Something crept in into my vegetable garden overnight and ate my zucchini plants.

I thought I did everything right! I put up two fences around my garden to keep out animals. One fence was a made of three foot chicken wire which I buried about one foot deep and the other was a four foot wire fence that was loose on top so animals could not climb up and get in. I planted six tomato plants, six lettuce, six cucumbers, and six zucchini plants. Everything was great. I mulched with the grass clippings from my lawn and watered regularly.

Then one morning I went out to watch my garden grow and notice all my zucchini plants where gone. Whatever got into my garden ate just my zucchini plants and left the rest of my garden alone.

The only thing I can think of is something got into my garden started chomping away on my zucchini and then got interrupted by a noise.

If I didn’t think of something fast I might lose the whole garden to an unknown critter. I can’t stay up all night and keep guard over my garden! I have a motion detector light that is close by, but clearly that did not help. I need something that moves and makes noise but what? Later that day when I was rinsing out plastic and tins for recycling, it came to me. Pie tins!

And that’s what I did. I hung pie tins on all sides of my garden. They make noise in the slightest of breeze and if something was trying to climb my fence they would surely make a clatter. I also added a small beach ball to roll around gently inside the garden just in case those critters get past my pie tins.

It’s been a month since I installed my pie tins and my vegetables are flourishing including the zucchini plants that I replanted.

I still don’t know what ate my zucchini plants but I’m sure glad I decided to make a pie!

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About a month ago I mulched my beautiful garden and thought I was all set for the summer months. Then just the other day I went outside to admire my flower garden only to see what looked like dog vomit. There was a blob of yellow brown slime in my garden! Yuck! It looked terrible and it seemed to be growing! What is this growth in my mulch and how do I get it out of my garden?

Slime Mold

I have slime mold! Slime mold lives in moist, cool, and shady places on decaying wood, leaves, and organic matter that retains an abundant amount of moisture. They feed on decaying organic matter and bacteria. That is why it is common to see this grow in on mulch. Slime mold has many different colors they can be yellow, orange, red, or cream colored. Slime mold may appear as a slimy mass and as the fungus matures, the slime mold will usually become more hard or powdery in appearance. It will eventually dry to a white, yellow, tan, or dark brown crusty blob.

Getting Rid of Slime Mold

There does not seem to be any effective chemical treatments.

You can use a rake to help break it up, or wait a week or so until the mold dries out. Either way, the slime mold will eventually disappear.

Slime mold may grow near plants and flowers, but don’t worry they will not harm them.

I removed my slime mold by scooping it up with a shovel and placing it in a wooded area of my yard.

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The first step to planning your vegetable garden is to figure out what and how much vegetables you would like to grow. For example, if you like tomatoes or cucumbers make sure to plant enough for you, your friends, and your neighbors because everybody loves homegrown vegetables!

The next step is to plan your garden out on paper.  You will need to make sure you do not plant your vegetables too close together or too close to your garden fence. You will want to be able to move around them to weed and pick your harvest.

Step number three will be deciding whether you will buy already grown little seedlings or start your garden from seeds. If it is early in the season you can start your vegetables from seeds. When you choose your seeds make sure to check the planting zone on the back of the seed packet. You can purchase seed packets in many different stores including garden centers, grocery stores, and home centers.  

If you decide to start your garden indoor from seeds, you can use small paper cups and some potting soil. Following the directions on the seed packets will get you off to a good start. It will take several days for the seeds to germinate, but soon you will see little leaves and stems start to poke out of the dirt and develop.

Whether you purchase seedlings or seeds you will need to wait until all danger of frost is gone for your area to start planting your seedlings into your garden. Make sure to check the spacing of the plants from the seed packets or the plant tabs. You may also want to attach the empty seed packet or plant tab to the area of the plants you have planted. This will help you remember what plants have been planted where.

If you follow these steps you are on your way to a productive, healthy garden.

Springtime is right around the corner, and now is the time to prepare your vegetable garden.

You don’t need a big backyard to have a vegetable garden. If you don’t have an area around your home to plant vegetables, consider container gardening. You can grow many delicious vegetables or herbs in containers in very little space. You can use a window sill, deck, patio, or porch.  All you need is sunlight and rich soil.

If this is your first year for a garden you will need to choose your site.

Sunlight:

Choose a site that gets a lot of sunlight. You will want at least 6 hours of direct sunlight each day.  Although 8-10 hours is much better.

Close to Home:

Pick a site that is close to your house. Having a site close to your house will be easier for you to water, weed, and keep critters out.

Soil:

Loose, well drained, and rich soil is what you will need to have a successful garden. Adding organic matter will improve clay or sandy soil.  

Water:

You will want to locate your garden near water. The closer to the spigot or other water source, the more chances of you watering your garden often.

Avoid low spots, like at the bottom of a hill. These areas will stay cooler longer and water may pool in the area. 

If you are planting your garden on the same site as last season, remove all dead plant material. Add organic matter and turn the soil. Don’t forget to rotate the crops from last season. This will avoid soil borne diseases and maintain a good soil balance.

For container gardening, you can use almost any type of container. The size of your container will depend on the vegetable that you will be growing and also the spot that you have for your container to be placed. If you are looking to grow tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants, you could use a 5 gallon container. Remember your container will need drainage holes and about 1 inch of gravel on the bottom to help with drainage.

 Birds will fly into or peck at windows and sliding glass doors for many reasons. When a bird sees its own reflection in the glass it instinctively wants to chase “the invader” out of its territory. Birds may also see the reflection of trees or the sky in the glass and attempt to fly through the window.

Millions of birds are killed or injured each year by flying into glass windows.

There are many ways to prevent this from happening:

Here are some ways to decrease the reflective ability of glass windows:

Place decorative window films or decals on your window. Non reflective decorations will help the birds avoid the glass.

Close curtains or pull blinds or shades down over windows.

 Place screens in windows to make them less reflective.

Soap your windows during the nesting season. You can use soap or salt mixed with water to spray on your window. When your window dries it will leave a film. You will need to repeat after it rains.

Move bird feeders; move them either 20 feet or more away from windows or 3 feet or under from the window.  This will not prevent non feeder birds from flying into windows.

Place a silhouette of a Hawk, Owl or Crow on the window. Most birds will want to avoid them.  If you can’t find a stick on, you can make your own. Just trace an outline of a large Hawk, Owl or Crow on black paper and attach it to your window.

Move Plants that are inside away from the window so birds do no attempt to fly towards the plant.