The Good and Bad of the Kitty.
- Cats are natural hunters and are helpful in keeping rodents out of gardens, but they dig and do the dudey in the beds. My barn cats stay away from my 4 gardens because of plastic mulch and old cage wire, or coop wire. Both work equally well. Kitties like to dig and the wire laid out on the ground prevents that. I use red plastic and black plastic mulch between rows to cut down on weeds and there is no where to dig so they stay away. I also put in cat nip beds for them where I want them to hang out at, but I cover that with raised wire because the little junkies pounce on it as soon as it grows.
- —Guest Jo
Keeping Rabbits and Deer away.
- Let me apologize in advance to any one that is a vegan. I raise rabbits for meat and the best thing for keeping the country cousins out of the garden is the collected blood. It also keeps the deer away. I do have to spray it on every time we butcher, it washes into the soil and fertilizes the plants too. Again, sorry if you are squeamish, but check with a local butcher, I am sure you can get any animal blood and it will work. Marigolds help in the rainy season because rabbits really do not like the smell of them. [Note from Marie: Some folks have had success with dried blood meal, too.]
- —Guest Jo
Gardening in Containers
- Styrofoam, cut up into pieces, is ideal for good drainage in your flower pots.
- —Guest margaret hess
Cayenne Pepper vs Rabbits, Squirrels
- To deter rabbits from eating beans, lettuce, cabbage family, put one heaping tablespoon of ground cayenne pepper plus a squirt of dish detergent (as a sticking agent) into a 10 quart sprinkler head watering can, mix and sprinkle over plants. To deter squirrels from climbing bird feeder poles, mix one heaping tablespoon of ground cayenne pepper in a cup of automotive grease and spread on pole 3 to 4 feet from ground; pole should be placed far enough away from where squirrels can leap to get on feeder above greased part of pole.
- —Guest ewb
Recycle Plastic Bottles
- Hiya for this year I've used plastic bottles as mini greenhouses over my beans and any plants at all actually. Basiclly you simply cut the bottom off a 1 litre-4 litre plastic bottle and stick it in the ground over your plant(s) - easy as pie!!!! It is a great way to teach your kids to recycle while having fun.
- —Guest Kitty17
Seedling Protection
- I use 3" or 4" PVC pipe, cut into 5" lengths. After planting the seedling, I put one over each plant and press into the soil. It not only keeps cutworms out, but it prevents runoff when watering and gets the water down to the roots. It helps all summer!
- —Guest Seedling protection
Cutworm Tip
- A circle of diatomaceous earth (Lowe's) around each plant prevents cutworms. Also, cornmeal has worked. This will also work on dahlias, etc.
- —Guest Elaine
Cats are My Good Garden Friends
- Stray cats roam in my kitchen garden, for the safety of my plants. I ofter see them carrying mouthfuls of rat carcasses. They show me the rats with a happy grin on their faces. Cats are asset in the garden.
- —Guest A,R.Wadoo
Water from Air conditioner
- Don't throw away your water collected from air conditioner outlet. It is practically chlorine free and is a better choice than tape water for lucky bamboos. It is also good as replacement water for tropical fish tank.
- —Guest Kam Fok
Cats in the garden
- I keep my three cats out of my beds by using bambo stakes. Cut them about 12 to 15 inches and insert them 4 to 6 inches apart. Keeps them from doing their business and once the plants are mature you can easily remove the stakes.
- —Guest Cats and Beds
Snails a Problem?
- Buy the copper pot-scrubbers from the $1 store and unwind into a ball --- then string the copper wire around the plants you're trying to protect. Their body slime going over the copper wire gives them a shock. (This is the cheapest way I've seen to get copper wire for the garden0
- —NorthVanGirl
Soured Milk & Sour Cream Past its Prime
- When my milk goes sour, or my sour cream is past it's 'use by' date -- I pour them in my garden around my roses. They seem to really like it.
- —NorthVanGirl
Control of Crabs in Lawn
- Earlier we used to have audio cassettes instead of CDs. The tapes from these cassettes are tied to two bamboo sticks say 5-7 feet apart at height of 4-5 feet. It makes sounds when wind blows in the night, while crabs are making their burrows, and it scares them away, so they do not spoil your lawn by making burrows.
- —Guest Dr.Rajendra Deshmukh
Keeping Crows Away from Corn
- I buy old video tapes at Goodwill, pull out the tapes, string them from one end of corn row to the other end. They will blow in wind and make a noise which will scare the crows away.
- —Guest dj
Winter Sowing of Lettuce and Spinach
- Late last summer I planted some lettuce and spinach, hoping to have a kinder and gentler autumn here in southern Minyasnowduh. We had a hard winter with a total of nearly 70 inches of snowfall. I have been harvesting huge spinach leaves and lettuce since early May, a chilly one to boot!! It all survived. Try it, you'll maybe like it, as we do!
- —Guest Rick
