Hello My Dear Gardening Friends and fellow Gardeners,

Mother Nature has not quite finished playing her tricks has she?? It is so warm one day – cold the next I have been alternating between my shorts and long winter pants! When will summer come and let our gardens grow, I seem to remember writing somewhat similar words last year, perhaps it has to do with global warming ????

We had a really busy week at Loblaws, I do hope that not too many plants succumbed to the cold nights. I did suggest one cold afternoon that we all take plants home for the night, tucking them into our warm homes and returning them in the morning but this was not met with a great deal of enthusiasm. However we did drop the frost screens and all was well the next morning. I thought it rather a good idea, pity no one else did ????????? lol

I quote from The Selwyn Women’s Institute Environmentally Friendly Hints book that I wrote the gardening chapter for :-

It’s so much fun in a vegetable garden – making you feel almost like Mother Mature. If the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, it is probably your own fault – did you forget to fertilize? All your gardening mistakes will eventually catch up with you, but with a bit of planning you can transfer your backyard from an eyesore into a thing of real beauty, you have nothing to lose but your “spare tire” so get out there and lift that hoe!!!

I have been asked how to keep those beastly maggots from the garden. If you spread a cover of white muslin (cheese cloth works just fine) over your very young cabbage plants, this will keep the flies off and they will not be able to lay their eggs on your young plants – no flies, no cabbage worms. Remove the covers once the flies have finished.

The following hints will help to prevent worms on turnips, radish, cauliflower and cabbage :-

1) Cover about six rhubarb leaves with water and boil for 10 minutes. Let cool and strain. Do Not Drink this juice it is very toxic. Before you plant the little plants, or seeds – pour the liquid on to the soil.
2) When planting broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower, add white vinegar to the water about one tablespoon for each gallon.

To help prevent root maggots on cabbage and cauliflower, try these simple tricks:

1) Crush dry egg shells and sprinkle them in rows before you start planting
2) Put about an eighth of a cup of wood ashes in the holes and add some earth, plant and water.

To prevent wormy radishes:

1) Mix seeds with wood ashes and spread in the rows
2) Used coffee grounds sprinkled in the row before planting the seeds will help to prevent radish maggots.

To control Onion Maggots:

1) Sprinkle wood ashes over each row of onions after planting
2) Decayed manure over the area after harvesting will help to maintain a neutral Ph balance
3) Spread crushed egg shells in the row before you plant onions
4) Spread a generous amount of coffee grounds (used) in the row before planting onion bulbs or on top of the soil after you have finished planting

To prevent striped cucumber beetles on squash, cukes and pumpkins, plant 2-3 multiplier onion bulbs and a few radish seeds at the same time 4-6 inches from the vines.

To prevent seedlings from cut-worms, use plastic containers, margarine and cottage cheese ones work well. Cut out the bottom and drop this plastic “ring” over the seedling – pushing it well into the soil for about 2 inches. Make sure that there aren’t any cutworms inside the ring, that would indeed be disastrous!!! Crushed dry egg shells placed around each plant will help too.

A very good rabbit repellent:

Dissolve 1 cup of gum resin in a quart of de-natured alcohol. Paint the base of trees with it. A much easier solution is to eat a very large steak and then urinate on the trees – works for most pests, as well as deer – mark your territory!! If you are ill equipped and lack grandsons you may substitute a watering can!!!! Bloodmeal and talcum powder works well too – smells good!!!

Lengths of black garden hose placed around the garden will frighten cats away as they think that they are snakes.

Spraying soap suds all over your garden will get rid of all kinds of flies, aphids and other pests.

White flies and aphids may be controlled by steeping onions and garlic in water for three days and then use the spray on infected areas.

To keep away slugs, tear the membrane away from vines of rhubarb leaves and dry thoroughly until they shrivel and get crisp. They will keep for months. Use them like dried herbs, a handful in a pint of water, simmer 20 minutes, strain and cool. Spray the garden soil, not the foliage. Slugs will not travel over any ground that has been sprayed with this mixture. You may have to spray a couple of times each season . This is much cleaner than beer or slug bait for there will be no slimy bodies lying about the garden. Alfred Hitchcock would have made a wonderful movie out of all this!!! Wood ashes all around leafy plants, such as tomatoes after every rain will keep slugs away too.

Ants inside the house, seem to drive people crazy so try planting mint around the base of your house – and this will discourage them. Sprinkle borax, paprika or chili powder. I understand that they will not cross a wide chalk line either.

Deer seem to have been a huge problem this year – place old nylon pantie hose stuffed with human hair around your garden = or just spread the hair itself – not only is it good for the garden but deters the deer and you will be doing the hairdressers/barbers a good turn by helping to get rid of the clippings – blood meal is also a good deterrent.

Do not forget that the juice from rhubarb leaves is very toxic, so keep it away, out of reach of young children

Plant marigolds near your vegetables and you will have no trouble with the legions of bugs that try to invade your garden. Horseradish planted at the corners of the potato patch will deter potato beetle and catnip planted along the borders will deter flea beetles, but you may be infested with cats.

Nasturtiums deter bug beetles, bean beetles and aphids when you plant them near beans, cabbage, broccoli, kale and cucumbers etc. as well as improving their growth - of course if you just purchased all this “stuff” you would not have the problems!!!

Onions and especially garlic keep aphids away from your precious roses.

Diatomaceous earth is a non-toxic pesticide. Diatomaceous earth is a geological deposit made up of fossilized skeletons and marine & freshwater organisms. When crushed they break up into tiny pieces of “glass”, so tiny that the pieces feel like talcum powder. This material is easily picked up by the hairy bodies of a great variety of insects. Scratches appear on their outer waxy protective layer, thus they lose a lot of water rapidly, they dry up and die. Just imagine all those little living beings, dying and becoming fossils for millions of years just so that we can use them to kill slugs – oh dear what are we doing ?????

Earwigs, that poor hunted creature/insect will hide in the corrugation of corrugated cardboard placed near lettuce, Chinese cabbage, flowers etc. After a few days, collect during the day and burn – however as earwigs consume aphids, white fly and numerous other nasties perhaps it is time to actually invite them into our gardens. If you must kill them, an inverted tin can on a stick stuffed with newspaper (the can) will work. Each morning empty the can into a bucket of soapy water.

Pour white vinegar over dandelions in spring or summer, wait for a dry day, any grass that dies will quickly recover.

Now I have turned you all into professional murders I will try to find a more pleasant topic... First:

Let us talk about dahlias – that beautiful flowering plant! We have a lot of new colours this year at Loblaws, some that I have never seen before, orange with yellows, white with purple on and on.

Tubers should be planted when all danger of frost is past, which is usually during the next week – be careful it is still cold at night so the ground is still cold.

Clumps of tubers that have been stored over the winter must be separated before you plant them. If you are not careful doing this you will be disappointed by the number of plants that you do or rather do not get. Never pull them from the crown – always using a sharp knife, divide the cluster by cutting the old stem in such a way that a bit of “wood” remains attached to each tuber.

Although dahlias like plenty of moisture, they hate wet feet. They must have a well drained soil. Dig a hole about 15 to 20 inches deep if possible, then refill it to within 9 inches of the top of the hole, with a porous mixture of well-rotted compost or manure.

Because taller varieties have rather brittle stems, and when wet they are so very heavy – they must be staked, do this at the same time as you plant the tubers. Place the stake on one side of the hole so that it will not damage any underground parts, nor shade the young plant.

The tuber is set on the soil in the hole at a depth of five to six inches, with the growing point upwards and next to the stake. Then it is covered with soil so that the bud is about two inches below the surface. As the young shoot grows you can gradually fill in the remaining depression until it is level with the rest of the garden.

At first you can cultivate to considerable depth to keep the soil “open”, but later do not press this too far, otherwise you will sever or at least damage the emerging, spreading roots. The application of two or three ounces of plant food rich in phosphorous and potassium each month will help produce bigger and better plants/flowers. Depending on the weather you may not have to water more than once a week, but just watch out that they do not dry out.

Disbudding will concentrate the strength of the plant into a few shoots and flowers, giving you a more vigorous plant and larger blooms. In the Autumn when the tops of your plants have been killed by the frost, dig up the tubers on a sunny afternoon. After they have dried in the air and sun for a few hours, gather up the clumps of tubers, put them in peat moss and store in a cool cellar/basement for the winter and then start all over again the next spring. Usually you will have more than you will need – so pass them along to a neighbour or someone who has been eyeing your beautiful garden all summer!

It is almost summertime and already I have seen a few dragon flies.

Another little story for you is about the Praying Mantis – it sits very still, holding up its front legs, looking for all the world as if it is praying, but the Mantis is not praying it is waiting to kill. There are many sharp spikes on those long legs. When an insect comes along, the Mantis' legs shoot out, the spikes dig deep into the insect and the mantis bites of its head. Praying Mantis make very good pets, killing flies and other pests, it will eat right out of your hand, and even seems to like having its back stroked.

Some people tie praying mantis to their beds, it keeps a sharp look out for insects, snapping up any that come too close, so if you should be lucky enough to find a Praying Mantis, take it home with you, it may be the strangest pet you have ever had!

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day!

The trouble with doing nothing is that you never know when you are finished!!

Growing old is mandatory, but growing up is optional!

Everyone is so busy planting, but sometimes our enthusiasm leads us down the wrong path. Someone insisted on giving me gout weed - I have even resorted to spraying it - but it is still growing well.

Chinese Lantern (Physalis Alkekengl)
Unless you wish to fill an unsightly area (behind a garage or shed, I use it to keep the soil around my house foundations) or if you wish to make dried flower arrangements, you are best to avoid this plant as it literally takes over your garden.

Moneywort (Lysimachia)
The most common is a yellow flowering ground cover (buttercup creeper) which is so very invasive and difficult to contain. I am seeing it in hanging baskets this year, so be warned. Every little piece will root wherever it touches the ground. If you weed it out, either burn it, or put it in a garbage bag and send it to the dump!

Mint
Some people love to grow mint in their herb gardens but on the second year they are horrified to find it growing with the chives, oregano and even in their perennial borders. Either grow it in a container, or a bottomless bucket helps. In the fall, remove it to a portion of the garden where it can do no harm.

Snow in Summer (Cerastium tomentosum)
A very innocuous plant in your neighbour’s garden, but it spreads rapidly. Just keep pulling out as often as necessary - however, I find that it will not over winter in my garden - that is the small white leaved, ground hugging plant with small white flowers.

Tansy or Yarrow
It has an interesting habit of self seeding all over the garden, so look for lots of seedlings. It’s great to pass along at yard sales. It is an excellent plant to dry, keeping its yellow button flowers all winter.

Johhny Jump-Ups (Viola cornutal)
So cute - I love them, they pop up all over the garden. When they appear in the lawn I just leave them alone, for they last for such a short time, and them mow the area.

Bamboo
A stalky shrub, which, if you can get it to grow will take over your garden. It is pretty when it is short and young, but it will grow very tall and spreads rapidly by underground roots. Do not plant it unless you have either a very large area to fill or something that you wish to hide, another shed or garage.

Sedum Acre
Small, rockery type succulent plants, bearing numerous minute flowers. Sedum should be used with discretion as it is potentially a pernicious weed, any portion that gets broken off and left lying on the ground is likely to form a new "colony". With goldy yellow flowers, white and rose tinted, they are pretty in a rock or screen garden to be watched very carefully - they are the vandals of the garden.

Lythrum
Beware of the early blooming type (pinkish/cerise). It loves wet areas and will literally take over the wetlands of our communities. The later dark purple variety is not such a threat, although it spreads easily in wet areas. I have noticed that it does choke itself out - a prime example is near the Peterborough Zoo - it was thick and now there is none at all - along the old 134 now 28 south) it is depleting itself.

For companion planting in you garden try mixing herbs, flowers and vegetables.

-Morning glory with melons
-Yellow nasturtiums near cabbages, cucumbers, radish and fruit trees
-Petunias near bush beans
-Summer savoury near bush beans and onions
-Sage near cabbage, carrots and rosemary
-Parsley near asparagus, celery, leek, pea, roses, and tomatoes
-Garlic near fruit trees, close to the trunk, roses and raspberries
-Planting near beets, improves the flavour of the beets
-Dill next to cabbage
-Chives next to apple trees, roses and carrots
-Basil near asparagus and tomatoes - Lovely combination when working outside
-Asters near most crops
-Cosmos also near most growing things also Oregano
-Lambs Quarters is an edible weed, should be allowed to grow in moderate amounts in the garden, especially around corn
-Lovage will improve the flavour and health of a variety of plants if planted here and there in the garden
-Pigweed is one of the best plants for pumping up nutrients from the sub soil; it is especially beneficial in the potato patch, with onions and corn. Keep weeds thinned! Purslane, another edible weed, makes good ground cover to hold moisture in corn
-Sowthistle in moderate amounts can help tomatoes, onions and corn
-Tansy planted under fruit trees or as a companion to roses and raspberries will deter flying insects, beetles, squash bugs and ants
-All of these herbs and flowers will repel insects that attack your garden, especially the vegetable garden. BUT beware of these combinations
-Never plant dill by carrots or tomatoes as it retards their growth
-Sage is injurious to cucumbers
-Onions stunt beans and peas
-Tomatoes stunt potatoes and vice versa; they are both attacked by the same blight
-Cabbage is an enemy of strawberries

To rid your cat of fleas, mix brewers yeast in cat food, one tablet per day will do or add 1/2 tsp vinegar to their drinking water

To eliminate those grass stains on your knees when working around the garden, just tie a green garbage bag around each knee

Replace salt with sand, birdseed or grass seed to reduce slippery sidewalks in the winter. Salt will damage the grass when springtime comes

-Make lattices for your vines
-Check trees for tent caterpillars, all you need to do is break the tent, the caterpillars have no "home" for the night, get cold and die
-Remove only the flower heads from tulips and daffodils, (do not pull them, use your clippers)
-Prune shrubs and trees after they have finished flowering - remember after the Lilac bloom dies, you have only 10 days to prune, after this time they start making their flowers for next spring.
-Plant your vegetable garden as well as strawberries and raspberries.

The sun is hot today, I am going to hang my laundry outside, and stay out and "play in my garden"!

Good gardening to us all, few bugs, less weeds, and do not spray toxic chemicals (I might, for I have just found a patch of poison ivy) - will try the solution of 2 gallons soapy water and three pounds of salt first!!!! I understand we have to repeat several times before it is effective, not sure I want all that salt on my garden - oh dear the life of a gardener is not easy!

Good gardening, hats, sunscreen, gloves, insect repellent and your sunhat.

Lovingly, Beryl