lisa 
IPM, integrated pest management, is using insects to control pests and diseases in the garden. But plants can be used to control pests as well. Here is a list of plants and what insects they repel. INSECT PEST REPELLING PLANT Ants pennyroyal, spearmint, southernwood, tansy Aphids garlic, chives and other alliums, coriander, anise, nasturtium and … Read more
Today my seedlings (I took the photo shown was taken on 3-28) spent a few hours on my front porch. According to a few gardening books I’ve been looking at (I think I need to make a list of the books I’m using as reference) I need to “harden off” the seedlings for a week … Read more
Evie and Mick’s souvenir gift for Jasper and I from their honeymoon Disney Vacation. She knows me so well – OF COURSE I need a Mickey Mouse Garden Gnome!!!
Illini Blackberry Developed and patented by the Univ. of Illinois and cultivated for northern growers, tests prove “Illini” hardier, more vigorous, and more abundant in crops of top quality fruit than you will get from older varieties. Shiny, black berries taste a lot like delicious, wild blackberries. Extensive field tests show it has fruited the … Read more
I’m waiting till it gets a bit warmer to plant the pole garden beans and the oregano, but all the rest have already been planted. The Tomatoes and Peppers and still inside in their peat pots becoming strong little seedlings as we speak. (or type as the case may be) Spinach – BurpeeMelody Hybrid. Planted … Read more
Today was cold compared to earlier in the week. We wore coats outside and got a lot done. Yesterday the ground was too wet to work because it had been raining on and off. I put the railroad tie borders around vegetable garden beds B and C and today I dug in the Miracle Grow … Read more
It’s almost 3am and I can hear the rain coming down hard outside my cracked open windows… I’m smiling because my gardens are going to be beautiful this year! 🙂
One Vegetable Garden Planted, Three To Go! So far, only one of the four planned vegetable garden beds have the railroad tie borders around them due to dh’s hectic retail schedule. Since one of them was ready to go, I got busy planting it today. This veg bed, bed D, already had some garlic growing … Read more
I’m usually the kind of person to start a project with a rough idea of how I’d like it to turn out. Often, I’ve been known to wing it. Hell, I describe myself as someone who usually flies by the seat of my pants and makes it by the skin of my teeth. Maybe gardening … Read more
In the fall I tried to clean up my compost operation that was taking over a corner of my back yard. The original pile was semi-enclosed with a short wall of border bricks. It was messy and I got sick of looking at it after a while. I spread all my finished compost as mulch … Read more