Archive for October 2008

This video will show how easy it is to pick Green Beans.

Posted in Garden Videos | No Comments »

Deer are among the largest of the common garden pests.  They’re also carriers of deer ticks, and deer ticks carry Lyme disease. So, preventing deer from invading your space not only saves your precious landscape and garden plants, but it could be good for your health, too!

There are several ways to keep deer away.You can plant landscape and garden plants that aren’t attractive to deer. Like all mammals, they are attracted to vegetation that smells and tastes good. You can apply scents on or near your plants to deter deer. There are both natural and man-made chemical repellents available in powder, liquid, oil and solid forms. And, there are electronic devices that keep deer heading the opposite direction. Physical barriers, like fences and bushes, are a good defense, but it is not always practical to provide a physical barrier around a large piece of land.  Sometimes, a combination of deterrents is your best bet. Plot Protector is both a physical barrier and a scent barrier that is primarily designed for use in protecting foraging plots until they’re fully established, and are ready to intentionally attract deer.

By using products that smell like the natural predators of deer, such as coyote and fox urine, they’ll want nothing to do with foraging on your plants. Other products work by just making your plants taste and smell rotten to deer, such as Liquid Fence and Plantskydd, which are available in several sizes. Using a foul-smelling deterrent has its downsides, though. Obviously, it’s tough for the person spraying the product to avoid the smell. And, they only work after the pest has tasted it, meaning you’ll lose a flower top or a few delicate hosta leaves before the foraging diner says Yuck! and moves on to your neighbor’s plant buffet.

Homemade liquid repellents can be a cost-saving and effective method, but they’re not always very efficient. Commercial products are carefully designed to be easy to apply, to adhere to plants, to be safe to use on edible gardens, and to be long-lasting, so the product doesn’t have to be reapplied after each rain. One of our favorites is Plantskydd, which repels deer, elk and rabbits. Liquid Fence’s scent is repulsive to both deer and rabbits.

Pre-mixed commercial products are always ready to use, so you won’t need to have a variety of ingredients on hand, and you don’t have to constantly mix smelly concoctions in your kitchen. Also, commercial products are safe for garden use, are tested and are proven to work!

Electronic devices like the Electronic Deer Repeller and the DeerChaser can keep deer away from a large area, with no smell and no mess. One downside is they need some type of power, either electric or battery. The Electronic Deer Repeller applies a shock to the curious animal’s nose when it’s approached, to train it to stay away. The DeerChaser uses sound and light to scare away approaching animals. Deer are skittish, so these devices work well, when they’re within sound and sight distance of the intruder.

Deer in the wild are lovely to look at, but when they’re trampling, invading and ingesting the plants you’ve worked hard to grow, they are a pest and a hassle. It takes only a small effort and investment to find the right deterrent to repel or repulse deer, and it’s well worth the effort, if it means saving your garden and greenery.

Posted in Information | No Comments »

This short video will show how easy it is to pick sweet corn.

Posted in Garden Videos | No Comments »

Chrysanthemums steal the show this time of year, when their abundant blooms make gardens as colorful in fall as they are in spring and summer. They’re a traditional symbol of fall and one of autumn’s most indelible images, along with carved pumpkins and falling leaves.

Two of the most popular varieties are Belgian hardy mums and Yoder mums. The European-style Belgian mums came onto the retail scene in recent years and were immediately popular due to their high bud count, with upward of 1,000 blooms on some plants. They also require no pinching or trimming, which makes them easy to grow, and their stems stand up to abuse without breaking. Their rounded habit looks gorgeous in containers or in a flower bed.

Yoder mums are another option. This American classic garden mum has long been a premier fall plant. Created by the Yoder Brothers company in Ohio, they are low-maintenance plants and will thrive and flower for several weeks in full sun and fertile soil.

There’s a kaleidoscope of colors available in all mum varieties, including yellows, golds, oranges, bronzes, reds, pinks and purples. They’ll add a festive touch to your landscape and your mood. Mums create a spectacular splash of color to any garden or front porch. Pot them, hang them in baskets or add to a window box.

When winter approaches, if you prefer to overwinter your mums instead of treating them as annuals, cover with a thick layer of mulch as they hibernate until spring.

Whichever mums you choose, this is a great time to be a gardener with the range of mums available, bred for their prolific blooms, long-lasting colors and exceptional tolerance to both hot and cold temperatures.

Face it, fall without chrysanthemums is like spring without tulips or summer without roses. Shapes and colors abound, with puffy and round bouquet pompons, or lacy spider mums or even daisy mums with button centers in tight clusters of color. You’ll find a range of bloom dates, from very early to late season, so with a bit of planning, you can keep your gardens in living color throughout the fall months.

Posted in Information | No Comments »