Tag Archives: lawns & gardens

Homemade Pepper Spray: To Deter Garden Critters Naturally

by DamianPinner892 Posted on July 2, 2016

I’m the crazy lady who talks to squirrels and pigeons. When I was a kid, it was a rare thrill to see a few deer in the backyard. Now the deer literally walk up our street and wander in and out of the neighborhood yards, brazenly munching on whatever suits them.

If you are a gardener, you’ve probably experienced the frustration of planting seeds or seedlings and nurturing them to the point where the buds are abundant only to come out one morning and see sad, stubby green stems as if someone accidentally weed-whacked your beloved plants.

I’m not inclined towards violence, but I would seriously like to deter them. So, one of the best deterrents for most of these critters has been hot pepper spray. It turns out thecapsaicin found in hot peppers of the Capsicum genus are distasteful to mammals like deer, squirrels, rabbits, voles, possum, groundhogs, chipmunks and some insects. It doesn’t harm them, the environment, the plants or the humans who might eat them.

You can buy a variety of capsaicin sprays, but they tend to get expensive, and homemade pepper sprayis actually super easy to make.

The trick is to spray frequently as soon as you see evidence a critteris poaching your plants, and make sure to respray after rain. If you are consistent about applying weekly (or any time after rain), hopefully the uninvited guests will move on to tastier gardens.

Green Diva Meg’s Homemade Pepper Spray Recipe

What you need:

1 gallon of water
3 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons castile soap (I used peppermint because it can be an insect repellent)
spray bottle (either a couple of them or a gallon container to keep what doesn’t fit in the spray bottle)
funnel

What to do:

add the red pepper flakes to the water in a large pot and simmer for about 15 minutes
stir in castile soap (important to help the concoction stick to the plants)
take off the heat and let stand for 24 hours
strain out the pepper flakes
and use funnel to pour into your spray bottle
NOTE: be mindful that the cooking liquid can cause some irritation to nose and eyes, and of course the liquid itself can be irritating.

Bonus:

Heres the latest episode of The Green Divas Radio Show for more on green and healthy living

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Homemade Pepper Spray: To Deter Garden Critters Naturally

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Here’s What’s Killing 4 Important Pollinators (And How You Can Stop It)

by MaybellTichenor Posted on June 17, 2016

Why are so many animals that pollinate our flowers, trees and food crops under siege? Generally speaking, it’s because we humans don’t value these creatures enough to band together to protect them.

So much food is available in grocery stores and farmers markets, it’s probably hard to believe that our food system might actually be threatened due to lack of pollination.

Regardless of the reason for our nonchalance, it’s a mistake. That’s because the creatures that pollinate the plants that produce our food also pollinate the plants that support the very web of life, what scientists call biodiversity. So even if you don’t care whether bees will be around to pollinate your almonds or apples, you should probably worrythat pollinatingbees, butterflies, bats and birdsmay not be around to helpthousands of plants survive in the wild.Because without all those wild plants, entire ecosystems could collapse.

To drive the point home, here’s a description of what’s killing four pollinators we depend on for both food and beauty and what you can do to stop it.

Honey Bees and Bumble Bees– Honey bees live in colonies of tens of thousands, buzzing around in a hive or a colony. The colonies have become infected with a bacteria called Paenibacillus larvae. The bees themselves have been attacked by mites. Both the mites and the bacteria, plus pesticide exposure, and the disruptive way the bees are trucked around the country to pollinate crops like almonds, have led to what scientists call colony collapse disorder.

Climate change is also a large factor, because warming global temperatures has accelerated flowering seasons and the bees haven’t quite caught up yet. In other words, flowers that bees normally depend on for food have bloomed and faded before the bees arrive to feed on them. Bees are also particularly susceptible to a kind of pesticide called a neonicotinoid. “Fully half of the 46 or 47 species of bumble bees in the U.S. seem to be in some level of decline,” reports Bioscience.

What you can do: You can help make a difference by not only gardening organically yourself, but by shifting your spending to purchasing organically grown food. Consumer demand creates the financial incentives farmers need to stop using insecticides. Show them there’s a market for food grown with pollinators in mind. On the energy front, do your part to help put the breaks on climate change by driving less, switching to solar and wind, and saving energy at home and at work. Here are some great energy saving tips you can adopt today.

Monarch Butterflies – Any animal that migrates is particularly at risk, because opportunities for them to be exposed to threats occur all along their migratory path and at virtually every stage of their life cycle. One such case is that of monarch butterflies.

These elegant creatures have a complex life cycle that takes them, in some cases all the way from the eastern seaboard of the U.S. to Mexico, a trip of 2,000 miles. As they travel,they need flowers on which to lay their eggs and nectar to eat. But lack of their primary food source, milkweed, along with rampant pesticide spraying, habitat loss and climate change, is killing monarchs in alarming numbers. Scientists say that the number of monarchs that overwintered in Mexico in 2012-2013 was only 59 percent of those that overwintered the year before, reports Bioscience. Monarchs cannot survive cold winters so they have no choice but to migrate.

What you can do:Grow a butterfly garden that will provide both food for the adults and host plants on which adults can lay eggs to support new populations. Practice organic gardening, planting milkweed and other plants that monarchs specifically love. Consider becoming a Certified Monarch Waystationand convince your neighbors and community to do the same.

Bats – In addition to loss and degradation of habitat, bats may be killed indiscriminately simply because people aresuperstitious about them or fear bats carry disease. Bats are also hunted for food and folk medicine. Non-native, invasive species like snakes, ants and feral pigs can also take their toll. Bat Conservation International saysas many as 25 of the 47 U.S. and Canadian bat species may be vulnerable to the introduced fungusPseudogymnoascus destructans, the cause of White-nose Syndrome. By some estimates, WNS has killed more than 6 million bats since 2006 in central and eastern North America.

What you can do: Support global bat conservation by “adopting” a baby bat. Urge your elected officials to support national and global policies that will protect endangered bat “hot spots,” reduce habitat destruction and fund research into strategies to protect bats. At home, build bat houses to make it easy for bats to reproduce, raise their young and shelter in a safe place. You can find instructions here.

Hummingbirds – Hummingbirds are important in the U.S. for the role they play in pollinating wildflowers. Because hummingbirds have good eyes, they’re particularly attracted to bright colors like red, yellow or orange. They love flowers that produce abundant nectar, so they manage to collect pollen on their heads and back when they stick their long beaks into the flower blossom to take a nectary slurp.

But hummingbirds face a lot of threats. Like other animals, they’re losing habitat as suburbs expand, industrial agriculture spreads and clearcutting knocks down forests. Hummingbirds are much smaller than may other birds which makes them more vulnerable to pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers and pollution. They could be attacked by cats, fly into windows or get diseases from dirty hummingbird feeders. Plus, invasive plants might crowd out the native nectar producers that hummingbirds need to survive.

What you can do: If you have a cat, keep it inside, particularly during the day, when hummingbirds are out and feeding. Put up a hummingbird feeder, but clean it regularly so that the food it provides is clean and healthy to eat. Of course, garden organically and use no toxic chemicals in and around your yard. Urge your neighbors to do the same, and work with local officials to create non-toxic, safe habitats for all of the pollinators that visit your ecoregion. And plantcardinal flowers and other plants specifically to attract and nourish hummingbirds.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Here’s What’s Killing 4 Important Pollinators (And How You Can Stop It)

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What’s Better: CSA, Farmers Market, Grocery Store, or Garden?

by CedricChan Posted on May 25, 2016

Whenfruit and vegetable stands are about to be filled with all kinds of fabulous summer produce, does it make more sense to buy from a CSA, farmer’s market, or grocery store? And where does your own garden fit in?

Here are the pros and cons of each option, designed to help you maximize your access to fresh and delicious locally grown, hopefully organic, food.

CSA:CSA stands for “community supported agriculture.” Farmers sell “shares” in the food they harvest; consumers sign up at the beginning of the growing season, and then get fresh food usually every week throughout thesummer and fall.

PROS: An advantage of the farmers is that they get investments up front to help with cash flow. The number of CSA shares they sell will tell them what demand for their food will be. Consumers have the chance tobuild a relationship with the people who grow their food, and also get very fresh food. Plus, CSA shareholder may be able to visit the farm their food comes from and help with harvesting and other chores.

CONS: One complaint some people have about CSAs is that they get a lot of greens they don’t necessarily know what to do with. When lettuce, spinach, kale, mustard and the like start to be harvested, they’reusually available in abundance. Some farmers help by providing recipes on their websites. But farmers also encourage consumers to split shares if they can’t consume everything in a full share in one week. Most CSAs have a pick-up spot that’s central to a lot of shareholders, so when you sign up, make sure it’s convenient to where you work or live. Other CSAs distribute their produce at farmers markets, which is good because you can supplement your share with other produce that your particular farmer might not grow.

Is a CSA cheaper than shopping on your own? It will depend on what you normally buy and what the price of a share or half-share is. You might want to start with a half-share and see how it works for you, both financially and in terms of the choices you have.

You can find the nearest CSA to you at the Local Harvest website.

FARMER’S MARKET:Some farmer’s markets operate all year long; others are spring, summer and fall markets only. Obviously, weather is the determining factor in many regions. I live in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. Our market runs 12 months a year, but food vendors vary, depending on the season. The summer and fall fruit and vegetable growers give way to wineries, cheesemakers, bakeries, and egg producers once the cold weather hits. There is also a hydroponic lettuce grower who sells at our market in the winter, but not the summer.

PROS: Shopping at a farmer’s market is a great experience because the food is so fresh, the farmers are so accessible, and you’ll inevitably run into friends and neighbors. You get to taste almost everything you want to buy. And farmers at the markets have a tendency to grow heirloom varieties, so rather than having one bland Beefsteak tomato to choose from at the grocery store, you might have four or five different, delicious options at the market. You’ll also get food that’s picked when it’s at its ripest, rather than food that’s been picked green and shipped half-way around the world.

CONS: Farmer’s markets can be more expensive than grocery stores because they don’t have the industrial output that allows grocery stores to charge lower prices. Also, farmer’s markets are usually open only once a week, so you can’t necessarily rely on them if you need groceries in the middle of the week. While some farmers markets sell meat and dairy products, selection is usually pretty limited.

GROCERY STORE:Grocery stores have gotten better about stocking food that’s locally grown. Many stores will put up signs so shoppers know what’s local and what’s not.

PROS: Because grocery store chains buy so much food at one time, they’re able to charge much less for it than farmers selling at local markets or CSAs. Grocery stores are open 7 days a week, usually from 7 or 8 in the morning until 10 p.m. or later, and they often deliver. If you get stuck for salad fixings or a dozen eggs, they’re pretty easy to pick up on your way home from work. You can also set up a regular weekly delivery from a lot of grocery stores so you never have to set foot in the actual store. Grocery stores that are buying from local farmers instead of far-away producers are helping to boost the local economy, and of course, grocery stores employ a lot of people locally, too.

CONS: Grocery stores sell a lot of junk and shoppers end up buying — and wasting — food they don’t need because they impulse-buy productsthey see on theshelf. It’s also possible that people waste more food when they shop at a grocery store because they overbuy, something that’s easy to do when you’re pushing a shopping cart around but perhaps less likely if you’re carrying a couple of shopping bags through a farmer’s market. Farmers aren’t on hand in grocery stores, so you don’t get to build a relationship with the people who are growing and harvesting your food. You don’t get to visit the farm, either, since grocery stores usually don’t tell you which farm produced which apple or tomato.

YOUR OWN GARDEN:The garden you plant is about the freshest, most local, and most organic food source you can have.

PROS: You can plant exactly what you like to eat, plus try a few unusual foods to expand your palate. Gardening is great exercise, and will get you outside and active. For many people, gardening is a spiritual and wondrous experience. It’s extremelysatisfying planting seeds, watching them grow, harvesting them, and serving a meal consisting of food produced with your own sweat and care. When you grow your own food, you have total control over what chemicals are used in the process. Growing your own is the cheapest way to get organic food from “field to table.”

CONS: Gardening can be hard work. It takes time and effort to sow seeds, keep garden beds weeded, and ward off bugs if you’re gardening organically. Growing enough food to feed a family for a summer is tough without enough space, though there are ways to use raised beds and companion planting to increase your yields. You need to keep an eye on your own garden and be available to harvest the food when it’s ripe, or all your effort will have been made in vain. You also need to be prepared to water your garden regularly in the event that a drought hits — in which case, you may have a very high water bill. Depending on where you live, rodents and deer might get into your garden and eat your food; birds will happily eat up all the berries when your bushes are ripe. On the other hand, freshly picked tomatoes and beans are absolutely delicious, and extra special because they came from your own yard.

My recommendation is that you take advantage of them all: CSAs, farmer’s markets, the grocery store and your own garden. Find someone to split a CSA share with, and get to know the variety of interesting foods that will inevitably show up in your box. Supplement the share with additional fruits and vegetables from your farmer’s market, and if you need to stop bythe grocery store, shop at the local produce bins first. If you’re new to gardening, start with pots of herbs you can keep in a sunny spot on a porch or patio, along with cherry tomatoes, and even a pot of lettuce. Or be bold, and till a section of your yard so you can plant beans, cucumbers, radishes, and zucchini along with lettuce and tomatoes.

Get a Head Start on Planning Your Organic Salad Garden

Want to Support Local Farmers and Get Fresh Food? join a CSA.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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What’s Better: CSA, Farmers Market, Grocery Store, or Garden?

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Here’s Why I Give My Tomatoes Antacid Tablets

by AleishaAmerson Posted on May 15, 2016

So I knowpill popping and vegetables don’t mix. But blossom end rot sucks. It just sucks.

One minute, you have perfectly healthy looking tomato plants with fruits ripening on the vine. The next minute, dark spots start appearing at the flower-end of the fruit. Before you know it, a black mark has spread like the plague and they start caving in on themselves and going mushy.

This has happened to me more times than I can count. And this year, I’m trying my hand at an odd preventative trick: Crushing up a few antacid tablets and putting them in the planting hole before I transplant my tomato starts.

You see blossom end rot is essentially a calcium deficiency, and several old-timey gardeners have sworn to me that antacid tabletswhich contain a good dose of calcium carbonatemay help blossom end rot from setting in. By strengthening the cell walls, the calcium helps create tougher, more resilient fruits where blossom end rot can’t set in.This blog postwould seem to agree, suggesting crushing up tablets, dissolving them and applying them with a sprayer every month to help keep on top of any problems.

That said, I have no idea whether this will work for me. Other authorities, includingthis video I wrote about back in 2011when I was still struggling with this problem, suggests that blossom end rot is less about a lack of calcium in the soil, and more a case of plants being unable to absorb enough calcium of the soiloften due to irregular levels of irrigation.

So, while I am hopeful that my antacid trick will serve as a good insurance policy, I am also pursuing a more time-tested trick:mulching the crap out of my gardento maintain consistent moisture levels.

And I am keeping my fingers crossed. Anyone else got any ideas?

Written by Sami Grover. Reposted with permission from TreeHugger.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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Here’s Why I Give My Tomatoes Antacid Tablets

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How to Grow Fruit All Year Round

by Aaron Doolsey Posted on April 21, 2016

Have you ever wanted to taste an apple that you grew yourself? Luckily, this isn’t a luxury reserved for orchard owners. This infographic from Happy to Survive gives all the details you need to start your very own fruit bearing plants. Read the infographic to found out just how long you have to wait before you can eat the fruit and what the best time of year to plant specific fruits is. You’ll literally get to enjoy the fruits of your labor!

Infographic via Happy to Survive

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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How to Grow Fruit All Year Round

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8 Of The Best Spring Flowering Shrubs

by EsmeraldaSym Posted on March 21, 2016

Whether youre renovating your garden or just looking for a bit more color, spring is an excellent time to consider adding some new plant material. Spring-flowering shrubs are a great way to liven up a yard. If you choose the right shrub to fit your needs, youll be rewarded with a gorgeous spring display year after year.

1. Forsythia spp.

This may be one of the most flexible options for spring blooming shrubs. Forsythias can grow ten to fifteen feet tall and wide. They naturally have a beautiful, arching form when fully mature.

If you dont have space for a mature specimen, they can be pruned into a smaller, compact shrub, or even used as hedging. Make sure to prune your forsythia after it has bloomed in the spring because it will start to set next years blooms soon after the new growth appears.

They prefer full sun and may benefit from supplemental irrigation in dry areas. Lots of mulch is helpful to provide water retention and nutrients.

Hardy to zone 5.

2. Lilac (Syringa spp.)

Lilacs are very durable shrubs that prefer drier locations, such as on slopes and in well-drained soils. They also require very little feeding. A high phosphorus fertilizer in early spring will promote blooms, whereas too much nitrogen in the soil will actually reduce flowering.

Cutting off the old blossoms once theyre done will promote more flowers the next year. You can also prune lilacs as needed to either control their size or shape. They have a tendency to spread by runner shoots, which you can cut off at ground level.

The most common bloom colors for lilacs are purple and white, with yellow and bicolor varieties also available. The strength of their scent varies with each variety, but all blooms will have the classic heady lilac aroma that can drift throughout your entire yard.

Hardy to zone 3.

3. Daphne spp.

The fragrance of daphnes is what makes these plants stand out. There are many different types, and all of them smell amazing.

The rock daphnes are a group of spreading groundcovers. They grow up to ten inches tall and make attractive mounds similar to heathers. Cultivars of Daphne cneorum are commonly available in garden centers. There are also a few shrub daphnes. Most of these tend to be smaller shrubs, only getting two to four feet tall, like Daphne x burkwoodii. The occasional variety, like Daphne bhoula, can grow up to eight feet tall.

All types of daphne are quite low-maintenance. They rarely need any pruning or shaping. They appreciate moist soils with good organic matter. Daphnes are considered poisonous plants, so take care if you have pets in your yard that like to forage.

The hardiness zone varies depending on which type you choose, anywhere from zone 4 for Daphne burkwoodii, to zone 8 for Daphne bhoula.

Daphne x burkwoodii ‘Carol Mackie’

4. Witch Hazel (Hamamelis spp.)

Witch hazels may be the earliest blooming shrub of all. In many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, witch hazels may start to bloom in January or February.

They have a distinct, hairy-looking blossom that is often fragrant, depending on the variety. The species witch hazels, such as Hamamelis virginiana, tend to smell stronger than modern hybrids, like Hamamelis x intermedia Arnold Promise.

Witch hazels are understory plants in their natural habitats and tend to do better in partial, but not full, shade, and moist soil. Theyre a slow-growing shrub, with an open vase-like form that will not become too dense. They can grow up to twelve feet, although they blend easily into the background once theyre done blooming for the year.

The hardiness zone can range from zone 3 to zone 5.

5. Viburnum spp.

Most viburnums have attractive blossoms, but not all viburnums smell. Whereas the early varieties Viburnum carlesii and Viburnum x bodantense are worth planting for their spring fragrance.

Both with grow up to eight feet tall and wide over time, but can be easily pruned to shape. They prefer full sun and well-drained soil with good organic matter. Both make effective hedging plants or can stand alone as specimens.

Viburnum carlesii is a hardiness zone 4 and Viburnum x bodantense is hardy to zone 5.

Viburnum carlesii

6. Rhododendron spp.

A celebrity of spring-flowering shrubs, rhododendrons can be absolute show-stoppers for a few weeks every year. They are available in countless colors and shades to suit any taste or garden plan.

They have leathery, evergreen leaves and can grow up to twenty feet tall and wide when mature. They can be pruned back to fit into your space as well.

Rhododendrons prefer partial or full shade and a protected location that doesnt get a lot of wind. They do best in moist, acidic soil high in organic matter. A fall application of fertilizer suitable for acid-loving plants will give them an extra boost.

Most varieties of rhododendrons are not very cold tolerant, and will only be hardy to a zone 7 or 8. Although this is slowly changing as plant breeders develop cultivars that are more hardy. If you live in a colder climate, keep an eye out for hardy selections in your local garden center.

7. Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles speciosa)

These shrubs may be overlooked due to the fact they have thorns. But their show of bright white, pink or red flowers early in the spring makes them worthy of a second look. In addition, they will produce quinces in the fall. These are two-inch, round, nutritious fruit that are traditionally used in jams, jellies and baking.

If you have a place in your garden where the thorns wont be an issue, or youre looking for a good natural deer fence, flowering quince could be a great option.

They grow up to eight feet tall and wide. They can handle many different types of growing conditions, are not particular about what type of soil they grow in, and are drought tolerant once established.

Hardy to zone 4.

8. Azalea (Rhododendron spp.)

These are the smaller cousins of rhododendrons. They are often deciduous and lose their leaves in winter, unlike their evergreen relatives.

Azaleas typically grow from two to eight feet tall. If you need to prune them to shape, make sure to do this soon after the blooms have finished for the year. They will start to set flower buds for next year in the spring.

They prefer partially shady locations and can handle a bit more sun than rhododendrons. The soil should be acidic. Mulching with pine or other conifer needles can be a great way to reduce the pH if your soil is too alkaline.

The hardiness zone for azalea varieties can range from 5 to 8.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

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8 Of The Best Spring Flowering Shrubs