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Gardening Tips, Advice, Successes...

sprintc22 said:
I put moth balls around my garden and flowers and it seems to work.
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Very bad idea to use moth balls anywhere near veggies, moth balls are poisonous & will contaminate the soil.


Moth balls are fine for ornamental gardens only. If they are the naphthalene ones they will also deter snakes.
 
cookiemom said:
I've had some luck keeping the slugs off my hostas with Diatomaceous earth ... got tired of doing the beer thing and got WAY too many hostas... :lol:

http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-2-9-1502,00.html

Diatomaceous earth (DE).
After testing all kinds of slug barriers, Jeff Gillman, author of The Truth about Garden Remedies and professor of horticulture at the University of Minnesota, concluded that DE is the most reliable. "DE is a white powder made from the fossilized remains of diatoms, one-celled algae that have a skeleton made of silicon," Gillman says. "To a slithering slug, this lethal powder is extremely sharp and cuts their undersides, causing dehydration." DE does have to be replenished each time it rains, making it a better choice for climates where it does not rain frequently. (Note: Buy only untreated diatomaceous earth formulated for garden use, and wear a dust mask when applying it. DE made for swimming pools is chemically altered and not suitable for use in any garden, much less an organic one.)
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DE gets very expensive, especially during a rainy summer.

You can also try using crushed oyster shells. Big bags are cheap at your local feed store. They will also help add calcium to your garden though it takes years for them to break down & do that.




Another choice is to keep chickens or ducks, they'll eat the slugs. Problem is they also like lettuce and other greens you may be growing. :giggles:
 
ennui said:
DE gets very expensive, especially during a rainy summer.

You can also try using crushed oyster shells. Big bags are cheap at your local feed store. They will also help add calcium to your garden though it takes years for them to break down & do that.

Another choice is to keep chickens or ducks, they'll eat the slugs. Problem is they also like lettuce and other greens you may be growing. :giggles:
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that's true..... it is a PITA during a rainy summer..... but then so was pouring them their "drink" and cleaning it up :lol:

did not know about the oyster shells.... will check that out... thanks!

i'm thinking no on the chickens and ducks, but I bet Lucy would have enjoyed that :lol:
 
One other thing that works for slugs, is bribery. A friend paid her 6 yo bounty hunter son 10¢ per slug. He'd go out after dark with a flashlight & empty plastic jar [while a parent watched, naturally]. The money was a big motivator. :lol:
 
ennui said:
DE gets very expensive, especially during a rainy summer.

You can also try using crushed oyster shells. Big bags are cheap at your local feed store. They will also help add calcium to your garden though it takes years for them to break down & do that.
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I save egg shells and use them, but after years of fighting I broke down & bought slug killer...DK remember the name but it was about $3-5 a box...It took a couple of application, but I haven't seen one of the slimesters in a couple of years...

Copper is also supposed to be a deterrent...
 
I read today that garlic and onions around hostas will keep slugs off. Don't ya know I planted me some garlic :) I also read garlic and orange peels deter deer. It is due to rain tonight, so I haven't put the orange peels out yet. I will be trying it thought. oh and garlic plants also keep aphids and blackspot off of roses. Used coffee grounds supposedly make roses not so appealing to deer and help to fertilize them. I have been doing the coffee ground for about 2 weeks and they are extremely healthy. So, so far they haven't caused any ill effects. I have put coffee grounds around the tiny little apple tree and so far, the tree looks healthy. Now if the deer would quit eating the leaves off of the apple tree, life would be grand.
 
We get big bags of coffee grounds from Starbucks...... they save them special to give out to gardeners :)
 
That will be my next venture. At this point I just saved my house made grounds. We drink a pot or 2 a day, so they accumulate pretty quick. I wasn't going to ask for grounds when I wasn't sure if it might klill the roses, kwim?

Thanks for the help cookieom :)
 
ennui said:
DE gets very expensive, especially during a rainy summer.

You can also try using crushed oyster shells. Big bags are cheap at your local feed store. They will also help add calcium to your garden though it takes years for them to break down & do that.




Another choice is to keep chickens or ducks, they'll eat the slugs. Problem is they also like lettuce and other greens you may be growing. :giggles:
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Not going with chickens/ducks, but the idea with the cantaloupe rind is that the slugs crawl in, can't get out, and get eaten by the neighborhood racoons (plenty of those around). OR....if the raccoons don't get to them, I'll take care of them.

Strangely enough, I haven't noticed the slugs on my hostas (have several varieties around the backyard), but definitely see them in the veggie garden areas. Think I'll go with beer and melons for now. Thanks for all the suggestions ladies!
 
Walked out this evening to go to kohl's and saw TWO rabbits in my front yard. Grrr....might have to pick me up some moth balls for those front flower beds. Unless someone knows where I can pick up some foxes or dog hair. :giggles:
 
I gave away LOTS of Lucy fur to peeps for their gardens last year! :lol: When we adopted her, she was thick and huge as a bear. Thankfully, she didn't feel the need to grow such a thick coat this year, being all all safe and protected and well taken care of ♥♥♥
 
need some rain soon.

My rain barrel is almost empty... but garden looks great
 
I want a rain barrel. Maybe next year. They're so expensive.

So wanted to let my gardening buddies know that Ace has 3# bags of Scotts all purpose plant food 10-10-10 (same stuff as miracle-gro.) for $.99 after $3 mail in rebate.
 
Love my rain barrel! It's huge and only cost us $50

I use it for the garden but also to wash out anything icky (litter boxes, bottom of muddy boots, garbage cans)
 
Dekalb Country Farm bureal (spelling!) had them a few years ago. They were $75 but mine is scratched on the side so I got a discount. Could care less about the scratch, it's in the back yard.

Only thing is remember that water will find it own level so not much water pressure. Our is up on a stand so it works well for us.

It's an ugly dark green color- it was orginally used to ship olives overseas.
 
Re: Gardening Tips, Advice, Successes...
oh, $50 isn't bad. Where did you get it?


Try your city's garden club. We got ours last year for 35.00 each. Ugly blue color - but spray painted white easily.
 
I finally got around to buying some hanging baskets today and some dahlias that I always plant on the sunny south side of my house. I also bought a big, stunning dahlia with stark black foliage and dark orange blossoms......so cool looking!

DS (8) picked out a red gerbera daisy for himself that he just had to have. Love that boy!
 
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