Green Gardening – Protecting Your Garden

Green Gardening

Part B – Protecting my Green Garden

If insects or diseases threaten my garden even after using companion planting and good husbandry, there are natural remedies. Instead of poisonous pesticides, I use non-persistent, less dangerous common household items when I can. For example, botrytis in lilies and peonies and black-spot in roses are serious problems. Cleaning up the leaves in the fall and spraying early with one quart water, one teaspoon unscented Ivory dish soap, & one teaspoon baking soda works. Spray every five days if botrytis is a problem.

Netting over cabbage family plants stops the white moth from laying its eggs, but if the green caterpillars are present, bacillus thurogensis will kill them. It is selective and harmless to people or pets. Wood ashes (from deciduous trees) sprinkled around onion sprouts deters onion maggots. Columbine beetles, rose cucurlios, and blister beetles can be hand-picked. Use gloves for blister beetles. A deterrent spray can be made from the specific insect in the blender. Strain and spray on the host plants immediately.

I do not weed too early because cutworms will eat weeds just as well as garden vegetables. If I see a wilted plant I dig up cutworm and destroy it. In years when cutworm problems are predicted, I put a toothpick in the group beside and parallel to the stem of the cabbage family plants. To fight Canada thistles, wait until they bud to bloom. Cut the stems above ground. Spray white vinegar into the hollow cut stems. This kills the roots as well as the plant.

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I use discarded short fiber jute-back carpets to make weed free paths. I collect, restore and paint old lawn furniture. I use discarded lumber scraps to build bird houses. The birds are an integral part of the eco-systems of my yard.

When I harvest my tasty nutritious vegetables, I feel comfortable that my vegetables have not been poisoned, transported hundreds of miles, held in storage for days; and that the soil that fed them contains the wide range of nutrients needed to keep us healthy. The frozen or canned veggies, dried herbs, and cold-room root veggies provide more than we need until the new crop arrives.

Submitted to PAnow.com for Renewable Power Intelligent Choice Blog

Written by Jacqueline Swiderski, Christopher Lake, Ph. 982-4888