Common Gardening Blunders Lesson 1 of 5

[The_Sonarman]

Common Gardening Blunders in the Back Yard Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Lesson # 1 of 5

http://www.mygardeningsecrets.com/minicourse/badexample.html

[Melz]

Note to self (my self memos are getting more numerous) *do not plant veggies in a row*

now..I need an article about keeping the doggie out of the garden area :)

[The_Sonarman]

now..I need an article about keeping the doggie out of the garden area :)
If you figure it out, please let me know. I have an unruly canine myself.

[Rink]

Chicken wire and electric fencing down below might help keep the critters out from under and over the top of said fence.

(You can get electric fencing at your local tack and feed shop.)

I personally have a load left from my horse business.

[The_Sonarman]

Common Gardening Blunders in the Back Yard Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Lesson # 2 of 5

http://www.mygardeningsecrets.com/minicourse/goodbugs.html

[Melz]

Really? I never would have thought of killing bugs at all from the garden. I had no idea that beetles and grubs and caterpillars were bad for it even. Well now I know. What do they do to the garden?

grasshoppers and other such little critters eat leaves, they are extinguishable right?

How would one kill just the "bad" bugs anyway?

[Rink]

In this area we have a lot of lady bugs that I love, every spring they come out, and every winter they flock to my yard for a hibernating spot. (and its gotta be someplace close cuz the south-facing wall of our home gets loaded fulla lady bugs) :D

[Riverboat]

Speaking of ladybugs, does anyone know they came by that name? No? Well, read this:

Q. How did the ladybug get its name?
A. In Europe, during the Middle Ages, insects were destroying the crops, so the Catholic farmers prayed to the Virgin Mary for help. Soon the Ladybugs came, ate the plant-destroying pests and saved the crops! The farmers began calling the ladybugs "The Beetles of Our Lady", and they eventually became known as "Lady Beetles"! The red wings represented the Virgin's cloak and the black spots represented her joys and sorrows. They didn't differentiate between males and females.

http://www.ladybuglady.com/LadybugsFAQ.htm

[Etaoin]

Really? I never would have thought of killing bugs at all from the garden. I had no idea that beetles and grubs and caterpillars were bad for it even. Well now I know. What do they do to the garden?

grasshoppers and other such little critters eat leaves, they are extinguishable right?

How would one kill just the "bad" bugs anyway?

I am essentially an ORGANIC gardener, but for asparagus and potato beetle infestations I have been using a can of bug spray. I don't contaminate the soil or kill the earthworms in that manner. A small burst will do the job and quickly dissipate.

A better way is to let chickens loose in your garden and they will thank you with free eggs. :cool:

[The_Sonarman]

Really? I never would have thought of killing bugs at all from the garden. I had no idea that beetles and grubs and caterpillars were bad for it even. Well now I know. What do they do to the garden?

grasshoppers and other such little critters eat leaves, they are extinguishable right?

How would one kill just the "bad" bugs anyway?

Caterpillars are especially bad. They are voracious eaters of your plant's leaves. Cutworms will slice a plant off at the base.

The best way I can think of to destroy them is literally to hand pick them off your plants when you see them.. No pesticides.

I've never had a garden destroyed by pests, but then my family has been gardening and truck farming organically since before WW2. We "accept" some small amounts of damage, and have released beneficial insects from time to time as well.

Remember. Put out flat pans of beer to drown your garden slugs.

[Charity]

Great tips! :-)
I am getting ready to plant my spring garden in the next week. I love to plant.

Thanks

[The_Sonarman]

Common Gardening Blunders in the Back Yard Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Lesson # 2 of 5

http://www.mygardeningsecrets.com/minicourse/goodbugs.html

[DesertFox]

Years ago I read about a biological-warfare way to get rid of bugs. You collect a big bunch of the same kind (say, caterpillars) and grind them up finely and mix the dust with water. In any population there's always a few that are sick and will soon die of whatever disease they have, and they get included. Spray the ground-up remains on your plants and the effect is to spread the disease. The remaining bugs eat the disease-sprayed crops and sicken and die. In effect you spread an epidemic of that bug's disease.

[The_Sonarman]

Common Gardening Blunders in the Back Yard Fruit and Vegetable Garden

Lesson # 5 of 5

http://www.mygardeningsecrets.com/minicourse/tilling.html