Home and Garden Diva

You are here: Home / Archives for The yard / Gardening

Beginner’s Guide To Organic Gardening: 4 Natural Pest Control Techniques

by

Organic gardening can be an excellent way to save money and eat fresh, delicious fruits and vegetables; however, it also comes with a fair share of problems and frustrations. One of the main problems that one might encounter is pest control. There are a lot of things you need to take into consideration, especially if you want to use safe and organic techniques.

Organic pest control may seem like a contradiction, but it is not. This involves combining preventive methods as well as supporting the natural eco-system. If you are interested in organic gardening, it is also important to learn how to control the pests in your yard and garden without using chemical insecticides or pesticides. It is crucial to understand that complete annihilation is not the answer in controlling these unwanted creatures.

Why Should You Use Organic Pest Control Techniques?

As a gardener, you need to understand that a healthy garden also needs to have insects. They are an important part of the ecosystem and must not be completely eradicated. Insects and bugs serve as food for lizards, birds, and wildlife as well as assist in the pollination process. They also help break down the nutrients found in the soil, compost, and become nutrients themselves once they die. With that said, completely eradicating them from your organic garden won’t be such as good idea. It is best to simply control them to avoid a full-blown infestation.

When controlling these insects and bugs, you need to avoid using chemical pesticides since these products can eliminate the nutrients produced by plants and vegetables. Chemical pesticides also eliminate beneficial soil microbes which will result to an unhealthy environment. Lastly, long exposure to these toxic chemicals may lead to health problems, such as cancer, alzeimer’s, and fertility issues. If you want to properly control the insects, bugs, and other pests in your organic garden, you can try a more natural approach.

Natural Pest Control Techniques

Companion Planting: This is a crucial technique in organic gardening. This method involves using plants that have natural properties which help others grow as well as deter pests. The plants’ natural properties will also help increase the production in the garden. Here are a few of the most common companion plants:

  • Basil: This plant can be planted alongside tomatoes to improve its production as well as its flavor. Basil is also a good companion plant for peppers. It is also said to successfully repel mosquitoes due to its scent.
  • Chamomile: This is a wonderful companion for cucumbers, onions and cabbages. It also attracts beneficial insects that can help get rid of harmful pests, insects, and bugs.
  • Catnip: This is an herb which is great for squash and cucumbers. It also helps repel bugs and aphids. You can also use its dried leaves to create your own pest control spray in your organic garden.
  • Dill: This plant can improve the flavor of cucumber lettuce and cabbages. It also repels pests found in the garden.
  • Marigolds: You can plant marigolds throughout your garden to repel mosquitoes, flies, and other stinging insects.
  • Sunflowers: These are another excellent companion plants and can add aesthetic appeal to your organic garden while keeping aphids and other bugs at bay.

Powdered Kelp Solution: Aside from companion planting, you can also create a natural pest control spray, such as creating a solution from powdered Kelp. This solution can repel Japanese beetles and aphids while nourishing the plants in your garden. You can spray the solution once a week or before infestation times.

Lemon Balm Tea: This natural solution can keep squash bugs and aphids away from your garden. You only need to spray your plants with lemon balm tea at least two or three times a week when necessary.

Hot Pepper And Garlic Spray: All you need are 2-3 cloves of garlic, 4 hot cayenne peppers, 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, a tablespoon of liquid soap, and 2-3 cups of hot water. You must then blend all the ingredients together for several minutes then let it sit overnight. Doing so will help intensify its effects. The next day, you can then strain the solution with a strainer or towel and store the solution in a glass container or spray bottle. Spray the solution directly onto the plants at least once a week. This solution can successfully repel garden bugs, insects, and wildlife pests.

Citations:
Featured images:

Kris Lim is an avid gardener who shares her tips and techniques to her readers. In this article, she aims to help her readers learn more about the natural pest control techniques they can apply to their own organic garden.

Love Organic Gardening? So Do These A-List Celebrities!

by

If you have a passion for growing your own organic produce at home, you may be interested to know you are in good company. A number of big name celebrities from around the world are also big fans of organic gardening and keep their own fruit and vegetable gardens. From Hollywood royalty to actual royalty, here are some of gardening’s most famous fans:

Julia Roberts’ Educational Organic Garden in Malibu

Oscar winner Julia Roberts started her organic garden not only as a way to help her family eat healthily, but also to teach her children about science and the origins of their food. She grows an assortment of vegetables, including organic kale and tomatoes in her organic garden at her Malibu home, however as this is one of only three of the star’s residences; we imagine she has some help to take care of her plants when she’s away or on location working on one of her movies!

Lucy Lawless’ Organic Paradise Down Under

Most famous for her role as Xena: Warrior Princess, actress and all round action woman Lucy Lawless is also becoming increasingly well known for her passion for the environment. She is an ambassador for Greenpeace, and insists on green rules, like the banning of Styrofoam cups and disposable plates on set when she is shooting. At her expansive 17,000 square foot residence in her native New Zealand, Lucy farms a variety of organic produce and has implemented plenty of green technology, like solar panels, so she can enjoy the celebrity lifestyle without harming the environment.

Nicole Kidman’s Hobby Garden

While she recently told Vogue magazine it was “just a hobby” and not the start of a new venture, Oscar winning A-list actress Nicole Kidman has recently joined her mother and sister in becoming an organic gardener. She started a food garden at her huge ranch in Tennessee, where she lives with her husband and two kids. Her whole family muck in with gardening tasks like planting and harvesting vegetables, deck cleaning and weeding, and enjoy the fresh organic produce that results from their hard work.

Prince Charles’ Lifelong Love of Gardening

Prince Charles was famous for his love of plants (and his rumoured habit of talking to them) long before it was cool to be into organic farming, and has been featured in books on organic gardening as one of the hobby’s biggest ambassadors. He has organic vegetable patches and fruit orchards at his royal properties, and even has his own brand of organic jams and other products. He uses completely organic methods for everything he grows to ensure his plants are completely natural, nourishing his plants with natural compost (perhaps produced by his horses) and even gathering rain water to use to water his plants instead of using tap water.

While you may not have the space and the money these famous names do to create the organic garden of your dreams, it is interesting to know that even the stars think it is important to know where your food comes from and eat well!

Attached Images:

Today’s feature writer, Daniel Morgan, is a home improvement expert at As Good As New. Daniel is a frequent blogger. Through his blogs, he likes to share tips on economical ways of home renovation with his readers.

Rhino Deck: Making Your Outdoor Space Come Alive

by

The right landscaping can add a beautiful look and a lush, tranquil feel to your deck space. It can also provide valuable functions like shade and privacy. What’s more, outdoor gardens can provide herbs, fruits and vegetables.

Figuring out what landscaping will work best for your deck space can be a challenge. Rhino Deck offers the following ideas and advice for turning a bare bones outdoor structure into a garden oasis.

First, consider the function your landscaping will serve. Do you want to provide shade? Privacy? Are you looking to cover up gaps or spaces? Or do you just want to accent your space with colorful foliage and flowers?

If you’re looking to provide shade, building or remodeling your deck space around or near an existing tree with a large canopy is one option. Adding tall trees around an existing deck is another. You can also consider installing lattice panels in the sunniest spots, and training vines to climb to create a living wall. Rhino Deck offers durable, beautiful composite lattice panels ideal for just such a purpose.

Vine-covered lattice structures are also excellent for providing privacy. You can also create privacy by artfully placing potted plants in the deck’s interior to cover spaces between rails. For some extra fun and function, choose fruiting vines like tomatoes or peppers, or bushy herbs like lavender or rosemary to create your own vegetable or herb garden. For lower or platform decks, tall shrubs or a combination of trees and shrubs of varying heights can be planted around the perimeter to act as a natural screen.

If you’re simply looking to enhance your deck view with a beautiful garden space, the options are really only limited by your budget, your space and your imagination. Linear gardens work really well around decks, but a free-form garden with sprawling native plants or lush and dense tropical warm-weather plants can look just as lovely, and give you the feeling of being in a secluded natural setting.

Once you’ve decided what function you want your landscaping to serve, you must figure out what types of plants you’ll need to accomplish your goals. To do so, first study the sunlight and rainwater patterns of your deck space. Plants that need drier roots will need to be planted away from deck edges where water collects. Plants that require partial shade will thrive in your deck’s shadier spots, but wilt in full sun.

After you’ve determined what types of plants will be most successful in your space, you can begin choosing specific plants that meet your color, size and style preferences. Then you can map out where each plant will be placed. All that follows is to prep the area, plant your garden and watch your yard come to life.

If you need help designing or implementing a deck landscaping plan, contact a landscape architect or a local nursery for a consultation. For help building or remodeling a deck that perfectly complements and integrates with your landscaping, visit the Rhino Deck website. Rhino Deck offers the best composite decking materials. The company also provides a list of qualified builders and installers in your area.

Have Children? Be Careful Of These Dangerous Plants And Flowers

by

dangerous_flowersAs the warmer weather rolls in, many people are heading outside to get their gardens ready for summer.  There are many plants and flowers that are pleasing to the eye.  However, they are much less pleasing to the skin and stomach.

If you have young children at home, you must take caution.  There are lots of plants and flowers that are poisonous.  Additionally, there are several that are capable of causing allergic reactions.

Who Is In Danger?

Some plants can affect anyone.  By simply pruning a plant or picking a flower, you could cause a skin irritation.  Other plants cause damage by smelling them.

However, young children are definitely at the highest risk.  These curious tots tend to get themselves in trouble.  If you have children who are just learning to walk, like to touch everything they see, or put nearly everything in their mouths, you definitely need to keep reading.

If you have any of these dangerous plants or flowers in your garden, you might want to remove them or put a fence around the most dangerous ones.  At the very least, teach your children which plants and flowers to avoid.  Also, keep a close eye on children when they are outside.

What Are the Symptoms to Watch For?

If someone has touched or eaten a dangerous plant, you might notice vomiting, stomach cramps, irregular heartbeat, or burning of the mouth.

The severity and type of the symptoms will depend on the plant or flower.

What Should I do if I Suspect Poisoning?

If the person is having difficulty breathing or is unconscious, call 911 right away.  If you need to go to the hospital, take a piece of the plant with you.  This will help make a diagnosis.  Also, you’ll want to call the poison control center.

  • For skin irritation – Gently wash the area with clean water.
  • For eye irritation – Irrigate the eye(s) with clean water for 20 minutes.
  • If swallowed – Remove any remaining pieces of the plant.  Rinse the mouth with clean water.

Which Plants are Dangerous?

We interviewed a Clearwater florist to find out which plants are the most dangerous to children.  She advised parents to refrain from planting these items.  If they are already in your garden, she says parents might want to remove them.  According to this local florist, these are the most dangerous plants and flowers:

  • Asthma or Stick Weed – This green plant causes skin allergies and can induce asthma attacks.
  • Rhus – If you want to remove this fire-red plant from your garden, make sure all your skin is protected first.
  • Yellow Oleander – Be careful of this evergreen tree and it’s yellow tubular flowers.  All parts of the plant – even the seeds – are toxic.
  • Cactus – If a child managed to swallow this, it could definitely do some internal damage.  More likely, you’ll need to worry about the damage the spines could do to skin and eyes.
  • Hot Chilies – While eating these plants won’t likely be fatal, the hot, spicy peppers can cause a lot of distress for a youngster.  Be very careful with these plants; the bright colors will definitely entice young hands.
  • Dumb Cane – If a child swallows this popular house plant, the mouth will become irritated and swollen.
  • Angel Trumpet – All parts of this flower are toxic and can cause hallucinations.
  • Grevileas – This reddish plant causes dermatitis.
  • Oleander – Every part of this flower is toxic.  Plus, the sap can irritate the skin and eyes.
  • Poinsettia – If children eat this holiday favorite, they will experience delirium.  Like Oleander, the sap of Poinsettias can irritate the skin and eyes.
  • Arum Lily – From the bulb to the flower, every part of this plant is poisonous.

You may desperately desire a beautiful, lush garden this summer.  But don’t plant things that will put your family in danger.  Follow the advice of our local florist; don’t fill your outdoor space with potentially harmful flowers and plants.

Attached Images:

Guest author Emily Renshaw is a freelance writer.  She specializes in subjects relating to families and child development.

Let Your Imagination Run Wild With 5 Cool Ways To Change Your Garden This Summer

by

Don’t tell me you’ve not looked out at the garden recently and tried to come up with some amazing ways to make it better. It’s the same every year when you look out of the window and there is snow lying everywhere. You start to get a little depressed because you can’t go outside and your imagination starts to run wild. Have you ever done something about it before, or does next winter come around before you have the chance to do anything?

You should make this year different because you will feel great when the sun is out and you spend time outside. The last thing you want is to be sitting in a garden that you don’t think looks nice. It completely ruins the moment, so you shouldn’t let it. Think about everything you would like to do and run with your favorite idea before it’s too late. We can even look at some ideas together so you can get that imagination of yours running wild again.

Add some decking

Fiberon Tropics composite decking

You could choose a little corner of your garden and add some decking, or you could even have some running off the house. When it’s nice outside you could put out a table and chairs so the family can sit around and eat their meals while relaxing in the sun. You could always put the furniture on the grass, but when you have decking it looks a lot better. If you had a nice seat out there you could also sit and read books when you’re not at work.

Get rid of the crap

You might have some things inside your garden that you don’t want to be there anymore. If it’s something big like a hut you maybe haven’t got rid of it because it’s too much work. This year could be different and you could go outside and start knocking it down this weekend. Get rid of everything else in your garden that is making it look a mess. Even if you don’t replace anything it will still look a lot better when the crap is gone.

A kid’s playhouse

Old playhouse

If you have young children you might want to do something nice for them because they will be using the garden a lot more than you during the summer. You’ll have to think about the kinds of things they might like. You could put a playhouse in the corner and they will love it whether they are a boy or a girl. If you think back to when you were a child I bet it’s something you loved. You could even turn it into a tree house if your child is a little older.

Let there be light

Even though the sun sticks around longer in the evenings during summer it won’t be there all night. Eventually it will be gone and your garden won’t be suitable to spend any time in unless you add some lighting. When your garden is light up it looks beautiful and you can stay outside as late as you want. You have a huge number of options available to you and perhaps it’s best if you looked hard before you decided how you would light the place up.

Grow some vegetables

sun gold tomatoes

If you have enough time to spare you could take up a new hobby. It’s quite enjoyable growing your own vegetables and eating something you have grown yourself always tastes a little better. A nice little vegetable patch in the corner of the garden will look great and it could come in very handy. When you’re cooking dinner you can run outside and pick something straight out of the ground if it’s ready.

Attached Images:

The author of this article, Sharon Anderson works for Country Cubbies. Country Cubbies is Australia’s leading cubby housemanufacturer with a huge range of cubby houses and children’s play forts.

Meta

Tags

basement bed bedroom clean cleaning clutter dog exercise family fitness flowers friends Furniture garden Health help home house husband ideas Kitchen laptop Lighting money Music neighborhood neighbors party plants room Shopping sick skin spring summer tips tired Toronto Travel tv Vacation walking warm winter work

Pages