Sage Advice Archives - Page 8 of 24

Grasshoppers bite chunks out of the sides of leaves, but can consume entire leaves over time.

Ask Gardenerd: Are Grasshoppers Bad?

We love it when people ask about bugs before killing them. Better safe than sorry. You may be killing a beneficial insect, so please ask before taking action. Like Dora here: "Are grasshoppers bad for my garden? If so how can I get rid of [them] naturally?" Dora, we used to let grasshoppers wander the garden thinking they were good, until they eat one of our hibiscus plants down to a stick. Then they attacked our lemon tree and ate…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 23, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment

Diatomaceous earth or DE is safe for use in organic gardens without harming the good guys of the soil food web.

Ask Gardenerd: Roly Poly Problems

Here's a new question that came in this week: " I have a ton of roly poly bugs in my raised beds right now... They at the roots/stems of my last round of cucumbers and I would like to get rid of them without hurting my worm population. Can I use Diatomaceous earth? - Tia" Hi Tia, Yes, you can use diatomaceous earth (DE) to get rid of the pill bugs (A.K.A. roly poly) without hurting your worm population. Diatomaceaous…

Post author:Christy
Post published:September 1, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:8 Comments

Cosmos are beneficial insectaries for bees and other pollinators.

Ask Gardenerd: When to Spray to Avoid Bees

Another great question to share with you this week from Melody Girard: "Are there certain times of the day that bees and other pollinators in our area routinely forage? If so, when would that be? I've read that if you need to use an organic spray to control pest, that you should avoid using it at times when bees are foraging." Knowing when to spray is tricky one, because there are some species that are out all day long, and…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 29, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
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Ask Gardenerd: Make my Hydrangea Blue

I think we've all asked this question at least once in our gardening lives: "What do I have to do to make our light pink hydrangea to blossom blue. Everyone has different opinion on this subject, your help is very much appreciated. Thank you, Ana" Good question, Ana, and there are several answers, all arriving at basically the same solution: You need to lower the pH of your soil in order for hydrangeas to flower blue instead of pink. Now,…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 15, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
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Picture perfect grapes on a vine

Ask Gardenerd: Mildew on Grapes

This week we explore powdery mildew on grapes: "Every year we have a good crop of grapes, but they are covered by mold. What should we do? We sprayed our grapes with milk & water (equal parts) to no avail. Any suggestion? Thank you. Ana & Joe Liper" You're not alone, Ana & Joe, molds such as powdery mildew are very common on grapes and other vining crops like melons and cucumbers. Once it takes hold it is very hard…

Post author:Christy
Post published:July 1, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments

Diving into the forage mix

Ask Gardenerd: Growing Chicken Feed

Heads-up homesteaders, this Ask Gardenerd question is for you: "I want to start having my chickens eat things from the earth, than from the store. They are were born in April. I saw your video on YouTube about making that grass cover for them. Do you recommend compost piles and the turf for the chickens? Would you feed them other things as well? Or do you have resources that you think might get us in the right direction. Thank you!…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 24, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
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Food grade barrels are best for use in vegetable gardens.

Ask Gardenerd: Using Rainwater

A great question came into Ask Gardenerd this week: "Is it safe to use rain barrel water on the organic vegetable garden? My first concern is that the plastic the rain barrels are made of. My second is that we have several of the barrels catching water from the composite roof. What are your thoughts on this? Thank you, Tia" Yes, you can use rainwater to irrigate your vegetable garden. We've been watering with rainwater exclusively since December. Veggie gardens…

Post author:Christy
Post published:June 9, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

Identify the male squash flower. Step 1 for hand pollinating.

Hand Pollinating Squash

Early-season gardeners in warm-weather climates are planting zucchini, yellow crookneck and winter squashes already. Flowers open, bees and other pollinators arrive, and soon there will be an abundance of squashes for eating and sharing. But with pollinator populations on the decline, we leave nothing to chance here at Gardenerd HQ. We hand pollinate. Perhaps you've heard our Tip of the Week Podcast on hand pollinating before. Now we're providing a visual companion. Here's an easy guide to hand pollinating your…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 29, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:2 Comments

Harvesting basil is easy if you know where to look.

Harvesting Basil

Every once in a while it's time to return to basics here at Gardenerd. Our blog is filled with helpful hints for gardening, but we recently discovered that the basics for harvesting basil were not among those hints. So here they are. Basil is a fragrant staple of the spring and summer garden. There are dozens of varieties to grow, but they all behave the same (at least all the annual varieties do). Basil is a member of the mint…

Post author:Christy
Post published:April 28, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:3 Comments

Infograph: How to Store Food Right

The folks at Fix.com put together this nifty infograph on how to store food so it lasts longer in the fridge. I found a few tidbits of information that were new to me (especially the hacks at the end), so I thought I'd share it with my fellow Gardenerds. Take a gander and keep this chart on hand for when you need to keep food fresh after you harvest it. Editors note: I find that many of the veggies listed…

Post author:Christy
Post published:March 10, 2015
Post category:Blog Sage Advice
Post comments:1 Comment