cotton
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Bagging Fruit: Pesticides not Needed for Insect Control
Insects can be deterred by using this method on fruit:
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Yellow for bug traps?
My neighbor is collecting yellow plastic dishes and bottles to make insect pest traps for her garden in the spring. She saw on a gardening blog that insect pests, particularly squash bugs, are especially attracted to yellow. Now I am skeptical, but on the other hand this same lady told me about making a fruit fly trap by…
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Weed Suppression With Ground Cover
I looked around for this topic but so far did not find it. I have used black plastic, landscape fabric and cardboard to suppress weeds prior to planting. Laid out over a good "crop" of weeds the soil turns black and crumbly and has earth worms running through it. The landscape fabric or black plastic can have holes punched…
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POTATO EMERGENCY!!!!!
So, I have a problem. One morning, I did my usual garden walk and on examining my potato bed, found little, dirty, slugs eating my potato plants! They are eating the leaves AND the flower buds. I as far as I know,(correct me if I'm wrong) no flowers mean no potatoes. So, if anyone has any experience with this please let me…
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Voles
I was recently talking with friends in SE Idaho about their 6 month old back deck addition. Since he lost his job due to Covid 19 he has been a stay at home dad to their toddler while she still works. He was digging holes last spring for the footings for the deck at a rate of roughly one hole per day during naptime after…
