Giving them a light cover of mulch or debris encourages them to hang around and reproduce.Overwintering adults emerge from their underground burrows in early summer, just about the time that their favorite food species are plentiful.
Gardeners often encounter unique and colorful insects in their gardens. Since they do appear in groups, many gardeners naturally assume that they are unwelcome invaders and run for the pesticide.
It is then flown or dragged to the entrance of her burrow.Here, she goes through a ritual that is unique among insects. The only time that it is advisable to eliminate these insects would be if they build their nests in a high traffic locale, or in children's...
While not necessarily nocturnal, you may notice them at night because some of their favorite prey is attracted to the lights over your garage or front porch.Before you decide to systematically execute any wheel bugs you may find in your garden, note that...
When they emerge, predators will hastily consume all but the quickest of the babies, so very few actually make it to maturity.Technically, a spider is not an insect. If Picasso were to have painted a spider, she could have been his inspiration.Her large...
Gardeners often encounter unique and colorful insects in their gardens. From the miracle of the Monarch butterfly that migrates to Mexico each autumn, to the fireflies that light up summer evenings with their special flashing glow, we all have a favorite.
Cut smaller stalk sections to use as cross members (ladder steps). You can also grow living sunflower supports in a circular pattern, and plant beans around them. Tie these in place—very tightly—using baling wire or strong fishing line, allow trellises...
If you like spicy-hot food, add the seeds to your dish along with the chopped jalapeno pepper flesh. The more seeds added, the hotter the spice. Cut it open, remove the seeds, spread them out in a single layer and air dry them.
Choose other spring flowers for a cheerful display, and highlight their colors with deep green foliage. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8, tulips (Tulipa spp.) are dignified in the garden, standing straight and...
Instead of traditional gazpacho, base the cold soup on cucumbers, and use freshly chopped tomatoes and corn kernels for garnish. In addition, make stainless steel sinks and faucets shine by rubbing a cucumber slice over them.
I grew up with a variegated variety called “ snow-on-the-mountain ” carpeting a shady corner of my backyard in Canada. Ground elder is apparently high in a number of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and anti-inflammatory and diuretic compounds, which...
Freeze the pesto in ice cube trays, and you have an effective way of preserving this annual herb for later use.Once you get a taste for cilantro, it will be easy to see why it is so popular the world over.
I?ll admit, lemongrass is one of those herbs that doesn?t exactly grow like wildfire. The most obvious choice is to make a bowl of aromatic Thai soup.To make an easy Tom Ka Gai (coconut chicken soup), heat a little olive oil in the bottom of a pot.Toss...
It is a particularly good match with strawberries, peaches and limes. Simmer until the tomatoes cook down, then thin the mixture. If everything goes well, basil plants become large and bushy.
Sampling the flowers before using them gives a better idea on how much to use in each dish.The small, pink or white flowers growing on the ends of oregano stems add color to the herb garden.
The ideas I've presented here are just a few to get you started. The pan the cutlets were cooked in is deglazed with chicken stock. You need to make sure the contents of your pickle jars have a pH less than 4.6, in order to prevent the growth of dangerous...
Instead, grip the top of the stalk and pull sideways, using leverage to pry the base from the ground.Use gloves when handling sunflower stalks. From the towering Russian Mammoth to the multi-branched, red-flowered Moulin Rouge, sunflowers (Helianthus...
(10 – 15 C.) and you may need to set up special quarters for them to keep them at the right temperature and humidity level indoors during the cold months.Like all plants, bonsai need fertilizer to stay healthy.
Many people consider chives the easiest herb to grow. When thinking about chives most people concentrate on the foliage (which look like grass blades).However, every part of the chive plant is edible, and you can use the bulb like a mild onion in a pinch.The...
Parsley is a biannual, which means that in the second year it will bolt and go to seed. However, it is self-seeding, which means if it likes the area where you've planted it, not only will the plant replace itself, but you might get a lot more seedlings...
Eastern towhees, spotted towhees, song sparrows, dark-eyed juncos, Townsend's solitaires, nighthawks, brown thrashers and killdeer nest on the ground among brush, tall grass, tree roots, gravel or right out in the open.
When I make pizza sauce, I like to get a huge pot bubbling, but you can sauce about three pizzas with the following: A small onion and four cloves of garlic sauteed until translucent.
You eat it, of course. Make sure to let some of your plants develop flower heads, as you can collect the seeds, both for sowing the next year, but also for culinary use.Fennel seed can be chewed as is as a breath freshener.You can find bags of fennel...
The plants spread horizontally, forming an attractive carpet. My lemon thyme tends to grow over the edges of the sidewalk, and when that happens, I whip up a batch of lemon thyme cookies that you would swear contain lemon juice and zest (Just add 3 tablespoons...
As it occurs, the leaves diminish in size and grow bitter. Leaves grow inedible as energy flows to flowers and stalks. Bolting does not mean your harvest is lost, although it can diminish the collard greens' flavor.
If you have a hen that's stopped laying and you suspect a bound egg to be the problem, here's how you can nurse your chicken back to health. Treating An Egg-Bound Hen If the hen is egg bound, you might be able to feel the egg from the outside of her belly.
Go To Farm Conferences And Garden Shows Attending regional flower shows or conferences like ones hosted by the Northeast Organic Farm Association, which has winter events in several states, is a perfect way to beat the winter blues, network with other...
