The Havahart Trap scores again!

I'm really sorry I didn't think to take a picture to show you. Finally caught the little bugger. i loaded the trap first with cheese and taped it to the trap trigger. Twice the cheese disappeared and the trap didn't spring. It's a big trap and I worried that a squirrel was too light in weight for this trap to work.

So I tried again, this time hanging the cheese in the back of the cage and setting the trigger to the edge so that the slightest pressure would spring the door shut. And bingo, the next day, there he or she was so I took him/her for a ride about five miles away and let it go! It's so satisfying to get rid of a garden pest safely and without harm. The squirrel can live it's life out somewhere else, and my garden won't be bothered by disappearing vegetables and plants.

At Havahart 1085 32-by-10-by-12-Inch Easy Set/Release One-Door Cage Trap for Raccoons, Stray Cats and Woodchucks

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How to save your seed and keep it safe How about a spice rack?

If you're growing heirloom vegetables and want to save the seed, this article from the University of Illinois is a great help. Not all seed should be saved and doing it properly insures next year's seeds viability. So it pays to do it right.

"Not every plant's seeds are worth keeping. Hybrid plants are developed by crossing specific parent plants. Hybrids are wonderful plants but the seed is often sterile or does not reproduce true to the parent plant. Therefore, never save the seed from hybrids. Another major problem is some plants' flowers are open pollinated by insects, wind or people. These plants include squash, cucumbers, melon, parsley, cabbage, chard, broccoli, mustard greens, celery, spinach, cauliflower, kale, radish, beets, onion, and basil. These plants cross with others within their family. The only way to maintain the original variety is to isolate by large distances. Isolation is often impossible or impractical in a home garden.

Some seeds may transmit certain diseases. A disease that infected a crop at the end of the growing season may do little damage to that crop. However, if the seed is saved and planted the following year, the disease may severely injure or even kill the young plants.

What can you save? Standard or heirloom varieties that are not cross-pollinated by nearby plants are good candidates. Many gardeners successfully keep beans, tomatoes, lettuce, and peppers. Plants you know are heirloom varieties are easy to save. Ask the person or organization you obtained the seed from how they did it. Some people like to experiment, but make sure you don't bet the whole garden on saved seed.

When saving seed, always harvest from the best. Choose disease-free plants with qualities you desire. Look for the most flavorful vegetables or beautiful flowers. Consider size, harvest time and other characteristics.

Always harvest mature seed. For example, cucumber seeds at the eating stage are not ripe and will not germinate if saved. You must allow the fruit and seed to fully mature. Because seed set reduces the vigor of the plant and discourages further fruit production, wait until near the end of the season to save fruit for seed.

Seeds are mature or ripe when flowers are faded and dry or have puffy tops. Plants with pods, like beans, are ready when the pods are brown and dry. When seeds are ripe they usually turn from white to cream colored or light brown to dark brown. Collect the seed or fruits when most of the seed is ripe. Do not wait for everything to mature because you may lose most of the seed to birds or animals.

Beans, peas, onions, carrots, corn, most flowers and herb seeds are prepared by a dry method. Allow the seed to mature and dry as long as possible on the plant. Complete the drying process by spreading on a screen in a single layer in a well-ventilated dry location. As the seed dries the chaff or pods can be removed or blown gently away. An alternative method for extremely small or lightweight seed is putting the dry seed heads into paper bags that will catch the seed as it falls out.

Seed contained in fleshy fruits should be cleaned using the wet method. Tomatoes, melons, squash, cucumber and roses are prepared this way. Scoop the seed masses out of the fruit or lightly crush fruits. Put the seed mass and a small amount of warm water in a bucket or jar. Let the mix ferment for two to four days. Stir daily. The fermentation process kills viruses and separates the good seed from the bad seed and fruit pulp. After two to four days, the good viable seeds will sink to the bottom of the container while the pulp and bad seed float. Pour off the pulp, water, bad seed and mold. Spread the good seed on a screen or paper towel to dry.

Seeds must be stored dry. Place in glass jar or envelopes. Make sure you label all the containers or packages with the seed type or variety, and date. Put in the freezer for two days to kill pests. Then store in a cool dry location like a refrigerator. Seed that molds was not sufficiently dry before storage.

Seed viability decreases over time. Parsley, onion, and sweet corn must be used the next year. Most seed should be used within three years.

Seed saving is essential for maintaining unusual or heritage vegetables and flowers. It is a great way to propagate many native plants too. There are numerous seed saver exchanges, clubs, and listings in magazines like Organic Gardening. Although you shouldn't base your entire garden on saved seed you may want to give seed saving a try."

Small zip lock bags are good seed storers, but this spice rack looks like it would work just as well and be more managable.
At Prodyne A-845 Acrylic 20 Bottle Spice Rack

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Gopher and mole problems in the garden

For the first time there are mounds of dirt inside the garden fence indicating the presence of moles or gophers. I've put the have a heart trap with a piece of cheese to try to catch the little pest, but both times I"ve set the trap, the cheese has disappeared and the trap empty. I think whoever it is maybe too small and light to trigger the door.

So in desparation, I have bought MoleMax which is supposed to repel gophers, moles, armadillos, skunks, rabbits, and ground squirrels. Now I'm really not worried about armadillos and have never envisioned them as garden pests, but I"m hoping this stuff works. You can get sonic battery operated noise or vibration makers and actual traps that snap and kill the invader as well as poison.

I"m going to try the least deadly remedy first. This is made from castor beans and is supposedly safe to use around pets and children. We'll see.

At BONIDE PRODUCTS INC #691 5LB Molemax

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Revisited! There's a mystery scavanger in the garden!

Remember this entry? I was hoeing a row of corn yesterday in the garden when I discovered some red tinted feces filled with strawberry seeds. Definitely a small mammal. I check over the whole fence looking for possible entries and found nothing that looked like it had been breached. The is always very unsettling. It makes the whole garden vulnerable. It wasn't a bird so some animal has found a way inside.

So I have a plan. I 'm going to put the Have A Heart trap out in the garden. I"ll put in s rotten strawberry or two and some fish and a piece of meat and set it in the garden near the corn where it seems to have established it's bathroom. Hopefully I'll get the little critter and take it for a long long ride and let it loose.

Well the picture shows what I caught! I was thrilled that I had out foxed the fox and took him/her to an area about 10 miles away and let it loose!

The bad news is that there is a ground squirrel or a mole digging in the garden now and I have to set the trap again and hope it does it's job.

At Havahart 1089 Collapsible One-Door 32-by-10-by-12-inch Cage Trap for Raccoons, Stray Cats, and Woodchucks

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The dilemna of the fall cover crop is finally solved

I usually plant a fall cover crop in September and spent some time trying to decide which plant to use. I planted Berseem Clover several years in a row and had good luck with it. It puts a lot of nitrogen in the ground when tilled under and doesnt grow so high as to be unmanagable. However, one winter the temperature dipped down to ten degrees and it all died out, leaving the ground bare and vulnerable to leaching and erosion.

Fava beans are very good ground cover. The fix nitrogen also and are hardy down to 10 degrees. Another plus is that they break up nicely when you till them under. However, they sometimes grow as high as six feet tall which makes them difficult to till unless you weed eat them first.

Vetches are legumes and excellent nitrogen fixers. They should be innoculated before sowing. The one reason I stopped using them was the diffuculty in tilling in the spring. They grow tall, sometimes five feet tall and twine around the prongs of the tiller, making it bind up. So much time is spent stopping and unraveling the vines before continuing the work. I think weedeating first would help, and then letting the crop dry and wilt before beginning to till.

That has been my experience with cover crops. This year I'm taking a chance and using Territorial Seeds fall mix which includes vetch, rye, Australian peas, and clover. I'm hoping that some of negatives will balance each other out like the the difference in cold tolerance, and so I will end up with a good crop to till in in the spring. Territorial Seed has a good selection of different cover crops and a great fall catalogue.

At Fall cover crop

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August chores keep gardeners busy

Hopefully, you are enjoying the well deserved bounty your labors have created. It's always important to take time to sit and stare at the flowers, the fruiting plants, and the lush greenery in your yard and garden.

But there are never ending tasks to take care of this month. To keep the harvest growing you can plant a row of peas and lettuce for fall harvesting. Many of the herbs, like basil, are going to seed, so it's a good idea to harvest some and dry them, and others can be dug, potted so they can be brought indoors for the cold season. I have moved a dry seeded stalk of cilantro to a bare place in the garden where I want a new crop of cilantro and used another stalk to harvest and save the coriander.

You can check out the rows of mulch and see if they need more to preserve the moisture and add manure to any plant that looks like it's too yellow. Needless to say, dead heading is a constant job. I do it almost automatically and my granddaugther learned the task too well as you have to stop her from picking the flowers off before they are spent. Don't forget to start thumbing through the fall catalogues where you can order your garlic and flower bulbs for fall planting.

Its' a great season for the garden. Enjoy!

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Wild Blackberries are the best and worst of companions

Ever since a fire swept through the forest land around my place, wild blackberries have taken hold in the wet places. There is, like most incidents, an up side and a down side. The up side is, of course, that I can pick a gallon in an hour right near my house. They are one of the most delicious fruits when they are fully ripe so that they fall off into your hand. The taste of one of these sun drenched, warm, and flavorful berries is truely heavenly and would make anyone wish for more. They are much more flavorful than the thornless berries you buy for your garden borders or fence rows and are much beloved by quail, bear, and deer.

Then of course there is the down side. In the right conditions they are invasive and really really hard to control. It doesn't take much to get them started. A small vine noticed one fall became a six foot tall by six foot wide bush with long canes spreading out in every direction ready to make more of itself over winter when the rains start. This particular vine is making berries already and I am enjoying them in the morning with cereal. However, it must go! It is too close to the garden and in an area where I had planned to have a small bench near the artisan well to sit and watch birds and small animals and just to contemplate the loveliness of nature.

Here is my plan of destruction without the use of herbicide. I will pick all the ripe berries and then cut the canes back with a weedeater or pruners. After the debris has been raked up and thrown in the compost or into a place where it will not begin to spread, I take a shovel and dig down into the root area to take the plants beneath the soil. Then I intend to put an old piece of tin roofing over the root area to keep light out and to keep the canes from breaking through to daylight. The area will have to be watched for canes attempting to grow out from underneath the tin and clipped off. A seasonal cycle should do it and then I can plant some grass and wildflowers to attrack birds and butterflys.

If you prefer your blackberries to be thornless, the Black Satin Berries are hardy and prolific bearers.

At Black Satin Blackberry One Gallon Triple Staked

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Purslane--it's annoying and it's edible

The main summer weed in my garden is purslane. It starts so innocently as a tiny purple tinted sprout and soon grows into a spreading, whorl of succulent leaves on a reddish stem and a tiny yellow flower whose seed pod soon opens to drops tiny seeds for next year. The first year I gardened, I discovered it was edible and suggested to my visiting father that we could eat it. His reaction was typical for someone raised in the depression who had to eat "weeds". We tried it pickled and as a salad green and were mostly unimpressed. A friend of mine ordered purslane seeds from a catalogue with her other garden vegetables, not realizing until it grew that she had it in abundance all over her garden.

The following years of gardening, I mostly pulled it out. You have to get it out of the garden because it lives on after being pulled from the ground and wills till drop seeds for the next year for you to pull again. One plant can produce over 50,000 seeds. One gardener who should know said that it provides tons of nitrogen for the garden if you till it in and I sometimes do that also, although it is warm weather crop and the nitrogen is leached out here by the winter rains.

Purslane originated in India and was supposedly it was Ghandi's favorite plant. Since I have the usual abundance this year, I'm going to try it in the green bean salad. Supposedly it can be used as a substitute for spinach in lasagnas and pasta dishes. It has very high nutritional values being full or omega 3's, and very low in calories,

At Organic Golden Purslane - 500 Seeds - Veggie

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Straw mulch solves a lot of August gardening problems

If you happen to be tired of pulling weeds and it's really hot to be out in the garden, then straw mulch is a good solution. You can buy it in bales from the feed store and put it around plants in the cool of the evening. It breaks off in thick 3" to 5" pieces and can be used that thick which should garuantee no weeds popping up underneath it. Or if you are budget conscious, then you can go to your local store, ask for cardboard boxes and bring them home to break open and lay down between plants to begin with. The cardboard will break down over winter as will the straw that you lay on top of it and provide organic material to compost right in the garden. Putting the straw on top of the mulch makes the rows look much neater also, although cardboard alone would do the job of keeping sun from providing warmth and food for growing weeds.

The other advantage this method has for the August garden is that it reduces the need for water. I always try to soak the garden well before putting down the cardboard and straw mulch. Then light soakings directly on the plants keep them going with much less water. Soaker hose along the row works well now, or drippers to keep the plants moist is good. A light spraying in the evenings directly on the leaves keeps the plants free of dust and provides some nutrients from the water.

In case there's no cardboard boxes available, here's some biodegradable paper to use.

At Easy Gardener 702 WeedBlock Biodegradable Paper Mulch - 3-Foot x 50-Foot

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Planting Fig Trees

I planted this fig tree about 30 years ago from a small one foot seedling in a neighbors deserted orchard. Once it got frozen back to the roots in zero degree temperatures which happen very rarely here. Now it has grown into a lovely tree that produces black figs. The first flush is ripe now and there are some huge figs coming on for later pickings.

When my grandchildren were here in July they loved climbing from the low branches up to the tallest and kept wanting to know when the figs would be ripe. Now I'm going to sun dry the ripe ones and send them to the grandkids for a treat and a reminder of the wealth and bounty of their grandmother's yard.

Figs can be raised from seed, by ground layering, or by cuttings. They grow well in a wide range of soils. My soil is fairly acid and the tree is prospering. They grow up to 30 feet high and their large lobed leaves are very attractive so that people often remark on my fig tree. The tree originated in Western Asia and spread throughout the Mediterrean. The tree produces several crops a year. My fig keeps ripening fruit up unitl the first frosts in October. You can also grow it as a container plant.

I'm not really fond of the fresh fruit, but love them roasted, with goat cheese in salads or as an appetizer. They are easy to dry and then make tasty snacks.

At Fig 'Black Mission' Tree Container Plant

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News from the Organic Consumers Association

Challenging the Biotech Bullying of the Infamous Chemical Company

Only 26% percent of US consumers are aware that most of the non-organic processed food in the nation is contaminated with gene-spliced DNA, bacteria, and viruses - ingredients derived from Monsanto's genetically engineered crops or from animals given genetically engineered growth hormones, vaccines or feed.

The aim of the Organic Consumers Association's Millions Against Monsanto campaign is to make US consumers aware that Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) are hazardous, untested, and unlabeled, and that the chemical fertilizers and pesticides applied to GMO crops are damaging the environment, polluting our water and food, and releasing dangerous greenhouse gases.

The U.S. government has never tested genetically engineered foods to find out whether they are safe for human consumption. Consumers need to know that many scientists are now warning that these foods are damaging the vital organs and fertility of animals, and therefore obviously poisoning humans as well. Monsanto and the food industry have up until now blocked all U.S. legislation to label GMO-tainted foods, because they know that most consumers, if given the choice (as in the EU, where labels are required), would not consume them.

Stand up for the OCA. Stand up against Monsanto.

At Organic Consumers Association

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Things going to seed in your garden?

August is a great month. You can enjoy the fruits of the garden that you've worked so hard to produce. It's a month when you kind of coast a little. But it's good to remember to harvest more than the ripe tomatoes and corn. My corn just started coming in and, man, is it delicious!

Lots of plants are now making seed and it is a fairly easy task to harvest the seed also. I just cut the seeds off my Russian Kale. It is so easy to do. I just clipped the tips of the seeded stalks and put them in a paper bag. Since the stalk and seed pods are bulky, I break them up inside the bag with my hand and throw the husks away. Then the seeds can be stored in a plastic bag and labeled. The labeling is really necessary because although you think you might remember, the seeds of all the cabbage family look exactly alike. So be careful you know which is which.

The cilantro is also going to seed. The seed of cilantro is the spice coriander. So the seed can be used to replinish your spice rack as well as stored for more cilantro. Try planting the seed now and to get in a last crop of cilantro. It is a quick growing plant and can provide tasty additions to salads and salsas up until the first frost.

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Hot weather gardening tips

We found this rather interesting set of tips from Scott Richter on hot weather gardening. We have to agree with all of them, but we really always hate the extra mulching when it's hot.

Garden Maintenance Tips

1) Keep plants mulched. You probably already know of the many benefits of mulch. Keep the mulch replenished in the heat. Look for free sources of organic mulches in your area such as neighborhood leaves or grass clippings. Apply a thin layer of fresh clippings and let dry for a few days before adding more.

2) Keep Weeding. Here's a fast, easy way to recapture weed infested areas of your garden. Wet the soil thoroughly. Tall weeds may need to be mowed before wetting. Place a 4 sheet thick layer of newspaper over the weeds covering the entire row up around your garden plants. Wet the newspaper to hold it in place and cover with leaves or hay.

I have even come back a few weeks later and planted transplants or larger seeds like okra through holes in the newspaper. Sprinkle a handful of soil or compost over the seeds and then water. You'll be amazed how well they grow.

3) Keep Yourself Watered. Drink plenty of water when working outdoors. The hot humid weather can be dangerous if you work outdoors during midday. Use sunscreen with at least a SPF 15 rating and avoid extended time out in the sun during the heat of the day.

4) Add Manure. Vegetable gardens not in production can benefit from an addition of manure and other organic matter this month. This material will decompose rapidly and be ready for fall planting in late summer. Southern peas such as blackeye, purplehull, cream and crowders make a great, edible summer cover crop for building the soil and providing food. The pea vines can be mowed and rototilled under while still green for extra soil building benefits or allowed to produce peas and then tilled under.

Let the hot sun work for you by tilling unused areas of the garden and expose the soil to the heat. This will kill nematodes and young weeds. After a couple of weeks repeat tilling to bring more weed seeds and nematodes to the surface.

5) Water Deeply. Irrigate the soil deeply and infrequently rather than giving plants a light sprinkling each day. Apply enough water to wet a sandy soil 1 foot deep and a clay soil 6 to 8 inches deep. This requires about 1 inch of rain or sprinkler irrigation.

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This Summertime salad just keeps on giving

Now that the Sungold tomatoes are ripening and the cucumbers and beans are ready to be picked I can begin to make my favorite summertime green bean salad. The Sungold tomatoes are cherry type and are the sweetest of all the tomatoes. I usually plant a six pack of them to make sure I get enough for all the summertime salads.

The green bean salad I make is very simple. Steam the green beans for about 10 minutes and add them with whatever tomatoes are on hand. Slice cucumbers and a red onion, add olive oil and balsamic vinegar and salt to taste. It's sooooo simple. I always keep the leftover salad and the next day add more ingredients and serve it again. You can add broccoli and some sweet corn for variety. Potatoes can also be used for a potato salad without mayonnaise.

So enjoy the bounty of the garden in mid summer. These are the months we have been working for all year long.

At Sun Gold Tomato 20 Seeds - Golden Orange Cherry - Sweet

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The Winter Garden needs some planning

I've planted late beans and put in a winter planting of beets. I think the broccoli, kale and cabbage will have to be started indoors and transplanted as the weather is too hot right now for good germination. Fall planted vegetables take about two weeks longer to mature because the daylight is getting shorter and all plants respond to that. So it's a good idea to get a jump on fall plantings by prespourting seeds.

To presprout seeds, place them between two layers of damp paper towels. Place the towels in a plastic bag and keep them in a warm place until the seeds germinate. Another method is to soak seeds for 4 hours. Allow the seedlings to reach a length of up to 1 inch. Be careful not to break the roots when planting. You can plant sprouted seeds more deeply than normal to help prevent drying out. Water well until the plants break the soil surface.

If it's hot and sunny when you plant, young plants will need extra care. Water transplants daily at first. You might need to sprinkle seeds and newly germinated seedlings twice a day. To keep the soil moist and protect young plants from the sun, temporarily shade them. Boards and umbrellas make good shade structures and a mulch of straw or hay helps.

At Renee's Greens Crispy Winter Seeds 900 Seeds

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