Every year there are 136 million pounds of pesticides used on North American gardens and lawns. Surprisingly, homeowners are reported to use about three times the amount of pesticides as farmers. In fact, the majority of wildlife poisoning and water contamination is not from farms or other large organizations — it’s from single-family homes.
It’s summer, your garden is blooming, and you are anxious to host weekend outdoor parties and show off your beautiful patio and yard, but… you live in an area where mosquitoes are like vicious sharks, seemingly waiting in the air to attack. Perhaps you have tried those noisy bug zappers that annoyingly let you know every time they annihilate a flying pest (some of which are not bad pests, either). Between the annoyance and guilt, it may be time to try something more natural to keep the unwanted guests from crashing your party. Here are a few great options.
Yes, I get it; pests can be a problem. In just a few hours, pests gone wild can destroy your beautiful cabbage crop, annihilate your cucumbers, and leave your lettuce looking like it went through a war. All of this is heartbreaking, and I have had it happen to me more than once. There is a solution to this problem, and it is not to pour a vat of toxic chemicals into your garden either. Once I got the formula down – the best method to repel nasty pests – my garden has never been so beautiful. If I can do it, so can you.
It’s a new year; perhaps the year you will cut all refined sugar from your diet, which is a great thing to do. Your resolution to be healthier, however, may leave you with a few extra bags of white sugar – you know the kind that you loved (past tense) to put in your favorite cookies? No worries, that same sugar that you are trying to nix out of your diet is the very thing your garden needs.
They may be tiny, but they are also insanely damaging. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on garden plants in temperate growing zones. They cling to plants and suck sap, which weakens the plant and makes it susceptible to a host of viruses. They also leave ugly honeydew deposits (a sugary, rich liquid) on leaves, closely followed by sooty mold growth.
While TV advertisements and mainstream gardening advice would have you believe that all sorts of chemicals are required to manage issues in your garden, we think otherwise. A holistic approach often works best – preventing any toxic side effects and also saving you money. Here is how you can enjoy the superpower of cinnamon in your garden.
July and August are months when you should be enjoying the fruits of your labor in your flower garden. Unfortunately, high summer temperatures and drought conditions sometimes bring a premature end to your garden’s beauty. Fortunately, there are some key things that you can do now, in the heat of summer to renew your flower garden’s vigor.
Leaping from traditional gardening methods to organic ones may seem daunting at best. However, there are many little tricks that you can employ without much effort to help you get started on your organic gardening journey. Here are just a few of the most important areas to focus on as you transition to organic growing.
As the weather starts to warm up, you are likely itching to get outside and start all of those spring garden tasks that keep you busy until its time to plant. But before you can begin trimming bushes, adding compost to your soil, and planting seeds, you’ll want to make sure that you embrace the spring cleaning fervor outside as well as inside your home. Preparing your garden shed and tools now will help you stay organized and make each of your precious garden days count.
Anyone who has some shady spots in their garden should consider the elegant coleus plant. Coleus was first made popular when it was used as a Victorian bedding plant. This sophisticated beauty has been making a comeback and is equally content in both traditional and modern gardens alike. These stunning plants give all-season color in the shade and are extremely easy to care for. Here are some tips for growing healthy coleus plants.
Flaxseeds are incredibly healthy, and are often towards the top of lists of the healthiest seeds, right along with chia and hemp. They are loaded with omega 3 fatty acids, proteins, dietary fibers, vitamins of the B group, and minerals such as magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. If you’re looking to add a new crop to your garden this season and grow your very own flax, this article will help you get started.
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