Hi Friends,
Today I am sharing the article I wrote for the Cameron Chronicle, "The Little Paper With Personality."
This is the article for the July issue. We were in the middle of a drought, I shared tips and tricks for watering and dealing with unwanted visitors in the garden.
When Gardening is Not all Roses!
By Carla TePaske of Cameron, WI ~ The Little Garden That Could
A good rain in June sets all in tune. Well, we all know that is not how our month of June was for us living in the Cameron area. June has been hot and dry. Here are a few tips on watering your hanging baskets, containers and garden.
Hanging baskets can dry out quickly from the wind and sun. A daily soak is recommended for hanging baskets. Water until you see water drain from the bottom of your hanging basket. I keep gallon milk jugs around the garden filled with water, it is convenient if you see a plant stressed to give it a quick drink. Another trick I learned from my neighbor who had many hanging baskets around his home is the following. Purchase a kiddie pool, fill it with water, each evening place your hanging baskets in the pool. The roots will soak up the water during the night. The plant will be all hydrated and ready to go in the morning as you hang them up for the day.
Watering your container plants daily in dry windy conditions is recommend.
When watering the main garden using a sprinkler system, use a tuna can to measure water. One inch of water is a good amount when watering your garden, using a tuna can, you can see that yes, you are reaching the one inch amount.
Deer, Rabbits, Squirrel, Oh My!
Many of us deal with unwanted visitors to the garden. Here is a stinky recipe that will help keep those unwanted visitors away.
You will need:
A gallon jug
Spray bottle
Blender
Milk
Eggs
Dish Detergent
Cooking Oil
Stinky Solution
1 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 Tablespoon Dish Detergent
1 Tablespoon Cooking Oil
Add everything (except dish soap) whip on high in blender. Let settle, add dish soap, pour into gallon jug. Fill remainder of the jug with water. Let the solution sit in the sun to get stinky.
After the solution has had time to get stinky, pour into your spray bottle, spray the boarder of your garden and plant area. Must reapply after each rain.
A garden is a thing of beauty and a job forever. Richard Bries
A wonderful article! I do water my hanging baskets daily unless it rains of course. Janice
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Carla, for the great tips. Next year, I'll try the stinky formula. I hope I can remember the recipe. I'll try it around my flower beds and hydrangeas. They may smell stinky but at least, they will be pretty. Haha.
ReplyDeleteHugs, Julia
What a great recipe to keep critters from the garden. Thanks for sharing. Love that you can write these great tips for your local chronicle. Hugs, Kris
ReplyDeleteYou write so well. You are direct, instructional, and down to earth! Plus so helpful!
ReplyDeleteIt is a forever job and Im thankful for it. I love the pooI idea!!~
ReplyDeleteRecipe for keeping unwanted visitors away from garden!!!
ReplyDeleteWorth its weight in gold!
Thank you!
Must keep for next year, for son's garden next door.
-smile-
🌻🍁🍂🏈🍂🍁🌻
Carla, I know your column will be a hit with your readers. You are to the point and practical. I'm going to remember the tuna can trick and kiddie pool for flower baskets. If we had a vegetable patch I would try the stinky spray but since we don't we'll keep on enjoying all the wild critters who visit. Our back garden is fenced in so we've pretty much accepted that the front yard belongs to the deer to nibble on. I'm looking forward to the next column in the little paper with personality!
ReplyDeleteThat is a great article ... handy tips too.
ReplyDeleteAll the best Jan
My nose was wrinkling up just reading that Stinky Solution recipe! Ugh! That should keep the garden marauders away! I really like the baby pool watering method for the hanging baskets! What an inspired idea.
ReplyDeleteSuper tips, especially about the stinky spray! We are all mildewing here in Alabama...I wish I could send y'all some rain!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great article. I didn't know about the baby pool method. The gallon jugs is also clever! I need to make more of that stinky solution for next year!
ReplyDeleteVery nice and good advice. The rabbit repellent works well...except during extremely rainy seasons (which we haven't had for a while). I have so many cages around my garden because I get lazy about repeatedly spraying everything. Glad you got some rain! We will get some tonight and tomorrow--yay!
ReplyDeleteGreat article, Carla! Is that Marv's stinky recipe? I need to pin it. I always forget where to find it!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you're sharing the articles with us. Very impressed!
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
What a good article! You are so talented and sharing good info too!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great article Carla, and so much wonderful information! I need to try your stinky recipe! And I've revived many a plant that seemed forlorn and dead by soaking them in a tub of water with a bit of fertilizer in it overnight. Hope your Fall is a lovely one!
ReplyDeleteThat's wonderful that you got to write a short story in the Chronicle, Carla. The squirrel recipe was interesting. They are digging holes in my yard right now. I'm thinking they
ReplyDeleteare storing up pine nuts for Winter haha.
~Sheri
Carla, your article has lots of good tips I had never thought about. Glad you posted it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I could "take" the odor of the stinky solution! Way to go with the article.
ReplyDeleteWhat a neat idea to use a kiddie pool to give the hanging baskets a good soak!
ReplyDelete