Lessons Learned From a Backyard Garden

A friend told me to use Diatomaceous Earth - used in swimming pool filters - to help control ants.

We had them in an area where poison didn't belong.

Worked well.

(Give it three-four days, the D.E. doesn't work as fast as poison, but it does work.)


I've been so busy this year and didn't get the garden in.

Hoping to clean it out in a few days and get some watermelons in.

Growing watermelons here in the Dez is a cinch from what other desert gardeners have told me and it seems to be true.

About half way through last summer I planted some watermelon plants and they pretty much took over the N/W corner and outside the garden.

My youngest dachshund ate into the ones outside the fence, so an enlargement of the garden will be required.

We plan to let the remainder of the garden lay fallow the rest of the season and into winter.

Desert soil seems to need a lot of help.

[edit on 7/7/2009 by Desert Dawg]

Here in this part of FL, this time of year it good weather for us frogs.

Not so much so for gardens. So much rain, humdity and high temps lead to so many weeds, bugs, fungus and molds that it is hard to keep a decent garden in the height of summer here.

Still I fight the good fight and give the old try.

For some reason, there is a cold comfort in the fact that I know there will be a new weed and new bug tomorrow for every one I dispose of today.

Maybe its because when I'm gone and everyone else is gone the weeds and bugs will still be around.

Mother Nature always bats last.

Always.

She always has and she always will.

When it looks hopeless and its the bottom of the 9th. That is when she is most likey to knock a grand slam out of the park.

She'll win in the end.

She always has and she always will.

Always.

So I pull her weeds and take comfort in the fact that she is simply letting me get a few runs in at this stage of the game.

Here's a harsh lesson I've learned, in this, my first year at full on gardening: slugs love broad beans (fava beans). In fact, they will completely ignore the mass of juicy lettuces in the adjacent bed - they'll crawl right over 'em without taking a bite - to get to the broad beans. Which is unfortunate, as I like broad beans too, which is why I planted them.

Does anyone have a failsafe, organic, non-chemical method of detering or defeating slugs? Or should I resign myself to sharing the feast with my slimy enemy? I've tried everything from physical barriers to physical combat (throwing them over next-doors garden)!

Originally posted by Paul

Does anyone have a failsafe, organic, non-chemical method of detering or defeating slugs? Or should I resign myself to sharing the feast with my slimy enemy? I've tried everything from physical barriers to physical combat (throwing them over next-doors garden)!

Doesn't beer in a shallow dish work? I remember doing that at my Aunt's.

Originally posted by pavil

Originally posted by Paul

Does anyone have a failsafe, organic, non-chemical method of detering or defeating slugs? Or should I resign myself to sharing the feast with my slimy enemy? I've tried everything from physical barriers to physical combat (throwing them over next-doors garden)!

Doesn't beer in a shallow dish work? I remember doing that at my Aunt's.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Yeah I've heard about putting a dish or cup with beer in the ground, although have yet to try this method. I think I'd need a lot of cups and a lot of beer for it to be effective for the size of the slug army and the area that needs covering!

Here are a few other methods for controlling the slimy critters Paul.

www.thegardenhelper.com...

• Cedar bark or gravel chips spread around your plant will irritate and dehydrate slugs.
  
• The sharp edges of crushed eggshells around the plants will cut and kill slugs. The calcium in the eggshells is a good soil amendment anyway!
  
• Sprinkle a line of lime around your plants. (Obviously this won't work around plants requiring a more acidic soil)
  
• Certain herbs (Rosemary, lemon balm,wormwood, mints, tansy, oak leaves, needles from conifers and seaweed will repel slugs. However using a mulch of these plants will only turn thhe slugs away, in search of other food sources.
  
• Oat bran will kill slugs when they eat it... sprinkle some around.

Hope this helps.

reply to post by Paul


I remember it working pretty good you have to have the cup or bowl pretty level with the ground, sunk into the ground otherwords. The smell somehow is very attractive to the slug who enter and then then die. Give it a try. We only set out one or two traps and would get more than a handful of slugs in each one overnight.

Lessons learned here:
It is possible to have both squash bugs and stink bugs both, at the same time, in your garden.
It is also possible to have a second infestation a month after you've beaten the first batch.
Not many types of trellising can withstand 100mph winds, and if they can once, or twice....the third time gets em.
3 cucumber plants is enough for my family, my neighbors, my church.... =)
Do NOT put all cucubits (squash, pumpkins, cukes) all in the same row. See comment about squash bugs! =)
Do not put onions in the area around/in front of any plants if you have a short reach!
Plastic mulch is slippery! Also, squash bugs seem to love it because they can hide under it every night.
The coolest time to pick produce will be when the most mosquitoes are out!
Gardening is a Blast!=)
gb,
~prep

reply to post by preparanoid


Squash bugs. I didn't know that's what they were called, but I had them. I only got a whopping two cucumbers this year, a couple of zuchini squash and two butternut squash. I even replanted the cucumbers and still only made out with two!

Our garden was miserable this year. I take comfort (just a small amount)in the fact that just about everyone I know that put in a garden this year, didn't fare any better than I did.

Bugs and the weather did ours in. I certainly hope next year is better because we depend a lot on our own produce.