Guest guest Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Speaking of gardens, my husband and I are, for the first time ever, planting a garden. We are doing mostly heirloom varieties of the vegetables we eat most - broccoli, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers (red bell type) and a few others that escape me at the moment. My question, however, isn't about what we're growing so much as pest control. Obviously, we want it to be organic. We live in southeastern lower Michigan in the US. Can anyone guide me to a site that would discuss organic pest control - vegetation eating bugs? We're trying to figure out various ways to keep the rabbits and raccoons out (not to mention our little veggie loving Ibizan Hound - she goes nuts over carrots so this may be an interesting thing) and we've got some ideas there, but the garden eating bugs are our big conundrum at the moment. And while we're at it, in the past we have used pest control companies (Orkin) to control carpenter ants that will come into the house in the spring/summer. We don't want to do that anymore. We are trying to be as earth friendly as possible and obviously, Orkin is the opposite of that. Any way to find environmentally friendly pest control for INSIDE the house? Especially for bugs like carpenter ants and earwigs? I'm starting my online search today, but thought you experienced folks might have some pointers or starting points, too. We're tired of poisoning ourselves and every other living thing around us. Funny how a change in diet also changes your whole outlook on life! Missie Harhold and Gracie the Ibizan Hound and Jeanie the Greyhound greyhounddog “Because nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened unless somebody, somewhere stood up when it was hard; stood up when they were told – no you can’t, and said yes we can.” Barack Obama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 I can't really give any advice on things like carpenter ants - we don't have them here in the UK. If Fraggle is around he may be able to help. Jo , NATASHA HARHOLD <greyhounddog wrote: > > Speaking of gardens, my husband and I are, for the first time ever, > planting a garden. We are doing mostly heirloom varieties of the > vegetables we eat most - broccoli, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, > peppers (red bell type) and a few others that escape me at the > moment. My question, however, isn't about what we're growing so much > as pest control. Obviously, we want it to be organic. We live in > southeastern lower Michigan in the US. Can anyone guide me to a site > that would discuss organic pest control - vegetation eating bugs? > We're trying to figure out various ways to keep the rabbits and > raccoons out (not to mention our little veggie loving Ibizan Hound - > she goes nuts over carrots so this may be an interesting thing) and > we've got some ideas there, but the garden eating bugs are our big > conundrum at the moment. And while we're at it, in the past we have > used pest control companies (Orkin) to control carpenter ants that > will come into the house in the spring/summer. We don't want to do > that anymore. We are trying to be as earth friendly as possible and > obviously, Orkin is the opposite of that. Any way to find > environmentally friendly pest control for INSIDE the house? > Especially for bugs like carpenter ants and earwigs? I'm starting my > online search today, but thought you experienced folks might have some > pointers or starting points, too. We're tired of poisoning ourselves > and every other living thing around us. Funny how a change in diet > also changes your whole outlook on life! > > > > Missie Harhold > and Gracie the Ibizan Hound > and Jeanie the Greyhound > greyhounddog > > " Because nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened unless > somebody, somewhere stood up when it was hard; stood up when they were > told – no you can't, and said yes we can. " Barack Obama > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 17, 2009 Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 UC-Davis has an IPM (integrated pest managment) website with suggestions for least-toxic pest control. GardenWeb has an organic gardening forum. I use lots of compost, a little liquid kelp, and plant ferments on my garden and did not need to use any other products in my garden last year. When the snails and slugs were bad other years, I used Sluggo, a nontoxic (except to snails/slugs) iron phosphate-based pellet. In the spring and fall, most of the damage has come from birds eating the broccoli leaves, pea shoots, and (in other gardens) even young tomato leaves when no other greens were available! They also love blackberries. Netting or row cover solves all that. Aphids are food for the bug-eating bugs, so I let them be unless they seem to be overwhelming a plant. In that case, they're easy to wash off with a stream of water or with a gloved hand, or at the very most, a mild soap spray (a teaspoon or so of castile soap in a quart of water). Once they fall to the ground, they can't fly back up -- aphids are parthenogenetic and waft on the breezes. Sometimes what looks like a colony of aphids is actually " aphid ghosts " : the shells of aphids after the predators have laid eggs in them and eaten their way out. For fence-climbing critters, keep the top 6 inches of the fence floppy so that they can't climb it. For squash bugs and cucumber beetles, my most effective remedy has been to avoid planting early. If I can plant late enough to miss the first generation of these bugs, I can avoid having them at all -- or else I've been incredibly lucky the past 2 years. My rule of thumb is that if the cucumbers and squash need any protection from cold and wind, it's too early to plant them. Also, they seem to prefer some varieties (different ones in different places, I think). I like round small summer squash, but the squash bugs really love them here, so I don't plant them any more. If I really wanted to grow them, I'd use row cover, though maybe I'd have to hand pollinate. For ants indoors, I've used a mixture of 4 parts white sugar to 1 part borax (in the laundry aisle at the grocery store). Sprinkle it around outside the doorways, but don't put it where the dog might eat it. We didn't use it in the whole yard, just around the places where the ants were getting in. There's also a product you can buy, Terro ant bait, that is AFAIK a mixture of sugar and borax and is very effective. It does kill the ants, but I have not found an ant repellent that is effective. I tried such things as mint, cinnamon, etc. when I lived in a house that was getting invaded by ants, and nothing worked. For earwigs indoors, I'd let them be. They're not harmful. For a great resource for indoor " pest " control, google " Ask the Bugman " . Finally, you can talk to them. IIRC I read about this in a book by Michael Roads, and also in Boone, Kinship with all life. At 10:21 AM -0400 3/17/09, NATASHA HARHOLD wrote: >Speaking of gardens, my husband and I are, for the first time ever, >planting a garden. We are doing mostly heirloom varieties of the >vegetables we eat most - broccoli, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, >peppers (red bell type) and a few others that escape me at the >moment. My question, however, isn't about what we're growing so much >as pest control. Obviously, we want it to be organic. We live in >southeastern lower Michigan in the US. Can anyone guide me to a site >that would discuss organic pest control - vegetation eating bugs? >We're trying to figure out various ways to keep the rabbits and >raccoons out (not to mention our little veggie loving Ibizan Hound - >she goes nuts over carrots so this may be an interesting thing) and >we've got some ideas there, but the garden eating bugs are our big >conundrum at the moment. And while we're at it, in the past we have >used pest control companies (Orkin) to control carpenter ants that >will come into the house in the spring/summer. We don't want to do >that anymore. We are trying to be as earth friendly as possible and >obviously, Orkin is the opposite of that. Any way to find >environmentally friendly pest control for INSIDE the house? >Especially for bugs like carpenter ants and earwigs? I'm starting my >online search today, but thought you experienced folks might have some >pointers or starting points, too. We're tired of poisoning ourselves >and every other living thing around us. Funny how a change in diet >also changes your whole outlook on life! > > > >Missie Harhold >and Gracie the Ibizan Hound >and Jeanie the Greyhound >greyhounddog > > " Because nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened unless >somebody, somewhere stood up when it was hard; stood up when they were >told - no you can't, and said yes we can. " Barack Obama > > > >--- > >To send an email to >-! Groups Links > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Chickens and ducks! Guinea hens too! They all love to eat bugs of any kind. Ducks won't scratch & uproot plants, but they should have water (a small pond to play in) and I think they smell worse (but make up for it in cute). We have two hens who rid my yard of all the bugs. Of course now I'm thinking they are probably going to rid my pond of the wonderful red legged frogs too so I might have to fence the area off. Ann NATASHA HARHOLD Tuesday, March 17, 2009 7:21 AM Garden Question (was herbs) Speaking of gardens, my husband and I are, for the first time ever, planting a garden. We are doing mostly heirloom varieties of the vegetables we eat most - broccoli, carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers (red bell type) and a few others that escape me at the moment. My question, however, isn't about what we're growing so much as pest control. Obviously, we want it to be organic. We live in southeastern lower Michigan in the US. Can anyone guide me to a site that would discuss organic pest control - vegetation eating bugs? We're trying to figure out various ways to keep the rabbits and raccoons out (not to mention our little veggie loving Ibizan Hound - she goes nuts over carrots so this may be an interesting thing) and we've got some ideas there, but the garden eating bugs are our big conundrum at the moment. And while we're at it, in the past we have used pest control companies (Orkin) to control carpenter ants that will come into the house in the spring/summer. We don't want to do that anymore. We are trying to be as earth friendly as possible and obviously, Orkin is the opposite of that. Any way to find environmentally friendly pest control for INSIDE the house? Especially for bugs like carpenter ants and earwigs? I'm starting my online search today, but thought you experienced folks might have some pointers or starting points, too. We're tired of poisoning ourselves and every other living thing around us. Funny how a change in diet also changes your whole outlook on life!Missie Harholdand Gracie the Ibizan Houndand Jeanie the Greyhoundgreyhounddog“Because nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened unless somebody, somewhere stood up when it was hard; stood up when they were told – no you can’t, and said yes we can.” Barack Obama---To send an email to -! Groups Links<*> /<*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional<*> To change settings online go to: /join ( ID required)<*> To change settings via email: -digest -fullfeatured <*> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 Thanks for the advice on the garden! I've gotten some great starting off info that will make my research and learning so much easier and faster! As for the chickens and guinea hens, I would LOVE to do that! Sadly, we live in a suburban area of Detroit, MI, USA and our city ordinances are such that we cannot have such animals. Only dogs and cats. However, if we are able to move out to the country when my husband retires in about 10 years (which was our plan before the economy started spinning out of control), we've already discussed having ducks and chickens and such. I read a book, " The Good Pig, " and the author had some chickens they referred to as The Ladies. Her life, with the critters and all, sounds perfect to me! Missie Harhold and Gracie the Ibizan Hound and Jeanie the Greyhound greyhounddog “Because nothing worthwhile in this country has ever happened unless somebody, somewhere stood up when it was hard; stood up when they were told – no you can’t, and said yes we can.” Barack Obama Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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