Posted on 03/23/2008 11:36:40 PM PDT by nw_arizona_granny
Americans finding soaring food prices hard to stomach can battle back by growing their own food. [Click image for a larger version] Dean Fosdick Dean Fosdick
Home vegetable gardens appear to be booming as a result of the twin movements to eat local and pinch pennies.
At the Southeastern Flower Show in Atlanta this winter, D. Landreth Seed Co. of New Freedom, Pa., sold three to four times more seed packets than last year, says Barb Melera, president. "This is the first time I've ever heard people say, 'I can grow this more cheaply than I can buy it in the supermarket.' That's a 180-degree turn from the norm."
Roger Doiron, a gardener and fresh-food advocate from Scarborough, Maine, said he turned $85 worth of seeds into more than six months of vegetables for his family of five.
A year later, he says, the family still had "several quarts of tomato sauce, bags of mixed vegetables and ice-cube trays of pesto in the freezer; 20 heads of garlic, a five-gallon crock of sauerkraut, more homegrown hot-pepper sauce than one family could comfortably eat in a year and three sorts of squash, which we make into soups, stews and bread."
[snipped]
She compares the current period of market uncertainty with that of the early- to mid-20th century when the concept of victory gardens became popular.
"A lot of companies during the world wars and the Great Depression era encouraged vegetable gardening as a way of addressing layoffs, reduced wages and such," she says. "Some companies, like U.S. Steel, made gardens available at the workplace. Railroads provided easements they'd rent to employees and others for gardening."
(Excerpt) Read more at dallasnews.com ...
[useable]
Hints by JD:
beans - most have fairly mild taste. you can use one that matches the
color
of what you’re cooking, soup, stew, even muffins, and mash up a few
beans to
add to the dish. adds little or no flavor, lots of fiber and a good
bit of
protein. for chocolate chip muffins, for instance, mash up some black
eyed
peas (cooked) and add to the batter. makes the muffins look even more
chocolaty.
dehydrating - we’ve lately been given from 5-10 lbs of apples every
week.
while i eat at least one good apple every day, i can’t use that many
apples! we have dehydrators. we have an apple peeler/slicer/corer.
we can
fill the dehydrator with evenly sliced half moons of apple and have an
entire batch of 6-7 apples dehydrated in 4 hours. no fruit fresh,
salt,
sugar, or other flavoring needed. however, you can sprinkle the wet
apples
with a tiny bit of cinnamon or whatever before dehydrating - not too
much as
the dehydration process will intensify the flavors. we store in mason
jars
and zip lock bags. they are a very popular snack and good for us. i
have 2
of the apple peeler/corer/slicers as i used to sell pampered chef.
but, i
see them regularly at thrift stores. children LOVE to operate them, so
have
at it with your kids. apple peels also make great fried pies. wash
the
apples before peeling, place the peels in a bag and toss with a bit of
flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon and wrap in pastry (or make a regular
pie),
then bake or fry the ‘pie’. yummy! cores and seeds go to the birds
and
squirrels.
want to learn a craft (or anything else) for free? check out
www.gutenberg.org for free downloads of books that are no longer
covered by
copyright. also, plenty of other great online sites for this -
www.about.comis a good place to start.
store cleaning supplies safely in the room they’ll be used. this makes
a
quick clean up much easier. i have been known to buff in the buff
because i
didn’t have to run to a closet somewhere to find the cleaning supplies
and
rags. stock up on the supplies when they’re on sale - or when you make
up a
big batch - and each batch will last a lot longer since you’re using
only a
small bit of each one. i’m NOT a happy housekeeper, so when the mood
strikes me, i like to have everything handy to take advantage of the
opportunity to clean up quickly.
share your food - if you cook more than you can eat of something, put
the
extras in a baggy, disposable container (from the thrift store or
whatever)
and take to an elderly neighbor or a friend in a retirement home.
these
people seldom get the kind of variety in their diet that the rest of
us
enjoy.
jd in st. louis
Hey.. btw are you the same Az_Grammy that posts on TB2K?<<<
NO....and I rarely read there, unless a link happens to take me there.
I have limited use of my eyes, so they never last long enough to read all I want at Free Republic.
Once in a while I answer a question at one of the Yahoo Groups, but not as often as I should.
I think we should always have several months of survival supplies, have already been there and lived that one.
One morning about 10 am, my husband came home from work and said “can you take me to the doctor? I think I am having a heart attack”.
It was 2 years before he could work again. And we lived in a town of 200, with few jobs for women, I have always been thankful for my stockpiled food.
Do keep us aware of what is going on in your area, that will be as close as I come to knowing what is going on in mine.
I had a letter from an old friend today, who says he is ordering for his storage again from WaltonFeed.com, also where I have shopped for storage food, Don just placed an order there in the last 6 months and if he is worried, so am I, as he is a wise man.
Laughing and thinking of his cussing letter that will come when he finds out how long it will take to get the new order from them.
During the run up to Y2K, they were up to 2 years behind on orders, the supplies simply were not to be had.
For me, when I first got sick and quit driving and relied on them for my daily food and let them know, they were shipping to me the day the order came and not even waiting for a personal check to clear......LOL, so of course, I do not bother with looking at other companies, I like their food and trust them to do the best they can.
In my wandering around on the internet, I am still finding that most of the bonus checks are being spent for food and equipment for canning.....but of course there are many who are using it to go on vacations to other countries.....
If I had to wait for a bonus for a vacation trip, I would go and camp in the back yard.
Any way that it goes, we are in for a hunkerdown year or 3.
Welcome back, we missed you.
I know that you will be accurate in your cooking [and other] information, while a lot of what I know, is of the “this is how I do it” type.
Now for your fresh meat supply, may I suggest a small enclosed garden, with a high fence and a large gate, which you can pull closed while the critters are eating your food, before you eat them.
With water, dried food and meat, you are indeed well prepared.
Are you hearing the locals talk about food shortages? Are they all madly shopping?
Many are using the tax bonus checks to buy food with or for the tools they could not afford for canning and drying foods.
I like rice and I know of one other Freeper that likes if, so if you care to share your recipes, we will sure be interested in them.
Thanks for any help that you have time to give.
[Interesting, had you heard of it?]
Thought this might be of assistance to some on the group. I have
Catalpa trees around my home for shade and they would invariably get the
Catawba worms shortly after the leaves got big and beautiful. Here is how I
eventually stopped the problem altogether:
Boil one whole garlic bulb in four quarts of water until very mushy.
Allow to cool and dump the whole thing around the base of the tree. Do
this once every three weeks in the growing season for each tree you are
protecting and start very early. I did mine the first week in March here
in the deep south. blessings, deb in AL
growing mulberry trees
Posted by: “JV”
If you want to grow from seed then just mash the fruit slightly on top
of a
pot of soil and put in a sunny window. When about 6 inches tall plant
outside and keep well watered for the first 6 months.
To grow from cuttings, take cuttings from the ends of the branches that
are
about 6 inches long, shove them into a bowl of mud. Keep the mud in a
shady
or indirect sunlight location and keep it constantly damp. In about 8
weeks
start letting it dry to normal soil conditions then plant into your
yard.
Expect a couple not to make it, but most will root easily using this
method.
Good luck, mine will be a few weeks still
Jo-Anne
Mullberry Juice and Mulberry Jelly Recipes
Posted by: “Marcia
Hello All, I went digging into my recipe archives for this information,
but it is great and workable recipes.
Mulberry Juice for canning
Wash perfect mulberries. Cover with boiling water and bring to a simmer
over low heat. Do not boil, but cook slowly until fruit is very soft.
Strain through a muslim bag or one made of several layers of
cheesecloth. Add sugar if desired, about 1 cup to each gallon of juice. Pour
into hot sterilized jars, filling them within 1/2” of the top. Adjust
lids and process in water approximately 180degrees F., not boiling.
Boiling will ruin the flavor of fruit juices.
Pints 15 minutes. Quarts 20 minutes.
I usually can the juice without sugar.
Tart Mulberry Jelly
from the kitchens of MCP
3 and 3/4 cups Mulberry juice- unsweetened( 3 quarts of mulberries)
1/2 C lemon juice
1 package of MCP jam and jelly pectin
5 and 1/2 C. sugar
To prepare fruit
Rinse and fully crush berries one layer at a time to let juices flow
freely.
To make jelly
Measure sugar into dry bowl to be added later. Measure Mulberry juice
into 6 or 8 qt. kettle. If short of juice, fill last cup with water to
equal exact amount. Add lemon juice. Add pectin to juice in kettle,
stir well. Place over high heat, bring to a boil stirring constantly.
Add measured sugar, mix well. Continue stirring and bring to a full
rolling boil (a boil that cannot be stirred down). Boil hard exactly
two minutes, remove from heat. Skim foam and pour into glasses. Follow
directions in pectin package for sealing glasses.
The canned mulberry juice is drinking gold in the winter. Mix with
7-up or tea for a wonderful beverage.
The jelly is a very sweet jelly. Wonderful on toast.
Mulberry trees here we come. Marcia
Ahh OK just wondering because one of the members over there is named AzGrammy.
Anyway I agree with you on having stored food.. some may think its nuts.. but we are well into having at the last a years worth of food AND supplies stored.
Another great resource I have found is dollar stores.. great places to stock up on soaps, bleach, cleaners, extra food and such.. people never think about them but they are good.
I too have been hearing about the shortages on storage foods.. I normally order from Emergency Essentials but they are out of some things I wanted as well. Thankfully I stocked up before hand so I am not at a total loss. I will have to check into WaltonFeed.com
I will keep an eye out for whatever is going on in the stores here.. I did a quick trip to Walmart today and rice was low (they are no longer selling 20 lb bags) just 10 lbs and 1lb bags were left. Cooking oils were also pretty low and beans were wiped out.. even the large 20lb packs.
The good news is I may get to visit a Mormon cannery soon (friend is going to take me as a guest) so that will be very cool.. for extra stock.
I know where my stimulus check is going.. :) More preps!
With warmer days also bring those biting insects...
Citrus De-Flea Bath
Collect a batch of citrus fruit. Oranges, lemons, grapefruit, and
limes all work, and can be tried in combination. Squeeze out the
juice. It might be a good idea to remove all of the inside pulp, but
it’s more work and not necessary.
Put all of the squeezed-out rinds in a big pot, and fill it with
water. Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat and simmer for
several hours.
When the rinds have reached a limp, squishy state, scoop them up and
mash them in order to squeeze out as much liquid as possible. Return
that liquid to the pot, and continue to simmer for a few more hours,
allowing the liquid to cook down to some degree. Cool the liquid and
pour through a fine strainer or cheesecloth to remove the pulp.
Bottle it up and refrigerate.
In case you wind up with more than you can use in a reasonable time,
the liquid freezes well and works fine when thawed. (Remember, this
concoction doesn’t have “preservatives”.)
You may also add a quarter of a cup or so to a dog’s bathwater. The
liquid is not sticky, does not stain coats, and kills fleas on
contact.
Tick Repellant
From Annie Berthold-Bond
I dug deep in my herbal formula for this recipe out of desperation,
given that I live in the epicenter of the tick-generated Lyme disease
epidemic. I tested the essential oil that is recommended for ticks,
Rose Geranium, by putting a few drops no more! on our dogs’ collars,
to see if it would repel ticks. Lo and behold, we went from 20 ticks
a day on each dog, to none.
Simple solution:
Two tablespoons of vegetable or nut oil almond oil contains sulfur, a
repellent in its own right.
10 to 25 drops of Rose Geranium essential oil.
Combine the ingredients in a glass jar; shake to blend. Makes 2
tablespoons. Shelf life: six months. Dab a few drops on skin or
clothing, making sure to avoid eyes.
Helpful hints:
Palmerosa is a sister essential oil to Rose Geranium, and it also
repels ticks. It is cheaper, and sometimes easier to find, than Rose
Geranium. Another good repellent that also worked on our dogs is
feeding them garlic pills on a daily basis.
Flea Killer
This is not a flea control; it just kills fleas on contact. Put ¾ to
1 inch of rubbing alcohol in the bottom of any size jar. Add a tiny
bit of Dawn dish detergent. Pour warm water into job to top and mix
together. Apply this to a DRY dog and work into a lather. Rinse. All
fleas will be dead. Use cream rinse on dog after bathing.
Mosquito Remedy
We have no idea why this one works, but people swear by it. Put some
water in a white dinner plate and add a couple of drops of Lemon
Fresh Joy dish detergent. Set the dish on your porch, patio, or other
outdoor area. Mosquitoes flock to the dish and drop dead shortly
after drinking the mixture usually within about ten feet of the dish.
Lets not forget about the great new Mosquito Remedy Listerene
Jim from woodhenge.org made a cordwood house. So did Rob Roy from
Earthwood, http://www.cordwoodmasonry.com/.
Another great resource I have found is dollar stores.. great places to stock up on soaps, bleach, cleaners, extra food and such.. people never think about them but they are good.<<<
We have 2 of the dollar stores and I try to not buy food from them.
My sister came last month and almost all the dollar store foods were over the hill and not eatable.
She threw out 3 jars of mayonaise that were not that old, one only a month or so and also salad dressings, you could smell that they were rancid.
But I do like their cola at 50 cents for a 2 liter bottle.
Yes, do visit the Mormon cannery, you will benefit from it.
I have not been to one, but my Mormon friends over the years kept me up to date and ordered for me.
Many people will be buying foods and that is good, now to get them to cook them and use them.
I have a total Walton Feed.com fan, I found them by accident.
Ten years ago, Excite.com had a program called Voyeur, it displayed the last requested ‘searches’ on their search engine.
LOL, I learned that fools think they can hide the fact that they are looking for porn with lady like words and more phrases than even I knew existed for porn.
But it also had all the ‘other’ searches and I was new to the internet and learning how to get around.
Someone searched for ‘bulk storage food’ , and I clicked to see what it was they were searching for.
Fell in love with Walton’s how to pages and links.
Then set out to check them out and found that they are linked in most Mormon sites and LOL, also found good Mormon cooking group and placed an order with Walton’s.
I have never been sorry and they will fix it if there is a mistake.
Once, I ordered a bag of sliced dehydrated potatoes, they were out and as a substitution, they shipped me the potatoes in 25 cans, many times the cost of what I had ordered and a real blessing, as some are still here, safely sealed, waiting their turn.
I mainly order the bags of things at Walton, as I am not able to buy the super storage foods, except the ones that I used daily.
Stay safe and keep alert.
http://www.starbucks.com/aboutus/compost.asp
Let Starbucks help your garden grow Coffee grounds can provide a valuable source of nutrition for your garden if used properly. The proper amount to be used depends on the condition of the soil and, more specifically, what you are growing in your garden. Check with your local gardening expert to see what is best for your situation. Here are a few general tips.
Applying coffee grounds directly in the garden Coffee grounds can be applied along with other materials as a side dressing for vegetables, roses, and other plants. Coffee grounds are high in nitrogen, but are also acidic. Adding brown material such as leaves and dried grass to the mulch will help keep a balanced soil pH.
Mixing coffee grounds in your compost Coffee grounds act as a green material with a carbon-nitrogen (C-N) ratio of 20-1. They make an excellent addition to your compost. Combined with browns such as leaves and straw, coffee grounds generate heat and will speed up the composting process.
Using coffee grounds in a worm bin: Worms fed with coffee grounds combined with other materials will flourish.
For more information about composting, here are a few helpful Web sites:
compostingcouncil.org (US Composting Council)
compost.org (Composting Council of Canada)
mastercomposter.com
What’s in Coffee Grounds? Starbucks commissioned a study in 1995 to better understand the make up of the organic matter we call coffee grounds. The following is the result of an analysis of our used coffee grounds performed by the University of Washington College of Forest Resources:
Primary Nutrients
Secondary Nutrients
Nitrogen 1.45%
Phosphorus ND ug/g
Potassium 1204 ug/g
Calcium 389 ug/g
Magnesium 448 ug/g
Sulfur high ug/g
Notes:
ND = indicates sample is below detection limit
ug/g = microgram / gram
Granny Note:
The Yahoo Group that had this link, talked about how they go into the Starbucks store and ask for the used grounds, it appears that Starbucks saves the grounds for farmers and gardners.....
granny
I just bought another dehydrator - for that very reason granny.
When those ten pound bags of potatoes go on sale, I buy one, slice the potatoes (unpeeled) in the Cuisinart rinse them off, soak them in fresh water with lemon juice (to prevent browning) and dehydrate them.
They are then ready for cooking. Re-hydrate them in a bit of boiling water for ten minutes, or bake them in a scallop potato dish.
Yummm. And they are available at any time - any year.
http://groups.msn.com/gardenofwitchery/crittercontrol.msnw
[adorable photo of Raccoon doing laundry]
Critter Control
You know, as gardeners, we want to have our cake and eat it too. We love wildlife. Indeed, we have our little garden ponds with goldfish and frogs, our birdfeeders and birdhouses. We love Nature, and we do enjoy the wildlife that comes to call. We don’t like it, though, when the creatures like our places so much that they start viewing our flower beds, plants, and vegetable gardens as the equivalent of a salad bar. I am no different. When we first moved out here from town, we put in a vegetable garden with corn and other goodies. The cottontail rabbits made short order of the beans and other veggies while the raccoons set their sights on the corn. Needless to say, we harvested very little produce that year.
This isn’t a problem just for rural gardeners, either. When we lived in town, we still had rabbits, chipmunks, and the occasional raccoon who would raid the veggie patch and other plantings. Birds would strip the cherry crop, if we would let them. Every wild thing enjoyed the strawberries. Squirrels, crows and starlings would decimate the birdfeeders. I am sure you all have had similar experiences. What can we do?
First of all, despite all our efforts, there will still be some losses. You can keep a dog out back patrolling the place, but sooner or later Fido will be coming indoors, he won’t be out there 24/7. You can spray to your heart’s content, but something invariably will be poached from your plantings. The goal will be to minimize damage, and to prevent as much decimation as possible. Without further adieu, let’s explore some tactics to keep the varmint damage down to a minimum:
Deer
Now I feel sorry for deer. I really do. With all the expansion that has been going on between commercial businesses, new housing developments, and other urban sprawl, much of the natural habitat has diminished for these lovely creatures. Definitely, all of their natural predators are pretty much a thing of the past as well. Many states have instituted special deer hunts on public lands and parks that before were protected habitat for deer because of population increases and pressure on the environment. Even though these efforts have been very successful, deer are becoming an increasing problem with home owners in town as well as in the country.
It’s controversial, but one way people handle deer is to place a feeding station for them. It has to be maintained, though, through good and bad weather, and it can become an expensive proposition if there are a lot of deer in the area. The controversy about this is that it might possibly be illegal in some localities, it is interfering with the natural flow and cycle of the deer, and this can override the deer’s natural foraging activities and will keep them in the area longer than they might normally be.
If you aren’t that dedicated or wild about intervening and having the deer at your place in any way, shape or fashion, there are other alternatives that can be used.
Deer Sprays And Other Deterrents
—You can always mix up a batch of eggs, raw of course, and add water to them. While a half-dozen or so eggs are relatively cheap, when blended with water and sprayed on desirable plants, it will act as a deterrent to deer. It will need to be reapplied after overhead watering or rain, though.
—Another way to keep deer at bay is to scatter human hair clippings in the garden.
—Deer do not like the scent of soap or aftershave. Perhaps this is why hunters avoid using any scented toiletries before they go out deer hunting. So, this is one that might be easier on the nostrils than the rotten egg approach!
—Hang small bars of soap from the branches of trees and shrubs. You can either hang them in panty hose, or you can poke holes into the bars of soap, run twine through them, and tie them about twenty feet apart on branches of trees and shrubs. You can also hang soap from stakes placed every few feet around plants in the perennial boarder. The beauty of using scented soaps is that they will retain their odor for a long time, and do not need to be reapplied after every rain.
—Another smelly deterrent which is also good for the garden is to use a kelp and fish emulsion spray on ornamentals:
Mix 1 tablespoon of kelp, 1/3 cup of fish emulsion, 1 tablespoon of liquid hand soap, and 1 tsp. of hot sauce together into one gallon of water. Spray on plants every week or after a heavy rain. This one is also good for deterring insect pests as well, and will feed your plants to boot!
Plant A Deer-Proof Garden
Perhaps this is a bit misleading, but it does seem that most deer do not like the following plants. I say this is misleading since someone out there reading this will be sure to comment that the deer ate some of these listed plants, anyway! This list is of the plants that MOST deer will avoid. If deer cannot find other forage, they will resort to eating some of these plants; however, if other food sources are available, most deer will leave the following plants alone:
Mints of all types
Artemesia
Candytuft
Marguerite
Obedient Plant
Spurge
Yarrow
Beebalm or Monarda
Columbine
Marigolds
Rhododendron
Sage
Cone Flower
Cranesbill
Liatris or Blazing Star
Rosemary
Lamb’s Ears
Wisteria
Lemon Thyme
Foxgloves
Forsythia
Wormwood
Miscanthus
Butterfly Weed
Mexican Oregano
Oregano
Santolina
Squirrels and Chipmunks
Not only do squirrels and chipmunks raid ground feeders and, in the case of squirrels, pole and tree feeders, they also can cause considerable damage to plants and bulbs. There are a few deterrents and planting strategies that can be used to deter them and minimize the damage caused by these critters:
—Chipmunk & Squirrel Repellent: Mix 3 tablespoons of cayenne pepper into very hot water, about a quart. Strain into a spray bottle. Add a teaspoon of a mild soap to the spray, and spray plants. This will need to be reapplied after watering overhead or after a rain.
—Spread used kitty litter around ornamental plants only. This one might work at deterring squirrels and chipmunks, but might also attract any outdoor cats who might be lurking around. So, only use this on ornamentals and only if there are no cats in the area.
—Planting Potion: Take 1/3 ounce of hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap, 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper powder, 1 crushed garlic clove, and add to a pint of water. Allow this to brew for about a half hour, then strain into a spray bottle. You can spray plants, tree trunks, and also spray into planting holes when you plant new bulbs in the fall. If you apply this to above ground plants or trees, it will need to be reapplied after a rain.
—For Birdfeeders: Mix in crushed, not ground, fresh cayenne pepper with the seed mix.
—Place chicken wire over bulbs when planting, about an inch or so above the bulbs and before backfilling with soil.
—Plant daffodils if you have a terrible problem with squirrels and chipmunks. They will not eat daffodil bulbs.
—Plant crown imperials in your bulb plantings. These bulbs reputedly repel rodents and other small digging animals.
—Apply squirrel baffles to feeders.
—Try to use a good quality squirrel-proof feeder that will tip the squirrel out of the feeder when they attempt to raid it.
Raccoons
Raccons are opportunistic animals, and are omnivorous by nature. Think of all the foods we as humans consume, and they will eat it all, plus pet food and plants and some unmentionable “foods” as well. They commonly cause problems in the vegetable garden and in garbage cans. Believe me, even with a large garbage can, raccoons can get into them and wreak havoc! There is nothing so unpleasant as picking up trash that is strewn around the yard after a visit from these nocturnal marauders. Here are a few tips:
—To keep raccoons out of garbage cans, pour a cop of household ammonia over the trash.
—Wrap a two or three foot wide piece of of sheet metal around the trunks of fruit trees. Position these strips about two feet above the ground to create a raccoon baffle.
—Plant cucumbers among your other plants. Raccoons do not like cukes.
—Spread a boarder of lime around your garden perimeter. About a two feet wide. Since raccoons are meticulous animals, they do not like to tread on lime.
Rabbits and Mice
Rabbits can quickly destroy a vegetable garden or prized tulip bed. They love plants nearly as much as we do! Mice can also be a problem, especially in the winter. If you do not have a cat or dog patrolling your yard, you might wish to try a few of these remedies:
—Rabbit and Mouse Scatter Spray:
1 small bottle of hot pepper sauce or 5 tablespoons of fresh ground cayenne pepper.
1 gallon water
1 teaspoon mild liquid detergent such as dishwashing detergent
Spray plants liberally. Reapply after rain or overhead watering.
—Moth Balls, the safe way: Place moth balls in a plastic container, such as a margarine tub. Cover it, poke holes in the container and lid, and tuck under plants. The smell will last a long time, and acts as a deterrent to rabbits, mice, and other four-legged creatures while being unavailable to pets. You can also sink these into the ground just to the rims, and punch holes only in the top, then barely cover with just enough mulch to hide them. This will prevent over-curious kids or pets from investigating the contents of the containers.
—Blood Meal: Sprinkle blood meal liberally around planting areas. Reapply after rain or overhead watering.
—Chicken Wire: Extend chicken wire fencing from about 12 inches below a garden area to about 2 feet above the area. Be sure it is a fine-mesh so small mice cannot get in.
—Tree Wrap: Wrap trunks of young trees in the late fall before the snow falls to keep mice and rabbits from stripping the bark from young trees. You can also spray trees with planting potion that is listed above for squirrels.
Moles
—Place Juicy Fruit gum in mole runs
—Place chocolate Ex-Lax in mole runs
—Blend 1 Tbsp castor oil with 2 tbsp. liquid soap, blend so this is about the consistency of shaing cream. Add 5 or 6 Tbsp of water and blend some more. Add 1 Tbsp to 1 gallon of water. Poke holes in the run at every few feet, and pour into the holes. Water this in after applying.
—Take human hair clippings and poke holes in the run and place the clippings.
—If you have a cat, take the used litter (urine, feces, and all), and poke holes in the run and add the used litter with all its goodies down into the run, every few feet.
—Take cheap perfume or aftershave and pour into the run.
Birds
While birds are among our most welcome visitors to the garden, and are usually more friend than foe, at times even these beneficial animals can be a bother. Here are some ideas:
—To deter larger birds from raiding bird feeders, buy feeders that will only allow small birds to feed.
—Apply bird netting over cherry and other fruit trees. This works when the trees are smaller. This will also work in berry patches and with blueberries.
—Place metal strips in trees to twirl and reflect light. It won’t deter all of the feeding on fruit trees, but it will minimize the amount of crop losses.
—Just before fruit ripens, place an artificial owl or eye scarecrow or two in your trees. If placed too early, the birds will get used to it. The idea is to simulate a predator.
—If you have the room for it, plant a self-fruitful variety of mulberry tree on the back side of your property, away from seating areas. Mulberries are messy, but birds prefer to eat mulberries over cherries. Both ripen at about the same time.
Cats ‘N’ Dogs
I have owned both cats and dogs. Or, dogs and cats, if you prefer. They are wonderful companions to have around, but make lousy visitors to gardens. I actually had a watermelon-eating dog once, so not only does Man’s Best Friend leave calling cards and holes all over the place, he can develop a liking for some produce, it would seem! As for cats, the surprises often come when someone goes out to plant a few new prized flowers or whatever in the garden. Some cats feel that gardens are giant litterboxes, and this can be a most unpleasant experience, believe me! Here are a few ideas to keep Fido and Fluffy at bay:
Keep Diggin’ Dogs at bay:
If your dog is digging, he is usually following his natural instincts or is bored. Keep in mind that a dog parked out in the backyard all day is going to have to entertain himself in some way, so provide him with other diversions as well!
Spray the holes and other areas of the yard with the following:
—Cayenne Pepper Spray:
one whole garlic, crushed
1 hot onion, chopped
1 quart of hot water
2 teaspoons of crushed cayenne pepper (fresh)
2 tablespoons of hot sauce
Mix, allow to steep for about four or five hours. Spread on areas where dogs trample down plants when they lie down, compost heaps, ornamental plants, or where dogs like to dig or plants they use as urinals.
No Cats or Dogs Allowed!
—Place brambles or other clippings of roses and other thorny plants down around flower beds to deter them from resting in your flower beds, or to keep them from digging.
—Cats detest the smell of citrus. Place orange or other citrus peels around flower beds to deter cats from resting in plantings or digging.
These are a few ideas of critter control. There will always be visitors, welcome and unwelcome, to the garden. The trick is to prevent as much damage as possible while living in peaceful co-existence with these animals.
Rhubarb Sauce
Serves 4
4 cups / 1 L rhubarb (chopped)
1/2 cup / 125 ml honey or 1 cup / 250 ml sugar [Pat’s Note: We use 1/2
cup
sugar for this amount of rhubarb.]
1 tablespoon tapioca
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) [Pat’s Note: I’ve never put
cinnamon
in rhubarb, will give it a try.]
Combine. Let stand for 10 minutes or until some juice forms. Heat
slowly to
boiling. Cool and serve over ice cream. Or try stirring in sliced
strawberries or raisins and serve for breakfast or as a side dish, in
place
of applesauce.
Pat
Good for you, once the gardens start producing, you will keep them both going.
I like my dehydrated zucchini for all soups and it keeps well.
You are using your potatoes as I do.
How you will enjoy the efforts you are putting into your dehydrator, I did.
It was a surprise to find that I liked the dehydrated greens...LOL
I did spinach, swiss chard and some of the weed leaves.
All can be brought back or tossed dry in the soup pot.
Growing Herbs
Posted by: “Karolyn Thanks God!”
Herbs- time to add a few new ones to my garden- so, as I come across
good
sites- will be sharing them.
Karo
* General info:
http://www.wvu.edu/~agexten/hortcult/herbs/ne208hrb.htm
Growing Herbs in the Home Garden
Adapted from Pub. NE 208 published by the Cooperative Extension
Services of
the Northeast States
History of HerbsDefinition, Number, and Types of Herbs Available
Herbs for Beginning GardenersOutdoor Herb Culture Tips
Indoor Herb GardeningDrying Herbs
Herb Description, Culture, Harvesting, and Use
AniseBasilBorageCarawayCatnip
ChervilChivesCorianderDillFennel
HorehoundHyssopLavenderLovageMarjoram
OreganoParsleyPeppermintRosemarySage
Savory (Summer)Savory (Winter)SpearmintTarragonThyme
Woodruff
* Medicinal herbs: http://www.crimson-sage.com/2008_catalog.pdf
It is their catalog- but gives good info on all sorts of herbs.
* Have fun checking these links out: (http://WWW.crimson-sage
Com/medicinal-plants-links.HTML)
100 Top Gardening Sites - Rating the most interesting gardening sites
and
gardening community links.
Agricultural Research Service - one of the world’s premiere scientific
organizations.
American Botanical Council - Promoting the responsible use of Herbal
Medicine.
American Herb Association - promoting understanding and ecological use
of
Medicinal Herbs and Aromatherapy.
Barn Owl Nursery - Barn Owl Nursery is a home-based business
specializing in
herbs.
American Herbal Pharmacopoeia - Promoting responsible use of Herbal
Medicines.
American Herbalist Guild - Organization of Herbal Practitioners.
Christopher Hobbs - Honoring the plants and traditions of herbal
medicine.
Dave’ Garden - Gardeners sharing triumphs and dilemmas in gardens and
lives.
Doctor Andrew Weil - Trusted Health Advisor.
Doctor James Duke - Dr. Duke’s Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical
Databases.
Doctor Yourself - Do it yourself healthcare.
Herb Net - Information on herbs, herb products, remedies and herb
publications.
Herb Pharm - Highest quality herbal products. If I have not made it my
self,
I buy theirs.
Herb Research Foundation - Science-based information of health benefits
and
safety of herbs.
Herbal Therapeutics - Ayurvedic Herbal Pharmacy.
J L Hudson.Com - Great seed company.
Michael Moore - Southwest School of Herbal Studies great herbal
resource
filled with Michael’s vast knowledge. Amazing photos and beautiful old
herbal monographs.
North American Institute of Medical Herbalism A quarterly journal of
Herbal
Medicine, and providers of classroom, clinical and distance learning
education in medical herbalism.
OM Organics - Ayurvedic Organic Supplements.
Peaceful Farm Valley Supply - A leader in the field of organic
supplies.
Planet Herbs - Distance learning school to teach Planetary Herbalism.
Plants For A Future - Resource centre for rare and unusual plants,
particularly those which have edible, medicinal or other uses.
Practicing
vegan-organic permaculture with emphasis on creating an ecologically
sustainable environment based largely on perennial plants.
Plants For A Future - Database - Would you like to use the database at
home?
You can download a copy of the database or get a CD.
Purple Haze Lavender - Certified Organic Lavender Farm.
Rocky Mountain Herbal Institute - Courses in Chinese herbology for
health
professionals.
Rolling River Nursery - Huge diversity of permaculture plants for your
edible landscape. Growing organically for 35 years.
Sandy Bar Nursery - Excellent selection of organically grown, bare root
fruit and nut trees for your home orchard.
Simpler’s Botanicals - Organic essential oils and organic herbal
extracts.
Steven Foster - Great resource for beautiful herbal photos and
information.
Susun Weed - Always full of interesting information from Susan’s unique
Wise
Woman perspective.
United Plant Savers - Excellent group of people working hard to protect
native medicinals from over-harvesting and promoting cultivation of
endangered herbs.
Worms Way - Innovative year-round gardening products.
Dakota Battered Fish
Yield: 4 Servings
Cattail flour
Bullhead, perch or
Bluegills
Ramps
Cattail leaves
Have the cattail flour on hand, gut and filet the bullhead or not ,
depends on if you have the time, filets cook faster. dust the filet
with the flour, put some wild onions between the 2 sides add some
salt if desired then wrap the cattail flour dusted filet in some
cattail leaves that you have loosely woven and set the filet on the
side of the fire on some clean rocks or if you have tightly woven the
weaves you can set them in hot ashes, You can also fry the fish
directly on the hot cooking stones, for doing it that way dont skin
or scale the fish just gut it , just dust the eggs of the fish with
cattail flour put them inside the fishs body cavity and add some wild
onions and wild mushrooms if desired and toss on the hot rock and let
sizzle on both sides till desired doneness.
[It is worth taking a look at the photo of his growing setup..granny]
Diary of a Sub-irrigated Vegetable Box Garden
Brucegarden_2
Bruce in Chicago did a public service by creating a diary on the blog Daily Kos. He included a lot of very valuable information about personal food production using sub-irrigated vegetable boxes in an urban location.
He grows vegetable on his garage roof but this could just as well be on a ground level paved area. All you need is about 6 hours of sunlight. Check it out. I also found the comments revealing.
Posted by Greenscaper Bob on April 22, 2008 at 07:41 AM in Rooftop & Pavement Gardening_ | Permalink
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2008/04/sub-irrigated-v.html
The link for above article/blog is very interesting, of the many hints there for growing in earth type containers, he says that the normal store bought potting mix is not an option, as it will not ‘wick’ properly......
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/4/10/151359/130/899/493357
[a snippet of the article]
But there are sweeter reasons to plant that garden, to bother. At least in this one corner of your yard and life, you will have begun to heal the split between what you think and what you do, to commingle your identities as consumer and producer and citizen. Chances are, your garden will re-engage you with your neighbors, for you will have produce to give away and the need to borrow their tools. You will have reduced the power of the cheap-energy mind by personally overcoming its most debilitating weakness: its helplessness and the fact that it can’t do much of anything that doesn’t involve division or subtraction. The garden’s season-long transit from seed to ripe fruit — will you get a load of that zucchini?! — suggests that the operations of addition and multiplication still obtain, that the abundance of nature is not exhausted. The single greatest lesson the garden teaches is that our relationship to the planet need not be zero-sum, and that as long as the sun still shines and people still can plan and plant, think and do, we can, if we bother to try, find ways to provide for ourselves without diminishing the world. Read the complete article...
Posted by Greenscaper Bob on April 21, 2008 at 01:58 PM in Rooftop & Pavement Gardening_ |
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2008/04/michael-pollan.html
[He also has made pop bottle planters, self watering, click around there are several pages on them, interesting.
granny]
Info on making a self waterer of your earth box:
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/contain/msg0602015726891.html
Excellent container gardening ideas:
http://containergardening.wordpress.com/great-ideas-for-container-gardening/
[Next, an excellent inverted planter, plans and photos to make your own]
Inverted Indoor Gardening
Like many people I enjoy gardening and growing houseplants. While my wife and I have a large garden during the summer months I have often thought about how it would be nice to grow things such as tomatos and beans indoors during the winter months. Now I could have the floors lined with even more pots and planters than I do now but as much as my wife likes the movie I don’t think she would appreciate the house having that little shop of horrors decor.
The logical choice for my indoor gardening is 1: container and 2: hanging. So after doing a few searches on the net I had come across a few options. There were of course the usual hanging planters that are really nothing more than a regular pot with strings tied to a ceiling hook. These really didn’t appeal to me due to previous experiences where the water of flowed down through the soil and filled the overflow basin at the bottom. Another option is hanging inverted planters which have been around for a very long time. Some in a much older design made from terra cotta in a traditional mexican style and a newer one made of plastic that had internal foam spacers for dirt/water containment.
This naturally put my mind into make it myself mode. Wow, that’s a lot of m’s. Whenever I get one of my project “ideas” I start drawing different options in paint. I wanted it to be a conical-type container for water retention purposes. After drawing a few designs the one I decide on was to use a inverted 2 liter soda bottle with a few modifcations to make it better suited for planter use.
Attention! This page and plans contained herein are to provide a background of my IPlanter and the concepts involved. If you plan on making one please use my new improved method for construction which can be found here.
Here is my final drawing and the steps leading to it. Below that you will see the actual photos of building the planter.
http://easierboard.com/cripes/?page_id=21
The links in the last link, need a good checking....good info here. granny..........
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