Blueberry bushes are a great addition to your garden! These bushes are easy to grow and care for and thrive in acidic soil. You may need to add an acidifier to the soil to help these bushes thrive in your garden. They will not produce fruit until it is a couple years old, but patience is a virtue! Enjoy these tasty berries! How to Grow: Blueberry bushes are best planted after your last spring […]
Raccoons are huge corn-lovers, and they will destroy the corn in your garden in a hurry. Keeping them out of your garden is imperative to protecting your corn. Treatment Options: Placing a motion-activated sprinkler near where the problem area is will help to scare the raccoons away. Raccoons are scared of larger predators. Applying blood meal around the perimeter of your garden has been shown to deter small mammals. Raccoon repellent, fox urine […]
Adult stink bugs are green or brown and grow up to ¾” long; they have distinctive shield-shaped bodies. Young stink bugs are smaller, rounder, and more colorful, with highly patterned black, red, white, and green colored bodies. When held or squished they emit a foul-smelling fluid from glands located on the thorax. It’s released as a defensive mechanism and can be a nuisance, especially, if found in clusters. Populations peak in late summer and early […]
Fruit worms can be extremely aggravating to deal with. Prevention is key with these pesky critters! It is important to work to try and prevent these from ruining your fruit. Treatment Options: Removing all the surrounding debris and weeds from around your trees or bushes can help to prevent egg laying by the moths. Hand picking infected fruits and disposing of them can help prevent spread of the worms. Use the organic pesticide, BTK […]
Japanese beetles, or june bugs, are metallic green with bronze wing covers. The larvae of the beetle, called grubs, are white with a brown head. The adults eat and attack foliage, fruits, and flowers while the grubs eat the roots of your plants. Treatment Options: Hand-picking and placing the beetle in a soapy water bucket is a great way to get rid of these pests. Companion planting plants with a strong odor, such […]
Birds can be both a pest and an ally in the garden. Birds help with pest control eating a wide variety of insects including aphids, caterpillars, mosquitos, and spiders. On the downside, they will also steal seeds and eat your tomatoes! Treatment Options: You can protect your seeds by covering them with a layer of burlap or shade cloth. I typically hold it down with a hardware mesh panel because that’ll help keep cats […]
Thrips are tiny straw-colored insects with two pairs of wings. They can damage plants by sucking out their juices causing discoloration and even death! Treatment Options: As with most pests, the best solution is prevention. Placing a floating row cover with insect netting will help to prevent these critters from eating your plants. Another good prevention is to remove excess weeds and grass around the garden areas as this can help to attract them. […]
We don’t have to worry about deer here in the city, but those of you in the country know all too well how destructive and challenging deer can be. They can jump over any fence shorter than 8 feet, and there are very few things they won’t eat. Treatment Options: The best thing to do is to build a fence at least 8 feet tall around the garden. There are a few other ideas that […]
Aphids are tiny insects that can usually be found in groups on the undersides of leaves and stems. A few aphids can’t do much, but they reproduce quickly, are born pregnant, and can take over a plant in no time at all! Treatment Options: Spray aphids off leaves with a blast of water from the sprayer and repeat as necessary for a few days Ladybugs are valuable ally and can be purchased to help with […]